The Catholics in Much Wenlock

In 1902 Mr James Bowden became master of the Post Office situated at 7 Sheinton Street and in 1935 created a Catholic Church in an old malt house situated at the rear of the post Office premises. He used simple materials and made do with whatever materials were at hand. The altar cloth and “some appointments” were “begged from the sisters at Shrewsbury”. The council donated four forms on condition they were not painted. Hassocks and kneelers were supplied by members of the congregation. The Christmas crèche was much admired and permanently in position, as there was nowhere to store it.

During the war most of the evacuees received in Much Wenlock were Catholic children from the Liverpool area. This “mistake in planning” resulted in Catholic children being sent to an area without a priest for them and with few Catholic families. One consequence of this was segregated schooling so the children would not mix in school with children not of their faith, although evacuees have memories of out of school activities and “scraps”. The evacuees brought a statue of the Virgin Mary with them, which came from a bombed church in Liverpool, and travelled down with them on the bus to Much Wenlock.
In 1938 there were said to be 45 Catholics in Much Wenlock.
Mr Bowden married a grand-daughter of Daniel O’Connell (died 1847) – “The liberator” – and their son Gerald was responsible for the construction of the Church of Mary Magdalen built in Barrow Street, just past the old gas works, in 1955.
The church was de-consecated in February 2008 and members of the congregation now attend churches in Broseley, Bridgnorth or other places.