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 church building was taken down in the 1970s.

Building St Mary's Church

St Mary's Church in Aston Brook was built a long time ago, in 1863. A talented architect named James Murray designed it. The church was officially opened and blessed by Bishop Henry Philpott on December 10, 1863. Later, in 1882, a tall tower was added to the church. Inside, the church had a special musical instrument: a large pipe organ made by a company called Norman and Beard.

The Church's Community Role

Just one year after the church was built, in 1864, a new church area called a 'parish' was created. This new parish was formed from parts of other church areas nearby. 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 very young children.

Aston Villa's First Match

St Mary's Church is famous for something special in sports history. The church had its own rugby club. This club played a match against a team from Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel. This chapel was located in Handsworth. For the team from Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel, this game was their very first match ever. That team later became the famous Aston Villa Football Club.

A Unique Game

There was a special rule for this first match. The Aston Villa side had to agree to play the first half of the game using rugby football rules. Then, for the second half, they switched to playing under association football rules. This unique game was the start of Aston Villa's long and successful journey in football.