St Stephen the Martyr's Church, Newtown Row facts for kids

St Stephen the Martyr's Church was a special church in Birmingham, England. It was part of the Church of England. This church was built a long time ago, but it is no longer standing today.

Building the Church

The money to build St Stephen's Church came from the people who ran King Edward's School, Birmingham. Another group called the Birmingham Church Building Society also helped. They wanted to build more churches for the growing city.

The church was designed by a famous architect named Richard Cromwell Carpenter. He designed it in a style called Early English Gothic. This style looks like old churches from the medieval period, with tall windows and pointed arches.

• Work on the church started on 27 September 1842.
• It was finished in 1844.
• The total cost to build it was about £3,200. This was a lot of money back then!
• The church could hold 1,150 people.

The church was officially opened and blessed by the Bishop of Worcester on 24 July 1844. This special ceremony is called a consecration.

Changes and Challenges

Over the years, St Stephen's Church saw many changes.

• In 1869, some of its area was used to create a new church called St Nicolas' Church, Hockley.
• In 1890, the church's leader, called the vicar, made some changes to the church services. He introduced new hymns and changed how the choir dressed. He also changed the direction the priest faced during parts of the service.
• These changes caused some people in the church to disagree. Some members left and started their own church group nearby.

The church building itself also had some updates.

• In 1896, the church was repaired and improved in a big way. This is called a restoration.
• In 1910, parts of the church were rebuilt by an architect named William Bidlake.

The church also helped to start another church. In 1896, St Stephen's bought a nearby church building to use as a mission room. Two years later, this building became its own church, called St Edward's Church, Hockley.

The End of the Church

Sadly, St Stephen the Martyr's Church closed its doors in 1950. After it closed, the building was taken down. This is called demolition.

Some parts of the old church were saved and used again:

• Some of the wooden panels from St Stephen's were moved to Christ Church, Ward End.
• The altar, which is a special table used in church services, was taken to St Boniface Church in Quinton.

The area that St Stephen's Church used to serve was joined with the area of St Mary's Church, Aston Brook.

Church Leaders

The church had several vicars, who are like the main priests or ministers.

• John Garbett (1844 - 1848)
• Stenton Eardley (1848 - 1854)
• Patrick Reynolds (1854 - 1890)
• G.H. Cameron (1890 - 1900)
• J.T. Jones (1900 - 1907)
• Tom Stephenson Dennison (1907 - ????)
• Harry Dickinson (1917) - He was sadly killed during the First World War.
• F.W. Chambers (1918 - 1920)
• Edward Lewis Blood (1920 - 1948)

The Organ

A church organ is a very large musical instrument. St Stephen's Church got a new organ on 12 September 1847. It was made by a company called Banfield.

Organ Players

The people who played the organ were called organists.

• William Akers Edwards (1846 - 1851)
• William C. Stockley (1851-1856)