Christ Church Congregational Church, Oswestry

Christ Church Congregational church, opposite the Castle grounds, the foundation stone of which was laid Sept. 7th, 1871, is a cruciform building of Cefn stone in the Gothic style, from designs by Mr. W. H. Spaull FRIBA, architect, Oswestry, erected at a cost of about £5,200, and consists of nave with apse, transepts, and a tower with spire 120 feet high: the internal columns are of Craigllwyn and Cefn stone, and there is a fine carved stone pulpit: there are sittings for 600 persons. [Kelly's Directory of Shropshire (1895)]

OPENING OF A NEW CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH - The opening of the new church which has been erected for the congregation recently worshipping in the Old Chapel, Oswestry, took place on Friday, October 18th. The new Congregational Church—which is to be called Christ Church—stands upon the site of the old Borough Gaol, between Arthur-street and Chapel-street, facing the Pitcher Bank, and forms a prominent feature in, and adds greatly to the beautiful landscape by which the town of Oswestry is surrounded. The plan of the building is cruciform, with side aisles, and a tower at the south-east corner, surmounted by a spire. The total height of the spire from the level of the street is 120 feet. At the base of the tower is an entrance, a stone staircase leading therefrom to the gallery, in which sittings for about 120 persons have been provided. The lower part of the front gable is an arcade of five arches, carried on engaged shafts with foliated caps. Two of these arches are the main doorways to the church, and the remaining three are pierced with foiled circular windows. Above this arcade is a four-light tracery-headed window. The side elevations are composed of the aisles, with lancet cupped clerestory windows above, and the transept gables with two two-light cusped windows below and circular windows above filled with light and graceful tracery. This treatment was necessitated through a resolution arrived at by the committee that the transepts should be so constructed that at a future time they could place galleries therein, thus enabling them if necessary to pro- vide increased accommodation for about 200 persons. At the back or west end of the church are three projections, the centre one being an apse for the Communion Table, that on the north side an entrance for the choir, and that on the south side a staircase leading to the basement of the building. Immediately at the foot of the stairs is the minister's vestry—a room fourteen feet by ten feet, and beyond that there are two infant class-rooms, the larger being twenty-one feet by twenty-eight feet, and the smaller twenty feet by fifteen, the two providing accommodation for 111 children. Beyond these class-rooms are a store- room and heating chamber, in which is fixed a Grundy's patent heating apparatus for warming the church and class-rooms under. The plan of the ground floor is, as h is been previously stated, cruciform, and is designed to accommodate 480 worshippers. The extreme dimensions are seventy-five feet by fifty-seven feet. The clerestory wall is supported on clustered columns of polished limestone from Craigllwyn quarry, worked by the proprietor, Mr Eyton Jones. The caps and bases of these columns are of Cefn stone, the former being foliated carving, from which spring moulded arches. The roof of the church is open timbered, but ceiled on the under-side of the rafters and collars. The principals are supported on moulded corbels, with divers devices on the face. The gallery beams are also supported upon stone corbels, and three iron columns with foliated caps which were cast at the Cambrian Railway Works under the direction of Mr Alexander Walker. The communion rail is of oak with carved terminals carried on a moulded and cusped dwarf screen, and is carried two steps above the floor of the church. The pulpit is on the left side of the communion apse, and is a splendid piece of workmanship, executed by Mr Dodson, of Shrewsbury, from designs supplied by the architect. The body of the pulpit is of Caen stone, richly moulded and carved, with Mansfield-engaged shafts at the angles, and polished red marble panels. The shaft to the base is polished Treflach stone, with moulded Caen stone base and carved cap. The windows of the church are glazed with rough cathedral glass, of various tints, arranged in geometric patterns, producing a pleasant effect. This portion of the contract has been executed under the direction of the architect by Messrs Done and Davies, of Shrewsbury. The whole of the interior wood-work is stained, and the iron-work decorated by Messrs Lewis and Sons, painters, Oswestry. The carving was executed by Mr Evans, of Whitchurch. The church is lighted with smalt gas coronae of seven jets each and there are brackets in the aisles and under the gal- lery.' The whole of the gas-fittings and workmanship have been executed under the superintendence of Mr Andrew Gibb, manager of the Oswestry Gas Works. The new organ, which is not yet completed, is being constructed by Messrs Conacher, of Huddersfield, and will, it is expected, be placed in the church about Christmas. It will be erected in the north transept. The walls and masonry are of Cefn stone, from the quarries of Messrs Dennis and Company, by whom all the tracery and dressed works have been executed. The general walling is rock faced. The contractors, Messrs Morris and Chaplin, of Oswestry, carried out the works from the designs and details supplied by and under the superintendence of the architect, Mr W. H. Spaull, of Oswestry, and they have spared no pains to make them substantial and satisfactory, and have carried them out with much promptitude. The coat of the building is about £5,180, towards which about £2,3,25 has been collected or promised, leaving a deficit of about £2,000. The memorial stone was laid September 7th, 1871, by Sir James Watts, of Manchester, so that the works have been completed in a little over twelve months' time. It is satisfactory to note that not a single accident or mishap of any kind has occurred during the erection of the building. Several handsome gifts of church furniture have been presented by members of the congregation and other friends:-The communion table, by the Minister one communion chair, by Messrs E. and J. Jones; a second communion chair, by Mr T. H. Jones; the pulpit Bible and hymn-book, by Mrs Gasquome Messrs Evans, Jones, and Co. also generously provided the seat rugging, with which the whole of the body of the church is supplied, at cost price. The Old Chapel in Arthur Street has been converted into Sunday schools. The upper floor is one large room capable of seating 400 persons. The lower floor is divided into nine class rooms and one lecture room, available either for a large adult class, or for the purposes of the night services during the week. The whole of these are to be heated with hot water, the apparatus being supplied by Mr Dodwell, of Shrewsbury. In the interval between the closing of the Old Chapel and the opening of Christ Church, the Sunday services have been held in the Public Hall.[Cambrian News 25 October 1872 page 7]

OSWESTRY, Sept. 24th - For a Congregational church, on the site adjoining the old chapel W H Spaull, architect, Albion Chambers, Oswestry. [Building News 26 August 1870 page 162]

Reference    Kelly's Directory of Shropshire (1895)
Reference    Cambrian News 25 October 1872 page 7 - opening
Reference    Building News 26 August 1870 page 162 - contracts

OSWESTRY, Sept. 24.- For a Congregational church, on the site adjoining the old chapel W H Spaull, architect, Albion Chambers, Oswestry