Just a short video I was originally intending to include with my Shrewsbury English Bridge video (see here) but thought it would make it too long so here it is!
St Chad’s Church
A well known Grade I listed building located in a prominent position opposite The Quarry Park in Shrewsbury, Shropshire. The church was a replacement for a 13th-century building which was essentially destroyed after the collapse of its central tower in 1788.
Charles Darwin was baptised in St Chad’s in 1809, and as a young boy he attended the church with his mother.
After some confusion, the circular plan of the Scottish architect, George Steuart, was accepted even though the planning committee had first rejected it for a more traditional oblong church. However, the planning process had been so fraught by argument and delay that the committee eventually thought it preferable to simply go ahead with the round design.
The Churches foundation stone was laid on St Chad’s day in 1790 and took just over two years for it to be completed finally opening in August 1792. The building work was supervised by John Simpson who went on to work on several other projects with Thomas Telford, including the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.
