Church of the Ascension, Stirchley (I) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Ascension, Stirchley |
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|---|---|
| 52°25′41.8″N 1°55′21.8″W / 52.428278°N 1.922722°W | |
| Location | Stirchley, West Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | The Ascension |
| Consecrated | 30 October 1901 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | William Hale |
| Groundbreaking | 1898 |
| Completed | 1901 |
| Closed | 29 October 1965 |
The Church of the Ascension, Stirchley was a Church of England church in Stirchley, Birmingham. It stood from 1901 until 1965.
Contents
History of the Stirchley Church
The Church of the Ascension was the very first church built in Stirchley. Its construction started in 1898 on Hazelwell Street. The building was finished in 1901. It was officially opened and blessed on October 30, 1901. This ceremony was led by the Bishop of Coventry.
Early Years and Parish Changes
The church was designed by an architect named William Hale. It was first built as a "chapel-of-ease." This meant it was a smaller church that helped a larger, main church. In this case, it helped St Mary's Church, Moseley.
Later, in 1912, the Church of the Ascension got its own official parish. A parish is like a local area that a church serves. This new parish was created from parts of the areas covered by St Mary's Church, Moseley and St Nicolas' Church, Kings Norton.
A New Church in the Area
On December 1, 1927, another church opened nearby. This new church was called St. Hugh of Lincoln. It was built in Pineapple Grove to serve the Dads Lane Estate.
The Fire and New Beginning
Sadly, on October 29, 1965, the Church of the Ascension was destroyed by a fire. After the fire, the damaged building had to be taken down.
A new church was then built next to St. Hugh's. This new building was designed by Romilly Craze. It was officially opened and blessed on July 14, 1973. This time, the ceremony was led by the Bishop of Birmingham.
Many items from the original church were saved from the fire. These items were then used in the new church. They included some beautiful stained glass windows. Also saved were the Stations of the Cross, which are pictures showing events from Jesus's last day. The altar silver, processional crosses, and vestments (special clothes worn by priests) were also rescued.
Today, the old St. Hugh's church building is used as the church hall for the new Church of Ascension. You can even find old TV news footage of the fire! It was filmed in black and white by Associated Television and is kept in the Media Archive for Central England.
The Church Organ
The original Church of the Ascension had a special organ. It was built in 1901 by a company called Norman and Beard. You can find details about this organ on the National Pipe Organ Register. This register keeps records of many pipe organs. Sadly, this organ was also destroyed in the fire in 1965.
