Welcome to St Chad's Church Shrewsbury

St Chad's Church seeks to be alive to God in the heart of Shrewsbury and to have Open doors, Open hearts and Open minds. That is our aspiration and until we get there, we share the journey together, open to the needs of others and to learning from others too. We are an inclusive church making everyone welcome. Children are always welcome. We have a number of young families in our congregation and there is a crèche and Junior Church provided at the main 10.00 am Sunday Service.

We are open to change and to the many challenges in our world today. As a FAIR TRADE church, we play a full part in supporting Fair Trade in the world as well as in issues of an environmental nature. Matters of social justice are always high on our agenda with strong support for organisations such as Amnesty International. Members of our church are key movers in founding the Ark which is a new “drop-in” centre in Shrewsbury for those who are homeless and vulnerable.

Many folk are attracted to our church because of its excellence in music. Regular services are enhanced by three choirs (adult, girls and children) with the support of a fine 3-manual organ. Apart from the many Friday lunch hour concerts offered every year, St Chad’s is the chosen venue for internationally-famous ensembles such as: The Sixteen, Ex Cathedra and the English Symphony Orchestra. It has recently hosted no fewer than three BBC Songs of Praise broadcasts. The building itself was opened in 1792, after the mediaeval St Chad’s collapsed a few years earlier. Its unique circular nave is an architectural gem which also has the best acoustics of any church in the area. St Chad's has the rare distinction of being a Georgian Church with Grade 1 listing. St Chad’s is Shrewsbury’s civic church, where important ceremonies of both civic and spiritual nature are held. These include Mayor-Making, the Remembrance and Battle of Britain Day services, and the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry commemoration of Bligny Day.

The Church was at the centre of the 2009 Darwin Bicentenary Celebrations, the famous naturalist having been baptised in the church in November 1809. Charles Darwin was born on February 12th 1809 and lived here for 27 years. Each February the annual Darwin Festival takes place in Shrewsbury with four weeks of lectures, workshops and arts events, many of which we are happy to host in our church. The official “Darwin Town Trail” is outlined from this link. Whatever your reason for visiting Shrewsbury, please try to drop into our church and make yourself known to one of us. Our times of opening are listed below; and contact information and times of Church Services are listed elsewhere on this website.

We host a variety of events during the year, many of them reaching out to a wider audience than our church congregation. We are all seekers after God – none of us has full possession of the truth. It is our privilege and responsibility to accompany and support all those who come within our care on their particular journey towards God.

St Chad's Church, a member of the *Greater Churches Group,
is OPEN and welcomes visitors

• Monday to Saturday we welcome visitors from 8am to 5pm
• On Sundays, the church is not available for casual visiting but visitors are welcome to attend services which are at 8.00am, 10.00am, & 6pm.
• Public Holidays: Open from approximately 11am. Closed on Christmas Day (except for services) and closed on Boxing Day.

If you are making a special trip to St Chad's, we recommend that you contact the church office to confirm the church is open. Whilst we make every effort to ensure St Chad's remains open as planned above, unforeseen circumstances such as a funeral may prevent us from keeping the church open. Please also be aware that the church is frequently used for conferences, concerts, and other public events. Whilst many of these often do not preclude visiting in the day, they may curtail your intended visit. Please do check before you plan.

*St Chad's has been made a member of the Greater Churches Group. This  group exists to provide support and advice to about 30 churches in England which have a cathedral-like structure, with only the resources of a parish church to support it.  What these churches have in common is large grade 1 listed buildings, and significant numbers of visitors, employed staff, musical tradition and the requirement to hold diocesan, civic and other special Services.  Becoming a member of this group is a considerable achievement for St Chad's and will benefit us in the sharing of good practice, especially during our current campaign for the repair and development of our church.