St Mary's Church, Aston Brook facts for kids

St Mary's Church, Aston Brook was a church in Birmingham, England. It was part of the Church of England. Sadly, the building was taken down in the 1970s.

Building the Church

The church was built in 1863. The plans for its design were made by an architect named James Murray. The church was officially opened by Henry Philpott, who was the Bishop of Worcester at the time. This special event happened on Thursday, December 10, 1863. Later, in 1882, a tall tower was added to the church building.

Church Community and School

In 1864, St Mary's Church became its own parish. This meant it had its own area for people to attend services. This new parish was created from parts of other nearby parishes. These included St. Peter and St. Paul, Aston, St Silas’ Church, Lozells, and St Matthew's Church, Duddeston. The church also helped the community by opening a school in 1868. This school was for girls and young children.

Aston Brook and Football History

St Mary's Church, Aston Brook, is famous for something quite unexpected: its connection to sports! The church had its own rugby club. This club played a very important match against a team from Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel. This chapel was located in Handsworth.

The First Aston Villa Match

For the team from Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel, this game was their very first match ever. This team later became the famous Aston Villa Football Club. There was a special rule for this first game. The Villa team had to agree to play the first half of the match using rugby football rules. Then, for the second half, they switched to playing under association football rules. This unique match was a big moment in the history of Aston Villa.