Shirley Baptist Church, Solihull UK facts for kids

Shirley Baptist Church is a Baptist church located in Solihull, a town close to Birmingham, England. A Baptist church is a place where Christians who follow the Baptist faith gather for worship.

The church building stands on Stratford Road (A34). Its halls face Trinity Place, which is a pedestrian area called Parkgate. Shirley Baptist Church was started a long time ago, in 1797. It is part of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and the Evangelical Alliance, which are groups that connect many Baptist churches.

History of Shirley Baptist Church

Early Beginnings in Shirley

The first time Baptist worship was recorded in Shirley was in 1797. A group of people from Cannon Street Baptist Church in Birmingham started holding meetings. Their leader was a minister named Rev. Samuel Pearce.

These early meetings took place in a building that used to be a pub. It was located at the corner of what is now Stratford Road and Olton Road.

Moving to a New Chapel

As the group grew, they needed their own dedicated space. So, in 1845, the church members moved. They built their own special building, called a Chapel, in an area known as Sandy Hill Farm.

The Current Church Building

The church building you see today was built much later, in 1910. A kind couple, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Braithwaite, paid for its construction. They built it to honor Mrs. Braithwaite's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Guy. Because of this, the church is officially known as the Guy Memorial Chapel.

Adding and Updating Church Halls

More buildings were added behind the main church. These were halls, built in 1913, and they were made even bigger in the 1930s. These additions even included a house for the caretaker, who looked after the church.

However, these older halls and the caretaker's house were taken down in 2012. A year later, in 2013, brand new church buildings were opened. The Deputy Mayor of Solihull, Councillor Ken Hawkins, officially opened them.