St Mary's Church, Moseley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St. Mary's Church, Moseley
52°26′47″N 1°53′12″W / 52.4464°N 1.8866°W / 52.4464; -1.8866
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Broad Church
History
Dedication	St. Mary
Administration
Parish	Moseley
Diocese	Diocese of Birmingham
Province	Province of Canterbury

St Mary's Church in Moseley, Birmingham, is a very old and important church. It's a Grade II listed building, which means it's protected because of its special history and architecture. This church is part of the Church of England. It also works closely with St Anne's Church, Moseley. Outside the church, there's a unique War Memorial. It shows Jesus on the cross, carved from stone, and it's also a protected Grade II listed monument.

History of St. Mary's Church

A church dedicated to St Mary has stood in Moseley for over 600 years. Its story began on February 2, 1405. On that day, Pope Innocent VII gave permission for people in Moseley to have church services. This was important because their main church in Bromsgrove was too far away. It was especially hard for older people or those who were sick to travel, especially when there were floods.

Early Days and Building Changes

Some old stories said that Elizabeth of York, wife of King Henry VII, gave land for the church in 1494. However, this was a mistake. She didn't own the land until 1495. Her grandmother, Cecily Neville, Duchess of York, had given land to the church trustees earlier. This land was actually covered in water, so it wasn't a good place to build! This might be how a local area called Ladypool got its name.

Around 1513 or 1514, during the time of Henry VIII, a tower was built for the church. Stones from the old parsonage in Bromsgrove were used. The chapel was also repaired, and new bells were bought.

In 1548, King Edward VI's officials allowed a priest to continue serving in the chapel. This was at a time when many church buildings were being closed. The priest was paid a salary, which continued for many years.

Becoming Its Own Parish

In the 17th century, some non-conformist ministers served in the chapel. But they were removed in 1662 after King Charles II became king again. For a long time, Moseley's church was seen as a "Chapel of Ease." This meant it was a smaller church connected to larger ones in Bromsgrove and then King's Norton.

However, in 1755, Moseley's church became its own official church parish. This happened with help from "Queen Anne's Bounty," which provided money to support churches.

By 1780, the old church building was in bad shape. The middle part was falling down, and other parts were very old. It was too small for everyone who wanted to attend services. So, people decided to rebuild and make it bigger. They raised money, and George III approved their plan. The church was made wider and taller.

Gothic Revival and New Features

In 1823, the church was improved again by an architect named Thomas Rickman. He used ideas from the Gothic Revival style. However, the walls were made of brick and covered in plaster to look like stone. The ceiling had fake wooden beams. Even the font, used for baptisms, was made of plaster. The main goal was to add more seats, and they added 362 new places to sit.

At first, the church had a small barrel organ. This type of organ could only play a few hymn tunes. Later, in 1838, Miss Sarah Taylor from Moseley Hall gave the church a much better barrel organ. In 1856, a new organ that could be played by hand was installed. The old barrel organ was then moved to another church.

In 1853, St Mary's Chapel in Moseley officially became a "District Chapelry." This meant it had its own clear boundaries. The priest could now perform weddings and other important services. In 1866, the church became a "vicarage," and the priest became known as a vicar. A house for the vicar was built in 1856.

Growing Community and Church Expansion

Even though Moseley's church had its own boundaries, parts of its area were later used to create new churches. In 1863, All Saints Church in Kings Heath was formed. In 1875, St Anne's Church, Moseley was also created from land to the north.

Despite these changes, Moseley's population grew a lot. It went from a small village of 1,500 people to a busy suburb with nearly 17,000 people by 1911. More space was needed for worshippers.

In 1872, the church was made longer towards the east. This created the first chancel, which is the area around the altar. The organ was also made bigger and moved to a special room. This work was done by architect J. A. Chatwin, who continued to work on the church for over thirty years.

New Bells and More Space

Before more building happened, the church got new bells. St Mary's originally had three bells in 1552. These were later replaced. In 1874, the church tower received eight steel bells from Sheffield. These bells had been used in another church for a few years. They were bought by Sir John Holder, a famous brewery owner.

In 2012, these steel bells were replaced with a new set of ten bells. Seven of these were newly made, and three came from Greenock. They were rung for the first time in October 2012 to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

As Moseley's population kept growing, especially with new shops and homes, more space was needed for church services. A new church, St Agnes Church, was built in the east of the village and opened in 1884.

Also, in 1879, a temporary wooden church with a metal roof was built. It was sometimes called the "Tin Tabernacle." It cost £635 to build. When it was no longer needed, it was sold in 1885 and moved to another location. Today, it is still used as a church hall for the Church of SS Mary and Ambrose, Edgbaston.

Final Expansions and Features

Even with the temporary church and St Agnes being built, the main church still needed more room. In 1885, J. A. Chatwin designed an expansion on the north side. A new aisle was added, creating more space and 326 new seats. The builders worked carefully so that no church services were missed during construction.

In 1887, a larger room for the organ was built, and a new organ was installed. This organ was built by Henry Jones and Son of London. It has a beautiful carved oak case. The church organist, Frederick H Bell, helped get this organ to celebrate Queen Victoria's 50th Jubilee. This organ is still used today.

