Church Of St Ruthen

SJ 40 NW PONTESBURY C.P. LONGDEN

4/200 Church of St Ruthen -

• II

Parochial chapel, now parish church. Partly medieval or C16 fabric, re- built in C17 and C18 and drastically restored in 1877. Mainly uncoursed yellow and red sandstone rubble to nave north and south walls with chamfered plinth, stepped at east end; west wall in late C18 reddish-brown brick and red brick chancel with stone dressings; machine tile roofs. Nave and polygonal chancel; west porch and vestry and lean-to brick shed on north side. Nave in 3 bays; windows all late C19 paired lancets with circular openings above, except the west window (also c.1877) which has 2 cusped square-headed lights; blocked south door with massive 4-centred arch probably late C16; C20 wooden bell-turret at west end above late C19 red brick gabled porch and vestry with a blocked door formerly leading to now- dismantled organ gallery to right; contemporary lean-to on north. Late C19 polygonal chancel on site of a C18 chancel with flat-headed windows (c.1938) on north and south and east window in Decorated style with 3 cusped lights. Interior: good C17 roof in 4 bays with double-purlins and cambered tie beams and collars, although only the central truss is unaltered; late C17 panelled pulpit and early C19 font with marble bowl and baluster-shaped shaft, originally in the Church of St George, Pontesbury (q.v.), but trans- ferred to Longden in 1864. The chapel was probably originally founded as the private chapel of the barons of Longden. B.o.E., p.172; V.C.H. VIII (1968), Pp.290-91; D.H.S. Cranage, The Churches of Shropshire, Part 6 (1903), p.530.

Listing NGR: SJ4414206396