Christ Church, Llangrove

Christ Church Llangrove

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Information

  • OS Grid Ref: SO 527 193
  • Parking available
  • Hours of access: 10am – 5pm (or dusk), daily
  • Visit the website

Christ Church, completed in 1856, was the first church designed by George Frederick Bodley (1827-1907) who went on to become one of our major Gothic Revival architects. Turning his back on the complexity and clutter of contemporary design, he was among those who chose the simplicity of fourteenth-century English Gothic as his pattern. This was an inspiration to the movement of craft workers which became known in the 1880s as Arts and Crafts. Bodley did not consider himself to be an Arts and Crafts exponent although he was a friend and, until the early 1870s, the main patron of William Morris, radical socialist and designer, who was at the heart of the movement.

The World War I memorial inside the church is a typical Arts and Crafts piece, with its freehand lettering and sheltering tree. The painted screen behind the altar, dated 1898, is a good minor Pre-Raphaelite work and commemorates the life of Mrs. Catherine Marriott, Lady of the Manor of Goodrich, who endowed Christ Church at a cost to her of £1500. The church was built by Roberts of Monmouth.

The National Pipe Organ register has the interesting suggestion that the organ was commissioned originally by Sir Thomas Beecham’s family firm and stood in the reception area of the Beecham factory in St Helens. It was bought by Christ Church in 1970 and is still in regular use.

The east window is pleasant and typical of its period, almost certainly bought from the catalogue of a specialist maker. This could be a sign that the endowment was not sufficient to commission one of the notable stained-glass artists of the period.

See the website for more information.

Christ Church Llangrove