chancel allowed the nave to be used as a church hall. The parish of Christ Church was created in 1951 and a decade later construction of a new church began on the same site as the old. The new Christ Church, consecrated in October 1962, has a centrally placed altar positioned beneath a square lantern. The lantern allows natural light into the interior of the building and is topped with a narrow spire. The font, which dates from 1750, was given to the congregation in 1935, and was previously installed in St Mary's Church. Staines Methodist Church John Wesley made his first visit to Staines in 1771 and, by the early 19th century, there was a small congregation of Methodists in the town. The first chapel, opened on Kingston Road, was replaced by a larger building on the same street in 1865. The congregation moved to the current church, on Thames Street, in 1987. Our Lady of the Rosary The first Roman Catholic Mass to be celebrated at Staines since the Reformation, took place in 1862 at the workhouse, on the site of the present Ashford Hospital. A chapel was opened in 1890 on Gresham Road and was initially known as "Our Lady, Help of Christians". The current name, "Our Lady of the Rosary" was granted in 1893. The building was extended eastwards to form the present church in 1931, with the addition of a chancel and narrow south aisle. Renovation work in 1990, added additional side aisles and created a new church hall at the west end. Staines Congregational Church There has been a substantial population of Dissenters living in Staines since the mid-17th century and, by 1690, there was a permanent meeting house in the town. The numbers of Congregationalists declined in the mid-18th century, but a regular meeting was re-established in the High Street in 1785. A chapel was constructed in Thames Street in 1802 and was replaced by a classical-style church on the same site in 1837. The present Congregational Church, on Kingston Road, opened in May 1956. Culture Art Several artists have been inspired to paint Staines Bridge, including William Bernard Cooke (17781855) and Arthur Melville (18551904). An engraving of the bridge by William Woolnoth (17801837), inspired by a painting by John Preston Neale (17801847), is held by the Victoria and Albert Museum. Among the works of public art on display are mosaics by Gary