Abbey Church of the Holy Cross

Abbey Church of the Holy Cross, Shrewsbury

This is the abbey church of Shrewsbury Abbey, founded by Roger de Montgomery around 1080 as a Benedictine house. The building dates substantially from the late 11th and early 12th centuries, though it was extensively restored and rebuilt by J L Pearson around 1860, following an earlier 19th-century restoration. The church is constructed in red sandstone, coursed and squared, with ashlar facing to much of the new work.

The plan comprises a west tower, nave with three aisles, transepts and transept chapels, and a chancel.

The exterior features a massive three-stage west tower, with masonry largely original to the medieval period. The doorway, with its deep moulded Transitional-style archway, and the seven-light late Decorated-style window above, were renewed during the earlier 19th-century restoration. An ogee hoodmould rises over the window to the string course separating the second and third stages. Angle pilasters at the second stage contain niches with statues. The upper stage has paired bell-chamber lights on each side of a central statue in a niche, and is topped with a brick embattled parapet. Decorated-style windows in the north and south walls of the tower form part of the clerestory range.

The aisles retain largely original medieval masonry, though the parapets and late Decorated tracery in the three-light windows date from the 19th century restoration. To the west of the porch, a small section of the medieval north aisle contains two three-light Decorated windows and a narrow round-arched doorway. The two-storey porch is largely Perpendicular in character, possibly incorporating earlier structure, with cylindrical responds that appear to be 12th century, though the rest of the doorway is late medieval with a square moulded outer archway featuring quatrefoil spandrels. An enriched timber door is dated 1640. Two tiers of two-light windows above are flanked by niches, with mutilated hoodmoulds. The aisle includes substantial remains of original construction, including much of the lower walls and a string course. The windows are late Decorated, and the three cross gables of the roof are probably 15th or 16th century, replacing the original lean-to roof over the aisle. The triforium, largely the work of Pearson, fills in the original plain round-arched arcade with banded red and white sandstone and paired Early English-style windows. The clerestory was renewed by Pearson in a Romanesque style, and the corbel table also dates to the 19th century.

The transepts were refaced and partly rebuilt by Pearson, truncating the original line of the building, which is marked by a blind full-height archway in the north wall with paired plate traceried windows. Stumps of the original east and west walls are visible, that to the west continuing beyond the present building line and incorporating the remains of a window. The transept chapel and chancel were entirely rebuilt by Pearson, with the chancel featuring narrow Early English-style lancet windows high up in the north, south and east walls.

The south side follows the same general scheme as the north, with the westernmost bays being later medieval and restored, and the easternmost section 11th or 12th century with modifications by Pearson following the same design as the north wall. The south doorway incorporates responds with cushion capitals from a 12th-century door, though it has been restored.

The interior reveals substantial remains of the original building, showing evidence of three principal building phases: the original 11th to 12th-century phase, an extension westward in the 13th or 14th century, and extensive restoration in the late 19th century. The western bays largely result from 13th to 14th-century work, featuring a high tower arch with clustered shafts to the responds. The two westernmost bays of the arcade are Decorated with clustered shafts to the responds and deep moulding to capitals and arches, with Decorated windows in the triforium. Remains of the earlier arcade and clerestory are also visible. A wide buttressed pier precedes three bays of Norman work with simple double-ring round arches carried on massive cylindrical shafts. The round-arched triforium arcade was infilled by Pearson, as was the Romanesque-style clerestory above, featuring round-headed windows with recessed shafts and deep splayed arches. Responds at the east end of the arcade have triple shafts on squared bases and cushion capitals.

The aisles contain cylindrical shafts with cushion capitals that formerly carried vaulting for roofs now largely of timber construction. A high plain round-arched presbytery arch springs from plain responds. Cylindrical shafts on squared bases mark the transept arches, by Pearson, with similar moulding to the chancel arch, which springs from corbels. Rib vaulting over the apsidal east end is also carried on paired corbels. Shouldered arches support the lancet windows in the east end. Small east chapels flank the transepts on each side, with groin-vaulted ceilings by Pearson.

Many of the fittings date from the Restoration period, including the pulpit, font canopy, and altarpiece, which is a triptych with hinged traceried panels. The stained glass in the east window is late 19th century, executed in a medieval style. Armorial glass appears in the west window, and a collage of earlier fragments, probably re-assembled, is found in the clerestory.

A series of tombs reflect the long history of the building, including a worn effigy of Roger de Montgomery, the founder, and the recumbent figure of a priest in the south aisle. Three monuments in the west end of the north aisle display the development of style across three pairs of recumbent figures on bases, dated 1544, 1571 and 1612. A number of other effigies in the south aisle are not in their original positions. A long series of wall tablets spans from the mid-17th to the early 19th century. In the north aisle are the remains of the 14th-century shrine of St Winefred, erected here in 1933, comprising two sections of wall with traceried panels and figures of saints in niches.