More additions were made by the Chatwin family, J. A. and his son P. B. Chatwin. In 1891, a vestry was added. In 1897, the chancel was made larger, and a transept was built on the south side for more seating. This area later became a side chapel, now known as the Lady Chapel.

In 1904, a beautiful alabaster reredos (a decorated screen behind the altar) was put up. It was in memory of Frederick H Bell. Sadly, this was badly damaged by a bomb in December 1940, which also broke many stained-glass windows.

The biggest work by P. B. Chatwin was in 1909–10. The building was expanded to the south with a new south aisle. The roof was made higher, and new columns were added to match the north side. Old wooden pews were made smaller. New doors were also created. The total seating capacity became 907.

During the 1920s and 1930s, the church's inside was made even more beautiful. A sacristy, a room where sacred items are kept, was added in 1934. In the same year, beautiful wrought iron gates were installed. These gates were made by the Bromsgrove Guild of Applied Arts, famous for making the gates at Buckingham Palace.

The churchyard was closed for burials in 1981. Now, there is a special Garden of Remembrance where ashes can be placed. The church itself is very old, dating back to medieval times.

Worship Times at St. Mary's

Here are the regular times for services at St. Mary's Church:

Sunday Services

• 8:00am Holy Communion
• 10:00am Sung Eucharist
• 6:30pm Evensong

Weekday Services

• 9:00am Morning Prayer

Worship Times at St. Anne's

St. Mary's Church works closely with St. Anne's Church. Here is a service time for St. Anne's:

Sunday Service

• 11:00am Sung Eucharist

List of Vicars

Here is a list of the vicars who have served St. Mary's Church:

• John Robert Davison (1852–1876)
• William H Colmore (1876–1907)
• Charles E Hopton (1907–1927)
• Arthur Nesham Bax (1928–1943)
• C. Theodore Cribb (1945–1962)
• Frederick C. Carpenter (1962–1968)
• Lorys Davies (1968–1981)
• Robin Howard (1981–1987)
• Hayward Osborne (1988–2001)
• Averyl Bradbrook (2002–2005)
• Jeremy Dussek (2007 – 2014)
• Duncan Strathie (2015–2023)
• Angela Hannafin (2024-present)

Music at St. Mary's

Music has always been an important part of services at St. Mary's. For over a hundred years, the church has had a strong tradition of choral singing.

Church Choirs

Currently, there are two choirs:

• St Mary's Choir: This is a traditional robed choir. It has about 18 younger singers (boys and girls) and 12 adult singers. Many of the adults used to be younger singers in the choir.
• St Mary's Singers: This choir is made up of adult singers, including female sopranos.

The robed choir not only sings for church services but also goes on singing trips. They fill in for famous Cathedral Choirs when those choirs are on vacation. They have also exchanged visits with a youth choir from Frankfurt, Germany. The choir has even toured in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. In August 2006, they were the "Choir in Residence" at Washington National Cathedral in the USA. They have also sung at many other cathedrals and abbeys across the UK and Ireland.

The St Mary's Singers have joined the robed choir on tours. They have also had their own trips to Frankfurt and Prague. Since 2013, they have visited the Anglican Chaplaincy in Spain. They even sang Mass at Malaga Cathedral. They also perform at Birmingham Cathedral and Tewkesbury Abbey.

There is also a smaller choir called St Mary's Schola. This group has eight singers from the robed choir. They have performed concerts at the Moseley Festival with Rich Batsford. These concerts bring together musicians from different faiths to share spirituality through music. This project is called "Musituality." They performed a concert in 2009 at Birmingham Cathedral. It featured Buddhist, Christian, and Muslim music. Another concert took place in 2010 at the Birmingham Buddhist Centre.

The Church Organ

The church has an organ that dates back to 1887. It was built by Henry Jones. In 1966, the organ was updated. It was turned to face down the main part of the church. In 1996, more changes were made to restore its original English sound. The church is currently raising money to renovate the organ. A special concert was held in May 2016 to start the fundraising. It featured David Briggs, a famous organist who used to sing in St. Mary's choir.

List of Organists

• F H Bell (1871 – 1903)
• George H Mann (1903 – 1937)
• Frank Ford (1937 – 1955)
• Eric Read (1956 – 1957)
• John E Fryer (1957 – 1962)
• David Hart (1962 – 1964)
• Norman Dyson (1964 – 1971)
• Adrian Powers (1971 – 1977)
• David Whelton (1977 – 1978)
• Michael J Perrier (1978 – present)

List of Assistant Organists

• George Howard Mann (1892 – 1903)
• Paul Hodgetts (1993 – 1995)
• Victoria Gravenor (1996 – 2001)
• Ian Biggs (2001 – 2011)

Church Bells

The church tower used to have eight steel bells. These bells were originally in a Roman Catholic Cathedral in Sheffield. They were sold to a local businessman in Moseley. He gave them to St Mary's in 1874. These steel bells were removed in January 2012.

A new set of ten bells was installed in October 2012. Seven of these bells were brand new, and three came from Greenock. They were rung for the first time to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Notable Burials

St. Mary's Church has the family tombs of the Holmes family. This includes Edward Holmes, a famous architect from Birmingham. Inside the church, there are memorials for William Congreve Russell and Rebecca Anderton. The churchyard has the gravestones of Joseph Lucas and John Avins, among many others. There is also a war grave for a soldier from World War I.