In the heart of a “sleepy” corner of Shropshire sits The Quinta Christian Centre – a country house on 50 acres of estate, offering meeting spaces, accommodation and camping for Christians. But 2025 isn’t just any year for The Quinta – it’s its 40th, and you’d best believe celebrations have been taking place.
On a Saturday afternoon, as a long, sunny summer drew to a close, around 150 people from local churches gathered at The Quinta for coffee, cake, and an opportunity to reflect on the Centre’s heritage – giving thanks for all that has happened over the last four decades and praying for what lies ahead. But what has happened in the past 40 years? Well, Centre Manager Alistair Nurden spoke with en from the depths of Quinta Hall: “Thomas Barnes [a Christian MP] is the man who built this building that we’re in. He built it partly as a country retreat for him, his wife, and children. But he also wanted it to be somewhere where pastors could come on retreat. For [over 150 years], Christians have been coming to this very spot, on retreat, to rest, relax, and meet with God.”
In August 1871, Barnes – the then owner of the Quinta Estate – hosted The Oswestry Institute Annual Fete and Picnic, welcoming more than 3,000 people to Quinta that afternoon. Six days later, a report of the event in the Oswestry Advertiser said: “The event was an opportunity for the dwellers in towns to get away from the worry and toil of ordinary life to a spot where one can drink in the beauty of the trees and flowers and bathe the weary senses in repose.” Nurden added: “We’re doing the same thing [almost 160 years] later: we’re still providing somewhere for dwellers in towns to come and bathe their weary senses in repose.”
