St Mary's Church, Whittall Street, Birmingham facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mary’s Church |
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St Mary's in 1880, with the remodelled tower
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| 52°29′6.2″N 1°53′46.4″W / 52.485056°N 1.896222°W | |
| Location | Whittall Street, Birmingham |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Mary the Virgin |
| Consecrated | August 1774 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Joseph Pickford |
| Style | Neo-classical |
| Completed | 1774 |
| Construction cost | £4,700 |
| Closed | 1925 |
| Demolished | 1920s |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 1,000 people |
| Number of spires | 1 |
St Mary's Church was a Church of England church located on Whittall Street in Birmingham, England. It was an important building in the city's history for many years.
Building History
St. Mary's Church was built in 1774. It was created under a special law passed in 1772. The church was located on Catharine Street, which is now called Whittall Street. At that time, this area was on the northern edge of Birmingham.
The church was designed by an architect named Joseph Pickford. It was named St. Mary's because Mary Weaman donated the land and £1,000 towards its building cost. The total cost to build the church was £4,500.
Just two years after it opened, part of a balcony inside the church collapsed during a service. Luckily, no one was hurt. After this, strong Cast iron columns were added to support the rebuilt balconies.
In 1783, a writer named William Hutton wrote about St. Mary's. He said that even though Birmingham had more churches, the number of people was growing even faster. He described St. Mary's as an octagon shape, meaning it had eight sides. He also thought the steeple looked too small compared to the roof.
In 1786, John Wesley, a famous leader in the Methodist movement, visited the church. He attended a service and listened to a sermon by the first priest, Edward Burn.
In 1841, St. Mary's became its own parish. This meant it had its own local area and community to serve. Before this, it was part of St Martin in the Bull Ring church.
Later Years and Demolition
In 1859, a sad event happened nearby. An explosion occurred at a factory called Messrs Pursall and Philips Percussion Cap Manufactory on Whittall Street. Many people died in this accident. Fifteen women who died were buried together in a single vault at St. Mary's Church.
Over time, the church building started to have problems. In 1866, issues with its structure were found. Because of this, the church's tower and spire were rebuilt in a new, Gothic style. More rebuilding work happened later on.
In 1925, St. Mary's Church was closed. It was going to be torn down to make space for the expansion of Birmingham General Hospital. The money from selling the church's land was used to build a new church. This new church, also called St Mary's Church, was built in Pype Hayes.
Some historical items from St. Mary's Church are still around today. Its old records of baptisms (from 1774 to 1812) and burials (from 1779 to 1812) are now kept at St. Martin's Church. The church's silver communion set is at the new St. Mary's Church in Pype Hayes. However, two large silver flagons from the set are now part of the collection at the Birmingham Assay Office.
A special stone tablet that used to be in St. Mary's Church is now in St. Martin in the Bull Ring. It remembers William Thompson, who was the first President of the Wesleyan Methodist Conference. He passed away on May 1, 1799, and was buried in the vaults of St. Mary's Church.
Today, the place where St. Mary's Church once stood is occupied by a building called Waterfall House. A street on the north-west side of the area is still named St Mary's Row, reminding people of the church that used to be there.
Vicars
- John Riland (until 1810)
- Edward Burn (1810 - 1837)
- John Casebow Barrett (1837 - 1880)
- John Stanley Owen (1881 - 1886)
- J. Foster Pegg (1886 - 1892)
- Herbert Aylwin (1900 - 1905)
- H.M. Foyl (1905 - 1910)
- W.F.W. Hunter (1910 - 1925)
