St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham

St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham is a Grade II* listed Church of England parish church in the Anglican Diocese of Birmingham.[1] It is dedicated to Saint Alban, the first British Christian martyr.[2]

St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham
Church of St Alban and St Patrick, Highgate, Birmingham
St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham
52°27′57″N 1°53′18″W
LocationConybere Street, Highgate, Birmingham
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
ChurchmanshipAnglo-Catholic
Websitewww.saintalban.co.uk
History
DedicationSaint Alban
Consecrated4 December 1899
Architecture
Heritage designationGrade II* listed
Designated25 April 1952
Architect(s)John Loughborough Pearson
Architectural typeGothic revival architecture
Groundbreakingbefore 1865
Completed1881 (1881)
Construction cost£20,000
Specifications
Length130 feet (40 m)
Width76 feet (23 m)
Nave width26.5 feet (8.1 m)
Height170 feet (52 m)
Administration
DioceseAnglican Diocese of Birmingham
ArchdeaconryBirmingham
DeaneryCentral Birmingham
ParishHighgate

In 2018, the church was on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register due to its poor condition, particularly the roof.[3]

History

A temporary church was established as a mission of Holy Trinity Church, Bordesley in 1865 and opened on 13 September 1866.[4]

The permanent church was designed by John Loughborough Pearson and built by the contractor Shillitoe of Doncaster.[5] Work started in 1880 and the church opened in 1881. The formal consecration took place on 4 December 1899.[6] The construction cost was in the region of £20,000 (equivalent to £2,323,748 in 2021).[7]

The patron is Keble College, Oxford.

St Alban's Church took over the parish of St Patrick's Church, Bordesley when St Patrick's was demolished in the early 1970s.

Present day

St Alban's Church stands in the Anglo-Catholic tradition of the Church of England. The parish had passed Resolutions A and B of the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993, meaning they rejected the ordination of women, but these expired in 2016.[8] They also voted on Alternative Episcopal Oversight, but this was rejected. In 2017, they voted on the replacement of Resolutions A and B, the Resolution under the House of Bishops' Declaration: "This was not carried, with equal votes for and against."[9] This means that the parish would now accept a woman priest.

Architecture
The reredos, and 1938 silver tabernacle

The cruciform building is in red brick, with dressings in ashlar. The tower and spire were added in 1938 by Edwin Francis Reynolds. The interior features a stained glass east window by Henry Payne and, in the south chapel, a copper Arts and Crafts triptych with painted panels, by local artists Kate and Myra Bunce[10] and donated by them in 1919 in memory of their sisters and parents.[6]

Blue plaque

A Birmingham Civic Society blue plaque honouring the Bunce sisters was unveiled at St Alban's in September 2015, by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham.[11][12]

Vicars
  • 1865 (1865) – 1894 (1894): James Samuel Pollock
  • 1895 (1895) – 1896 (1896): Thomas Benson Pollock
  • 1897 (1897) – 1900 (1900): George Philip Trevelyan
  • 1900 (1900) – 1910 (1910): Canon Alfred Cecil Scott
  • 1910 (1910) – 1911 (1911): Mark Napier Trollope
  • 1911 (1911) – 1923 (1923): Francis Underhill
  • 1923 (1923) – 1953 (1953): Dudley Clark
  • 1953 (1953) – 1981 (1981): Canon Lawrence Goodrich Harding
  • 1982 (1982) – 1986 (1986): David Handley Hutt
  • 1987 (1987) – 1993 (1993): Michael Hedley Bryant
  • 1995 (1995) – 2004 (2004): Canon James G. Pendorf
  • 2005 (2005) – 2010 (2010): Canon John Hervé
  • 2011 (2011) – 2013 (2013): Dr Pervaiz Sultan
  • 2013 (2013) – 2016 (2016): Dr Nicholas lo Polito
  • 2017-present: Dr Gerald Sykes

Organ

The organ dates was installed second-hand in 1870 and was by Bryceson Son & Ellis. It was overhauled in 1940 by Rushworth and Dreaper of Liverpool who extended the compass to C and added electro-pneumatic action. The Pedal Trombone, Great Tuba and Swell 5-rank mixture were added at this date. A new oak organ case was created by Birmingham Sculptors Ltd and Craftinwood Ltd.[13] A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.[14]

Organists

See also

References
  1. The buildings of England. Warwickshire, Nikolaus Pevsner
  2. Thurston, Herbert. "St. Alban." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 19 February 2013
  3. Heritage at Risk - West Midlands Register 2018 (Report). Historic England. p. 54. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  4. "Dedication Services at St Alban's". Birmingham Journal. Birmingham. 15 September 1866. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  5. "The Church of St Alban, Birmingham". Birmingham Daily Post. Birmingham. 29 April 1881. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  6. S. Alban and S. Patrick, Birmingham 12. St Alban's. 1984–1986.
  7. UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  8. "About our community". St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  9. "Parochial Church Council of Saint Alban and Saint Patrick Highgate, Birmingham: Parish Statement" (PDF). St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham. February 2017. pp. 3, 13. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  10. Historic England. "Church of St Alban the Martyr (1290539)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  11. "Blue Plaque to Kate Bunce - News - St. Alban the Martyr". www.saintalban.co.uk. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  12. "Blue Plaque to Kate Bunce unveiled as part of Birmingham's first Heritage Week". Birmingham Civic Society. 12 September 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  13. "Reconstruction Work Completed". Birmingham Daily Post. England. 22 May 1940. Retrieved 26 December 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  14. "Warwickshire Birmingham, St. Alban and St. Patrick, Conybere Street [N07307]". National Pipe Organ Register. British Institute of Organ Studies. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  15. "Presentation to a local organist". Birmingham Daily Post. England. 13 December 1889. Retrieved 16 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  16. "New Organist for St Albans". Birmingham Daily Gazette. England. 31 July 1911. Retrieved 16 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  17. "Mr. E. E. Madeley". Birmingham Daily Post. England. 3 August 1963. Retrieved 16 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  18. [http://www.saintalban.co.uk/events/view/organ-concert-david-briggs/ Church of St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham, Concert by David Briggs, 25 May 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
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