St Chad's Church, Shrewsbury

St Chad's Church in Shrewsbury is traditionally understood to have been founded in Saxon times. King Offa, who reigned in Mercia from 757 to 796 AD, is believed to have founded the church, though it is possible it has an earlier foundation even than that. The church may have been operating on its initial site from buildings that were part of a royal palace established in the 500s AD, in the Kingdom of Powys, who had their capital at Shrewsbury, when it was known as Pengwern. For a period of nearly 1000 years the church was at the original College Hill site, only moving to its current building and site in 1792. The distinctive round shape and high tower of the new building is a well-known landmark in the town, near the Quarry area of parkland. The current building is a Grade I listed building. The motto of the church is "open doors, open hearts, and open minds". This indicates the aspiration of the church to be a welcoming church, involved in the community, and on a collective journey seeking after God. The naturalist Charles Darwin was baptised in St Chad's church in 1809, and as a young boy attended the church with his mother Susannah. In 2010, the church became a member of the Greater Churches Group.