St Mary the Virgin, Acocks Green facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Mary The Virgin, Acocks Green |
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St. Mary The Virgin, Acocks Green
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| 52°26′52″N 1°49′30″W / 52.4477°N 1.8250°W | |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | High Church |
| Website | http://www.stmarysacocksgreen.org/ |
| History | |
| Dedication | St. Mary the Virgin |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Acocks Green |
| Deanery | Yardley and Bordesley |
| Archdeaconry | Aston |
| Diocese | Birmingham |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Mary the Virgin, Acocks Green is a historic Church of England parish church located in Acocks Green, Birmingham, England. It is a Grade II listed building, which means it is considered an important historical structure.
Contents
History of the Church
For many years, Acocks Green was part of the larger Yardley area. But as more people moved into Acocks Green in the 1800s, there was a need for its own church. Local people started meeting in 1864 to make this happen.
The land for the church was given by the Yardley Charity Trustees. A kind person named John Field Swinburn also donated £1,000, which was a lot of money back then. The first stone of the church was laid on October 13, 1864. A part of the church, including the main area (called the nave) and two side sections (called aisles), was ready by October 17, 1866.
At first, St Mary's was like a smaller church connected to St. Edburgha's in Yardley. This is called a chapel-of-ease. But in 1867, it became its own separate church parish.
The church was designed in 1864 by an architect named J. G. Bland. He originally planned for the church to have a tall tower and a pointed top (called a spire) at one corner.
Later, in 1894, another architect, J. A. Chatwin, added the chancel, which is the part of the church near the altar. However, the church was never fully completed to its original grand design. It still doesn't have the north and south transepts (side wings), the Lady chapel (a special chapel), the choir vestry (a room for clergy and choir), or the tower.
Old photos show that the church roof used to be much steeper. It also had round windows above the aisles, which looked like circles.
Inside the Church
St Mary's Church has a common layout with a main area (the nave) that has aisles on the sides, leading to the chancel and then the sanctuary where the altar is. The altar faces east, which is a traditional direction for churches.
The church is built in a Gothic Revival style. This means it looks like churches from the 1200s, with strong supports on the outside walls called buttresses. There's also a vestry room. You enter the church through a porch on the north side. The doors have fancy metalwork that also looks like designs from the 1200s.
Above the main entrance, on the west wall, there is a round window called a rose window. Below it, there's a special memorial for John Field Swinburn, who gave money to build the church.
The main part of the church, the nave, is separated from the side aisles by five large arches. These arches are made of red and yellow stones, which look really cool! They are supported by columns with fancy tops called Corinthian capitals. These tops are decorated with acanthus leaves, a common design from the 1200s.
In December 1940, during World War II, a bomb hit the church. You can still see some of the damage from that time. Old photos show that the brickwork between the arches used to have colorful patterns, but now it's all painted white. A large arch made of the same red and yellow stone separates the nave from the chancel. The roof of the nave is made of wood.
The windows in the side aisles have designs from the 1200s. These designs became popular after earlier, narrower windows.
In the south aisle, there is a special memorial for students from Wellesbourne House School who died in the two World Wars.
The pulpit, where the priest gives sermons, is on the right side now. But it used to be on the other side. When the bomb hit in 1940, it landed in the nave and destroyed the large east window and all the other stained-glass windows. Luckily, a group of people having a confirmation class had just gone to the vicarage cellar and were safe. The bomb also destroyed the roof and many things inside, but the main walls of the church stayed standing.
After the bombing, the church walls were made taller, and the roof was made less steep. This made it easier to fix. The original round windows were replaced with larger, clear windows. This means the church is much brighter inside now!
The Chancel
The chancel has a wooden ceiling that looks like a barrel, called a barrel vaulted ceiling. The wooden supports are held up by special stone brackets called corbels, which are decorated with carved leaves.
The altar stands on steps made of special marble from Devon, added in 1898. Behind the altar is a beautifully carved screen called a reredos, made of a smooth stone called alabaster. It was put in place in 1903.
The stained-glass window at the east end of the church was designed by a famous artist named Sir Edward Burne-Jones. It was put there in 1895 to remember Revd. Frederick Swinburn, who was the first vicar of St Mary's. His wife and son paid for it.
Church Leaders (Vicars)
Here is a list of the main priests, called vicars, who have led St Mary's Church over the years:
- 1867-1890 Frederick Thomas Swinburn, D.D.
- 1890-1907 James Alexander Balleine, M.A.
- 1907-1913 Llewellyn Theodore Dodd, M.A.
- 1913-1919 Percy Edward Lord, M.A.
- 1919-1925 Reginald William Dawson Stephenson, M.A.
- 1925-1931 George Herbert Harris, M.A.
- 1931-1953 Philip James Kelly, M.A.
- 1953-1970 Charles Herbert Iball, B.A.
- 1970-1979 Bert Tabraham
- 1980-1986 Joe Evans
- 1986-2002 Rev Canon Richard Postill
- 2002-2003 Interregnum (a time when there was no vicar)
- 2003–2022 Revd. Andrew Bullock
Churchyard Memorials
You enter the churchyard from Warwick Road through a special gate called a lychgate. This type of gate, also known as a Corpse gate, historically had a roof where a coffin could be rested during part of a burial service. The gate has words carved on it that say: Enter into his altar with thanksgiving.
The churchyard has many interesting old graves and memorials, especially on the side facing Warwick Road. These memorials tell us about the people who lived in the parish a long time ago.
One of the tombs belongs to Charles Rabone. He lived in a big house called Stockfield House and was a farmer. You can also find the grave of Dr. Cordley Bradford, who was a churchwarden for 25 years. Another grave is for Thomas Kiss, a grocer from Warwick Road.
There's a tall granite column with an urn on top for Emily Palmer, who died in 1885 at age 35. Her husband, Thomas, died three years later.
The churchyard also has four special graves from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. These graves have simple, dignified headstones and belong to people who died in World War II.
War Graves in the Churchyard
- Sydney Basil Barber: He was a Sergeant in the Royal Air Force, 35 years old, and died on April 9, 1944. His grave is in the north part of the cemetery.
- Gordon Grant Helm: He was a Staff Sergeant in the Royal Army Pay Corps, 26 years old. His grave is on the south side.
- Vernon Leslie Priest: He was an Aircraftman in the Royal Air Force, 20 years old. His grave is on the north side. His older brother had also died in service the year before.
- Albert Thomas Rew: He was a Lance Corporal in the Royal Sussex Regiment, 24 years old, and died on February 24, 1919. His grave is on the west side.
- Wilfred Eric Wright: He was a Captain in the South Staffordshire Regiment. He died from his wounds on November 3, 1918. His grave is also on the west side of the churchyard, marked by a private memorial with a stone cross.
Captain Wright was wounded in France during World War I. He was injured in his head, arm, and leg. Even though his head and arm wounds healed, his leg remained weak. Later, in 1918, he fell into a deep hole and injured his leg again. He returned to England and sadly died of pneumonia in November 1918, just before the war ended.
Organ
The church's first organ was built by Nicholson in 1905. It was damaged during the Second World War bombing. You can find details about it on the National Pipe Organ Register.
In 1950, a new organ by Compton was installed. Its details are also on the National Pipe Organ Register.
Organists of St Mary's
- Thomas John Grainge 1892 - 1894
- Arthur Elmore 1906 - 1932
Images for kids
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St. Mary The Virgin, Acocks Green
