In December 1791 the churchwardens of St Mary Magdalene Church in Bridgnorth called in Shropshire's county surveyor, Thomas Telford, to survey their 14th-century church because they feared it might be in danger of collapse.
Telford, who would gain fame for his bridge designs, recommended pulling down the old church and building a new one. The churchwardens agreed, and St Mary's became the first church designed by Telford in a career that would take him from one end of Britain to the other.