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Organ progress
Our William Gray pipe organ has been undergoing restoration for several years now, and the pipes lying on the top of pews after being cleaned and painted have almost become a permanent fixture. Last week we were delighted to welcome Philip and Karen Cartwright of Cartwright Pipe Organ Builders Ltd. to install the pipes back to where they belong. It…
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Unusual Things video
We have been featured on the YouTube channel ‘Unusual Things’, which focuses on finding famous graves and other quirky, unusual things. The channel’s creator, Paul, came to Welshpool in search of actor Gary Holton’s final resting place in Maesgwasted Cemetery, and keen to explore further, he wandered in during one of our open afternoons. It’s an interesting video from the…
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Thomas Penson comes home
A few years ago we were involved in contributing to the research into Thomas Penson, the architect of Christ Church, for an exhibition organised by the Llanfyllin Dolydd Building Preservation Trust. It was designed to be a touring exhibition and we are delighted to be now hosting it here. John Hainsworth, who led the project has penned the following extract…
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Book launch
Ten years ago I had the idea to research the stories behind the memorials in the churchyards that were dedicated to someone that died in the First World War. On the centenary of their death, their story was put on display as part of the Remembering the Fallen of the Great War at Christ Church exhibition. The feedback and support…
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Penson exhibition
Exhibition honours a pioneer We have been involved in an exhibition honouring the life and works of Thomas Penson, architect of Christ Church. John Hainsworth of the Llanfyllin Dolydd Building Preservation Trust has been the driving force behind the exhibition and it has been a joy to work with the steering group in helping to find out a little more…
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Tower repairs.
One major aspect of the restoration of Christ Church is the repair of the Tower. It is the part of the building that causes the most worry, especially during a stromy night! At 110ft tall access is clearly an issue. In the past we have hired a cherry picker to get to where we can to check over the stonework…
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The Oak Tree
By the churchyard there is an Oak tree overlooking the town. It was an acorn around when Queen Anne was the ruler of Britian in 1710 and the tree is 310 years old. I found this out by measuring the girth of the tree which was 6.20m and divided it by 2, so that gave us the answer of 3.10…
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‘John the Pole’
With living in the middle of a churchyard, we are often asked to help locate a grave and it is always a pleasure to assist. We were recently contacted by a gentleman from a Polish Soldier’s Memorial organisation, Polskie Miejsca Pamieci, who was researching the story of ‘John the Pole’. He had very little information to go on other than…
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WW1 stories
In addition to the promotional video for the Welshpool WW1 Walk (see previous post), we were also filmed sharing a couple of the stories of the WW1 memorials in the churchyard. Powys War Memorials Project created several WW1 Stories films in other Powys towns which are very interesting so do look out for those. The story of Joseph Ithel Jehu…
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Welshpool WW1 Walk
We’re honoured to be included in the new Welshpool WW1 Walk compiled by the Powys War Memorial Project. The trail takes you around Welshpool highlighting places and buildings that have a connection to the First World War. The walk incorporates the churchyard and our Poppy Trail (a leaflet of which is available inside the church or you can download it…