Christ Church, Rossett facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Christ Church, Rossett |
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Christ Church, Rossett, from the southeast
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| OS grid reference | SJ 365,571 |
| Location | Station Road, Rossett, Wrexham County Borough |
| Country | Wales |
| Denomination | Anglican (Church in Wales) |
| History | |
| Dedication | 31 October |
| Consecrated | 31 October 1892 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 18 October 1996 |
| Architect(s) | Douglas and Fordham |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1891 |
| Completed | 1892 |
| Construction cost | £3,677 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Stone, green slate roof |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Alyn Mission Area |
| Deanery | Alyn Mission Area |
| Archdeaconry | Wrexham wales |
| Diocese | St Asaph |
| Province | Wales |
Christ Church is a beautiful church located in Rossett, Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It belongs to the Church in Wales, which is part of the Anglican Christian family. This church is a special building, recognized as a Grade II listed building by Cadw, a group that protects Wales's historic sites. It's still an active church today, serving its community in the Alyn Mission Area.
The Church's Story
The very first church building on this spot was put up in 1841. The church you see today was designed in 1886 by architects Douglas and Fordham from Chester. However, it wasn't built until 1891–1892.
Mrs. Townshend Mainwaring laid the first stone to start the building work. The church cost over £3,677 to build. A large part of the money came from John Townsend of Trevalyn House. The community also helped by raising £2,861 through public donations. A clock was added to the church in 1902.
What Does the Church Look Like?
Christ Church is built from stone and has a green slate roof. Its style is called Gothic Revival, which means it looks like older medieval churches.
The church has a cross shape, known as cruciform. It has a main area called the nave, with a side aisle on the north. There's a short chancel (the area near the altar) and two side sections called transepts, one to the north and one to the south. The south transept is used as a vestry (where clergy prepare), and the north transept holds a small chapel.
A tower stands in the middle of the church, right over the choir area. This tower has buttresses (supports) on its north and south sides. The clock face is on the east side of the tower. The other sides of the tower have openings with louvers (slanted slats) for the bells. The top of the tower has a crenellated (castle-like) edge. Each corner has a pinnacle (a small, pointed tower) with a crocketted finial (a decorative top).
The windows have Perpendicular tracery, which means they have decorative stone patterns. The porch at the entrance has a pointed roof (gabled) and a special canopied niche above the door. Inside this niche is a statue of Christ the Good Shepherd. The large east window has seven sections. There's also a small stair-turret (a tower with stairs) where the south nave and south transept meet.
Inside the church, the arcade (a row of arches) between the nave and the aisle has eight-sided piers (columns). The wooden furniture, like the reredos (a screen behind the altar), the stalls (seats for the choir), the pews (benches for the congregation), and the organ case, were all designed by Douglas.
The beautiful stained glass windows add lots of color. The east window (from 1905) and a window on the south wall of the nave (from 1904) were made by Charles Eamer Kempe. The north window in the chancel has stained glass designed by Morris & Co. (from 1907). In the north transept, you'll find glass from the late 1920s by Heaton, Butler and Bayne.
A writer named Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel once said about the church: "Inside and out this building has real charm, and is beautifully thorough in detail."
The Churchyard and Memorials
The churchyard (the area around the church) is home to the village war memorial. This memorial remembers people from the village who lost their lives in wars. It also contains graves cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. These graves belong to seven British Army personnel: five from World War I and two from World War II.
See also
