St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham |
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| Church of St Alban and St Patrick, Highgate, Birmingham | |
St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham
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| 52°27′57″N 1°53′18″W / 52.46583°N 1.88833°W | |
| Location | Conybere Street, Highgate, Birmingham |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Anglo-Catholic |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Alban |
| Consecrated | 4 December 1899 |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* listed |
| Designated | 25 April 1952 |
| Architect(s) | John Loughborough Pearson |
| Architectural type | Gothic revival architecture |
| Groundbreaking | 31 January 1880 |
| Completed | 3 May 1881 |
| Construction cost | £20,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 130 feet (40 m) |
| Width | 76 feet (23 m) |
| Nave width | 26.5 feet (8.1 m) |
| Height | 170 feet (52 m) |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Highgate |
| Deanery | Central Birmingham |
| Archdeaconry | Birmingham |
| Diocese | Anglican Diocese of Birmingham |
St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham is an important Church of England church in Highgate, Birmingham. It's a special building, listed as Grade II* listed, which means it's historically very important. The church is named after Saint Alban, who was the first Christian martyr in Britain.
Contents
History of St Alban's Church
The church started as a small, temporary building in 1865. It opened its doors on September 13, 1866.
Building the Permanent Church
The main church building was designed by a famous architect named John Loughborough Pearson. Construction began on January 31, 1880. The church officially opened for worship on May 3, 1881.
The church was formally made sacred on December 4, 1899. Building it cost around £20,000, which was a lot of money back then!
In 1938, the tall tower and spire were added by Edwin Francis Reynolds.
Joining Parishes and Repairs
In the early 1970s, St Alban's Church took over the parish of St Patrick's Church, Bordesley. This happened when St Patrick's Church was taken down.
In 2016, the church received money from the Heritage Lottery. This helped them fix some of the roofs. However, by 2018, the church was still in poor condition. It was even put on the "Heritage at Risk Register" because of its roof.
Good news! From 2020 to 2021, a big repair project took place. The rest of the church roof was fixed. High-up windows and walls were also repaired. Because of these fixes, the church was removed from the "Buildings at Risk" list.
St Alban's Church Today
Today, Keble College, Oxford helps support St Alban's Church.
The church follows the Anglo-Catholic tradition within the Church of England. This means it has certain styles of worship and beliefs. For a while, the church had rules about not having women priests. However, these rules changed in 2016 and 2017. Now, the parish would accept a woman priest.
Architecture and Art
The church building is shaped like a cross. It is made of red brick with special stone details.
Inside, you can see a beautiful stained glass window at the east end. It was made by Henry Payne. In the south chapel, there's a unique copper artwork. It's a three-part screen with painted panels. Local artists Kate and Myra Bunce gave it to the church in 1919. It was a gift to remember their sisters and parents.
In September 2015, a special blue plaque was put up at St Alban's. This plaque honors the Bunce sisters for their contributions.
Church Leaders
Here are some of the vicars who have led St Alban's Church over the years:
- James Samuel Pollock (1865–1894)
- Thomas Benson Pollock (1895–1896)
- George Philip Trevelyan (1897–1900)
- Canon Alfred Cecil Scott (1900–1910)
- Mark Napier Trollope (1910–1911)
- Francis Underhill (1911–1923)
- Dudley Clark (1923–1953)
- Canon Lawrence Goodrich Harding (1953–1981)
- David Handley Hutt (1982–1986)
- Michael Hedley Bryant (1987–1993)
- Canon James G. Pendorf (1995–2004)
- Canon John Hervé (2005–2010)
- Dr Pervaiz Sultan (2011–2013)
- Dr Nicholas lo Polito (2013–2016)
- Dr Gerald Sykes (2017–present)
The Church Organ
The church has a large organ that was first installed in 1870. It was built by Bryceson Son & Ellis. In 1940, the organ was updated by Rushworth and Dreaper. They made it bigger and added new parts. A new oak case for the organ was also created. You can find more details about this organ on the National Pipe Organ Register.
Organists of St Alban's
Many talented organists have played at St Alban's Church. Some of them went on to play at other famous places.
- Mr. Price (around 1868)
- Hugh Brooksbank (1881)
- Douglas Redman (1882–1885)
- J. Granville Smith (1889–1899)
- William Terrence Jenkins (1901–1910)
- Thomas J. Richards (1911–1919)
- Ernest Edward Madeley (1923–1953)
- Roy Massey (1953–1960)
- Raymond Isaacson (1961–1967)
- Paul Hale (1970–1971)
- David Briggs (1979–1981)
- Iain Simcock (1981–1983)
- Ian Ledsham (1983–1991)
- Chris Harker (2004–2018)
- Graeme Martin (2013–2019)
- Aled Liddington (2022–current)
See also
- Ark St Alban's Academy
