St Mary's Church, Handsworth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church |
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St Mary's Church, Handsworth, Birmingham
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| 52°30′38″N 1°55′9″W / 52.51056°N 1.91917°W | |
| Location | Handsworth, Birmingham, England |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | http://handsworthstmary.org/ |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Birmingham |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Mary's Church, Handsworth, also known as Handsworth Old Church, is an Anglican church in Handsworth, Birmingham, England. It is a very important historical building, given a special "Grade II* listed" status. The church sits on ten acres (4 hectares) of land next to Handsworth Park. It is famous as the resting place of key figures from the Industrial Revolution. Some people even call it the "Cathedral of the Industrial Revolution" because of its importance.
Contents
History of the Church
Even though the church is strongly linked to the Industrial Revolution, its history goes back much further. The first records for St Mary's began in 1558. The very first stone church building was built on this spot around 1160. It was a small, simple Norman style building. You can still see some of these old Norman parts at the bottom of the sandstone tower on the east side of the church.
Over its long history, St Mary's has been rebuilt and changed many times. Big changes happened in 1820 and 1870. The church started as a country church in Staffordshire. But as Birmingham grew into a huge industrial city, St Mary's became a very important part of it.
In 1851, a book called History, Gazetteer and Directory of Staffordshire described the church. It mentioned that St Mary's was an old building, partly rebuilt in 1820. It had a tower with six bells. The book also noted two statues inside the church. One was a beautiful white marble statue of the famous engineer, James Watt. Another monument was for Matthew Boulton, who was also a very important person in the Industrial Revolution.
In 1894, a new church, St Paul's Church, Hamstead, was created from part of St Mary's area. Handsworth parish moved from Staffordshire to Warwickshire in 1911. Today, St Mary's is located in the Victorian suburb of Handsworth, within Birmingham. Since 1974, it has been part of the West Midlands county.
Church Bells
The church tower received a set of 6 bells in 1701. These bells were rehung in 1868. Later, in 1890, one bell was remade, and two new bells were added. In 1954, one of the bells cracked. So, in 1955, all the bells were remade by a company called John Taylor and Co.
Caring for the Churchyard
Since the 1970s, St Mary's churchyard has been a bit neglected. It is a closed graveyard, meaning no new burials happen there. Many poor people were buried here without coffins or headstones. Their names are in the church records, but their graves are just uneven ground.
The churchyard has become overgrown, and some memorials are hard to reach. People want to make it a safer and more welcoming place. They also want to make it easier for visitors to see the historical graves. The goal is to restore the churchyard's respect in Handsworth. They also want to keep its peaceful feeling and its role as a home for wildlife next to Handsworth Park.
A group called The Friends of St Mary's Churchyard was formed in 2006. This group aims to protect the churchyard. It is special not only because it's a graveyard but also because of its links to the important figures of the Industrial Age. It also has connections to two key people in the history of football: William McGregor, who helped start the Football League, and George Ramsay, who founded Aston Villa F.C..
Famous People: Boulton, Watt & Murdoch
James Watt lived in Handsworth. He is best known for inventing the separate condenser, which greatly improved the steam engine. In 1774, Matthew Boulton worked with Watt to make his invention a reality. Boulton and Watt became one of the most famous business teams in industrial history. William Murdoch, another engineer, made gas lighting better and developed the high-pressure steam engine. He also became a partner with Boulton and Watt.
All three of these important figures have monuments inside St Mary's Church.
- On the north wall of the church is a marble statue of Matthew Boulton.
- Across from it, there is a stone statue of William Murdoch.
- James Watt was originally buried in the churchyard. However, when the church was expanded, his tomb ended up inside the building. There is a special, quiet area called The James Watt Memorial Chapel. Inside, you can see a marble statue of Watt made by Francis Legatt Chantrey.
Conrad Heinrich Küchler, a German engraver who worked for Boulton, was also buried in the churchyard. He designed several British coins.
Family History Records
Between 1980 and 1984, a group worked to record every monument in St Mary's churchyard. This record fills six books. These books contain drawings of headstones and detailed maps showing where they are in the graveyard. Copies of these records are kept in various libraries and archives. This research has helped to show the interesting social history of Birmingham during the Victorian and Edwardian times.
Today, only a few monuments are visited by relatives. Three simple headstones remember 14 soldiers buried during World War I. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission takes care of these graves every year.
Musical Connections
Webster Booth (1902–1984) was a famous British singer, known for his duets with Anne Ziegler. He and his two older brothers sang in the choir of St Mary's.
Harry Freeman, a popular music hall performer, was buried in the churchyard in 1922.
Sporting Connections
William McGregor (1846–1911) was a very important person in football history. He was a manager and administrator for Aston Villa F.C.. He is most famous for being the person who started the Football League.
See also
