Anglican churches have to be inspected every five years. I made six of these quinquennial inspections in 2016 and wrote the reports.
You can see the tall spire of this splendid Victorian church from the Chester to Shrewsbury train. It was designed by the Shrewsbury architect Samuel Pountney Smith and built in 1859 The Shropshire earthquake in 1990 caused some damage to the steeple which was repaired by roped access. The church is listed Grade 2 by Historic England.
This lovely medieval church is listed Grade 1 by Historic England. It’s built on a mound by the River Roden, near the Shropshire Way long-distance path. A church and priest at Stanton appear in the Domesday Book, but the original church may have been built in the Saxon period or even earlier. The churchyard is circular, which was a feature of early Welsh and Irish churches.
All Saints was built in 1820 to serve the Welsh speakers in the parish of St Oswald, Oswestry. It was built by a local builder in the Greek Revival style, originally as a preaching hall, but in 1867 a chancel, sacristy and vestry were added. In 2006 the church was re-ordered and now has an upstairs meeting room, toilet and office, and a small kitchen at the west end of the church.
Another church designed by Samuel Pountney Smith, and built in 1872 to replace an eighteenth-century brick building. There are tombstones in the churchyard dating from the eighteenth century. A well-detailed glazed oak screen was constructed in 2008 to enclose the vestry, but otherwise the church is much as originally designed.
This church was designed by Henry Kennedy and built in 1878. Henry Kennedy was the architect for the Diocese of St Asaph for fifty years, and there are many churches in Wales designed by him, but St John’s church in Weston Rhyn is reputedly the only church in England which he designed. In 2008 a new toilet and entrance were constructed in the former organ chamber, and the liturgical orientation of the church was turned through 180 degrees so that a community space could be made at the east end of the church. This has enabled many community activities to take place within the church during the week.
Although the church of St Andrew in Church Aston was founded in medieval times, the building was re-built twice in the nineteenth century. In 1800 it was re-built in brick, and then in 1867 it was re-built again to a design by the architect George Edmund Street. Street also designed the font, reredos and pulpit. There is some interesting stained glass, including one window designed by Edward Burne-Jones for Morris and Co. The church is listed Grade 2 by Historic England.