Christ Church

Christ Church

Parish church built in 1846–47 by S. Pountney Smith and J. Smith, constructed at a cost of £2115. Minor additions were made in the late 19th century. This was the first church designed by the Shrewsbury architect Pountney Smith.

The church is built of roughly-tooled red sandstone ashlar with tooled grey sandstone ashlar dressings and plain tile roofs, separately over the nave and aisles. It follows a lancet style with five-bay nave, five-bay south aisle with porch, four-bay north aisle with west tower, and one-bay chancel with north and south vestrys.

Architectural detailing includes chamfered plinths, diagonal buttresses with chamfered offsets, chamfered eaves cornices, and parapeted gable ends with chamfered copings and shaped kneelers with gablets. The nave features ridge cresting and crosses at the apices of gables. Chamfered lancets throughout have hoodmoulds with scrolled stops. The south doorway in the second bay from the left has a continuous double-chamfered arch and boarded door with strap hinges.

The south porch has a continuous double-chamfered archway, a blind chamfered lancet in the gable above, and chamfered lancets to the sides. The west front displays a two-light nave window with Geometrical tracery, chamfered reveals and hoodmould with carved heads as stops, and a continuously double-chamfered west doorway with boarded door and scrolled stop hoodmould. The south aisle features a tall chamfered rectangular window and chamfered lancet in the gable above.

The east end has a chamfered trefoil in the apex of the nave gable. The aisles have two-light east windows with Geometrical tracery, chamfered reveals and hoodmoulds with carved heads as stops. The short chancel has a chamfered lancet to the south and stepped triple chamfered lancets to the east with continuous hoodmould. The small gabled vestrys have paired lancets and chamfered-arched doorways.

The tower comprises three stages with chamfered plinth, chamfered set backs, parapet string and battlemented parapet with chamfered coping. An octagonal stair turret to the north west has broaches to the square base, chamfered offsets, battlemented parapet and weathervane. The tower features louvred chamfered lancet belfry openings with returned hoodmoulds, a chamfered square panel in the second stage to the west with circular wooden clock, and a tall chamfered rectangular window to the first stage. The turret has blind and open tall chamfered rectangular windows and a boarded door at the base with continuously-chamfered arch.

The interior has five-bay nave arcades consisting of circular piers with moulded bases and capitals and double-chamfered arches. Continuously double-chamfered tower arches and chancel arch are present, with a chamfered-arched doorway to the south vestry. The east windows have chamfered reveals. The five-bay nave roof is hammer-beam with arched-braced collar, king struts and pairs of purlins. The chancel has a two-bay roof.

Fittings are mainly 19th century. A panelled reredos is present, along with altar rails featuring twisted wrought-iron supports. A 19th-century octagonal stone pulpit has carved frieze and arcade with marble colonettes. Beneath the tower is a baptistry with a square font with chamfered corners and wooden cover. A large organ occupies the north aisle. A gallery at the west end of the nave has a pierced Gothic front and central painted coat of arms dated "VR / 1847". A small table, either 17th century or incorporating 17th-century parts, is present alongside Creed, Commandment and Lord's Prayer boards. Encaustic tiles are laid throughout the church.