St Mary's Church, Whittall Street, Birmingham

St Mary’s Church

St Mary's in 1880, with the remodelled tower
52°29′6.2″N 1°53′46.4″W / 52.485056°N 1.896222°W / 52.485056; -1.896222Coordinates: 52°29′6.2″N 1°53′46.4″W / 52.485056°N 1.896222°W / 52.485056; -1.896222
Location Whittall Street, Birmingham
Country England
Denomination Church of England
History
Dedication St Mary the Virgin
Consecrated August 1774 (1774-08)
Architecture
Architect(s) Joseph Pickford
Style Neo-classical
Completed 1774
Construction cost £4,700
Closed 1925 (1925)
Demolished 1920s
Specifications
Capacity 1,000 people
Number of spires 1

St Mary’s, was a Church of England parish church in Whittall Street, Birmingham, England.

History

1783 engraving, showing the original tower

St. Mary's Church, Whittall Street, was built in 1774, under an Act of 1772,[1][2] as a chapel of ease to St Martin in the Bull Ring. The building was designed by Joseph Pickford.[3] Two years after opening, part of a gallery collapsed during a service, but the incident did not result in any injuries.

In 1786 John Wesley attended a service and heard a sermon by the first incumbent Edward Burn.[4]

A parish was assigned to St. Mary's in 1841 out of St Martin in the Bull Ring.

Structural problems were discovered in 1866 and the tower and spire were subsequently rebuilt in a Gothic style.

In 1925 the church was closed pending demolition for the expansion of Birmingham General Hospital. The parish was united with that of Bishop Ryder Church.[2] The proceeds of the sale went to build St Mary's Church, at Pype Hayes.

Its registers of baptisms (1774–1812) and burials (1779–1812) are at St. Martin's.[2] Its silver communion service is at St. Mary's, except for two flagons which are in the collection of Birmingham Assay Office.[2]

The thoroughfare at the north-west side of the site is still called St Mary's Row.

References

  1. The History of Birmingham. William Hutton and James Guest. Rights and Webb. 1836
  2. 1 2 3 4 A History of the County of Warwick. 7, the City of Birmingham. London: Victoria County History. 1964. pp. 361–379.
  3. Joseph Pickford of Derby, Edward Saunders, Sutton Publishing Ltd. 1993. p. 118
  4. W.B. Stephens (Editor) (1964). "Religious History: Churches built before 1800". A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 7: The City of Birmingham. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
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