Friends of Red Church, Broseley
Donation protected
Please help us restore this negelected churchyard!
St Mary’s Church was built in 1767, in a part of the Parish of Broseley known as Jackfield. It was known colloquially as the ‘Red Church’ because of the striking colour of its bricks. The church is located on the edge of Shropshire’s world-famous Ironbridge Gorge and was needed to cope with a rising population of people attracted by work in the mining and manufacturing industries in the early days of the industrial revolution.
Mining subsidence damaged the Church from its earliest days. It fell into disrepair and Jackfield gained a new St Mary’s Church in 1863. The churchyard was used until full and closed in 1885 and the Red Church was used only intermittently until the 1930s. Vandalism and decay eventually caused the church to be declared unsafe and demolished in 1961. Tragically, the churchyard was damaged. Debris covers much of the site and the site is badly overgrown, with tree roots disturbing the graves. Around 1,250 people were buried in the graveyard but few headstones are now visible. The neglect of the Churchyard is shameful.
A volunteer group, the ‘Friends of the Red Church' has been formed to:
• clear vegetation and demolition debris to reveal the graves
• record and preserve the ecology of the site
• document the history of the Church and those buried in the
graveyard
• restore some dignity to the site to create a quiet space which
promotes the heritage of the town and its people.
• provide a family history resource for residents and visitors alike.
Any contribution you can make, however small, can help us achieve this, so please consider sending us a donation.
You can read more about the history of the Red Church here, and you can follow our progress in restoring this site by joining our Facebook group .
St Mary’s Church was built in 1767, in a part of the Parish of Broseley known as Jackfield. It was known colloquially as the ‘Red Church’ because of the striking colour of its bricks. The church is located on the edge of Shropshire’s world-famous Ironbridge Gorge and was needed to cope with a rising population of people attracted by work in the mining and manufacturing industries in the early days of the industrial revolution.
Mining subsidence damaged the Church from its earliest days. It fell into disrepair and Jackfield gained a new St Mary’s Church in 1863. The churchyard was used until full and closed in 1885 and the Red Church was used only intermittently until the 1930s. Vandalism and decay eventually caused the church to be declared unsafe and demolished in 1961. Tragically, the churchyard was damaged. Debris covers much of the site and the site is badly overgrown, with tree roots disturbing the graves. Around 1,250 people were buried in the graveyard but few headstones are now visible. The neglect of the Churchyard is shameful.
A volunteer group, the ‘Friends of the Red Church' has been formed to:
• clear vegetation and demolition debris to reveal the graves
• record and preserve the ecology of the site
• document the history of the Church and those buried in the
graveyard
• restore some dignity to the site to create a quiet space which
promotes the heritage of the town and its people.
• provide a family history resource for residents and visitors alike.
Any contribution you can make, however small, can help us achieve this, so please consider sending us a donation.
You can read more about the history of the Red Church here, and you can follow our progress in restoring this site by joining our Facebook group .
Organizer
Ian West
Organizer
