Erdington Abbey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Erdington Abbey |
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| Church of St Thomas and St Edmund | |
Erdington Abbey
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| Location | Birmingham |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| History | |
| Dedication | Thomas of Canterbury and Edmund of Canterbury |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II listed |
| Architect(s) | Charles Hansom |
| Groundbreaking | 1848 |
| Completed | 1850 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Birmingham |
Erdington Abbey Church (grid reference SP112922) is located on Sutton Road in Erdington, Birmingham, England. It is also known as the Church of Saints Thomas and Edmund of Canterbury. This church is a Grade II listed building, which means it's recognized as historically important. It is a Roman Catholic church, and a group of priests called the Redemptorists look after it. The building next to the church used to be the actual abbey, but it is now Highclare School.
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History of Erdington Abbey Church
In 1847, a priest named Father Heneage built a small chapel in Erdington High Street. Before this, priests from Oscott College would hold church services in a house on the High Street.
However, the main person who helped build the Church of Saints Thomas and Edmund of Canterbury was Father Daniel Henry Haigh. He started the building work by laying the foundation stone on May 26, 1848. The church was officially opened and blessed by Bishop Ullathorne on June 11, 1850.
Church Design and Features
The church was designed by an architect named Charles Francis Hansom. He made the church's tall steeple 117 ft (36 m) high. This is also the same length as the entire building! The special metal plates used in the church were designed by Augustus Pugin and made by a company called Hardman. The church is built in a style called Gothic revival, which means it looks like older medieval churches.
The Abbey Building
In 1876, Father Haigh gave his church, its parish, and the land (about 4 acres (16,000 m2)) to a group of Benedictine monks. These monks came from Beuron in Germany. They had to leave their own country because of a difficult time called the "Kulturkampf" (a conflict between the government and the Catholic Church).
The monks then built their abbey on this land right next to the church. This abbey building is also a Grade II listed building, just like the church.
The Redemptorist Priests
The Benedictine monks faced problems again during World War I (1914–1918). Because most of them were German, they had a hard time. After the war, they were able to go back to Germany, and Erdington Abbey was no longer a Benedictine monastery.
In 1922, another group of priests, the Redemptorist order, took over the parish. Today, the church is still served by Redemptorist priests. These include Fr. Elias Gweme CSsR (who is the Rector and Parish Priest), Fr. Francis Dickinson CSsR, Fr. Isaac Davies CSsR, and Fr. Royston Price CSsR.
Cemetery
Next to the church, there is a cemetery. This cemetery contains special war graves. These are the burial places of soldiers who died in wars. There are three soldiers from World War I and two soldiers and four Royal Air Force members from World War II buried here.
