Umberslade Baptist Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Umberslade Baptist Church |
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| Christ Church Baptist Church | |
Umberslade Baptist Church from the south
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| OS grid reference | SP 147 721 |
| Location | Tanworth-in-Arden, Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Baptist |
| Website | Umberslade Baptist Church |
| History | |
| Founded | 1877 |
| Founder(s) | George Frederick Muntz junior |
| Dedication | Christ Church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 2 August 1972 |
| Architect(s) | George Ingall |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1876 |
| Completed | Sept 1877 |
| Specifications | |
| Number of spires | 1 |
| Materials | Blue lias stone with limestone dressings, Welsh slate roofs |
The Umberslade Baptist Church is a historic church located southwest of Hockley Heath in the West Midlands, England. It is a redundant church, which means it is no longer used for regular church services. This beautiful building, along with its old school rooms and church hall, is a special listed building. It was first listed in 1972, and in 2014, its importance was recognized even more when its grade was raised to II*. The Historic Chapels Trust now takes care of the church.
Contents
History of Umberslade Baptist Church
Who Built Umberslade Baptist Church?
The church was built for George Frederick Muntz, junior. He was a wealthy person who lived at Umberslade Hall. The church was designed by George Ingall, an architect from Birmingham.
When Was the Church Built?
Construction of the church began in 1876. It was finished in September 1877. The church was built on the large estate of Umberslade Park. Later, in 1893, a small room called a vestry was added to the east side of the church.
How Was the Church Preserved?
In the 2000s, the church needed important repairs. This included fixing the roof. A company called Midland Conservation Limited did the work. The repairs were completed in 2008 and cost about £500,000. These efforts helped save the church.
Architecture and Design
What Materials Were Used?
Umberslade Baptist Church is built from blue lias stone. This stone is a type of limestone. It also has limestone dressings, which are decorative stone details. The roofs are very steep and covered with Welsh slate. They have both hipped and gabled shapes.
What Does the Church Look Like?
The church has a main area called a nave with four sections. There is a porch on the north side. It also has north and south transepts, which are like arms extending from the main body. The chancel, the area near the altar, ends in a rounded shape called an apse.
On the southwest side, there is a tall tower with a spire. This tower also has another porch. The church's style is Decorated Gothic. It has many fancy details, including pinnacles with pointed tops called finials.
What Are the Windows Like?
All around the church, you can see lancet windows. These are tall, narrow windows with pointed tops. The transepts have rose windows above the lancet windows. Rose windows are large, round windows with detailed patterns.
Tell Me About the Tower
The tower has three main parts, or stages. It has strong diagonal supports called buttresses on three corners. These supports go all the way up the tower and end in pinnacles. On the northeast corner, there is an eight-sided stair turret. It has a battlemented top, which looks like the top of a castle wall.
The bottom part of the tower has a doorway on the west side. This doorway has an arch under a decorated porch. The middle part of the tower has trefoil windows. These windows have a shape like a three-leaf clover. The tall top part of the tower has a clock face on each side. Above the clocks are tall, narrow openings for the bells. At the very top, there is a parapet with pierced quatrefoil shapes. A quatrefoil is a shape like a four-leaf clover. The spire has gabled lucarnes, which are small dormer windows.
What's Inside the Church?
Most of the original things inside the church are still there. This includes the wooden benches where people sat. There is also an organ and beautiful stained glass windows. The pulpit, where the speaker stands, is in a Gothic style. In front of the pulpit, there is an open baptistry, which is a pool for baptisms. The floors are covered with encaustic tiles, which are decorative tiles.
Tell Me About the Organ and Bells
The organ inside the church has two manuals, or keyboards. It was built around 1878 by Bishop & Son of London. The church also has eight chiming bells. All these bells were made in 1878 by Gillett & Bland of Croydon. They also installed a machine that could chime the bells.
After a period of not being used, the bells were fixed in 1978. However, because there is no electricity, the chiming machine cannot make them ring.
Umberslade Church Today
The local committee organizes special open days and other events at the church. Umberslade Baptist Church is very important. It is the only large chapel left from the time when Nonconformist churches grew in Birmingham. It is also the last major chapel designed by the architect George Ingall that is still standing.
See also
- List of chapels preserved by the Historic Chapels Trust
