| Carrs Lane Church | |
|---|---|
 The church in April 2011 | |
 | |
| 52°28′46.62″N1°53′35.02″W / 52.4796167°N 1.8930611°W | |
| Location | Birmingham |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | United Reformed and Methodist |
| Previous denomination | Congregational |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Denys Hinton and Partners |
| Groundbreaking | 1968 |
| Completed | 1971 |
Carrs Lane Church, also known as The Church at Carrs Lane is a church in Birmingham [1] and is noted as having the largest free-standing cross in the country. [2]
The church was founded as an independent chapel in 1748 [3] and then enlarged in 1812 at a cost of £2,000 to seat 600 people, not least due to the popularity of the preaching of John Angell James. [4] A further enlargement was undertaken in 1820 to designs by the architect Thomas Stedman Whitwell, which was then re-fronted by Yeoville Thomason in 1876. The church became part of the Congregational Union in 1832.
The current building was begun in 1968 by Denys Hinton and Partners and completed in 1971. It became part of the United Reformed Church when the Presbyterian and Congregational churches merged in 1972. The church bears a blue plaque erected by Birmingham Civic Society in 1995 to commemorate Dr R. W. Dale, minister at Carrs Lane from 1854 until his death, and prominent preacher of the "Civic Gospel".
Since the closure of the Methodist Central Hall, Birmingham, the building has been shared with the Methodist Congregation, as a local ecumenical partnership under the name "The Church at Carrs Lane". [5]
The church has a pipe organ by Hill Norman and Beard dating from 1970. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register. [6]
Robert William Dale was an English Congregational church leader based in Birmingham.
Westminster Chapel is an evangelical free church in Westminster, central London. The church is in Buckingham Gate, on the corner of Castle Lane and opposite the junction with Petty France. Buckingham Gate is just off Victoria Street and near Buckingham Palace.
St Mary's Church, Handsworth, also known as Handsworth Old Church, is a Grade II* listed Anglican church in Handsworth, Birmingham, England. Its ten-acre (4 hectare) grounds are contiguous with Handsworth Park. It lies just off the Birmingham Outer Circle, and south of a cutting housing the site of the former Handsworth Wood railway station. It is noteworthy as the resting place of famous progenitors of the industrial age, and has been described as the "Cathedral of the Industrial Revolution".
Austin Organs, Inc., is a manufacturer of pipe organs based in Hartford, Connecticut. The company is one of the oldest continuously-operating organ manufacturers in the United States. The first instruments were built in 1893 with the Austin Patent Airchest, and many remain in fine playing condition to this day.
Saint Peter's is the ancient parish church of Harborne, Birmingham, England.
St. Mary's Church, Selly Oak is a Church of England parish church in Selly Oak, Birmingham, England.
St Paul's Church is a Church of England parish church in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire England. The church, on St Paul's Square and near the Town Hall, opened in 1874 and was designed by the architects James M. Teale and Edmund Beckett Denison. Later additions are by G. F. Bodley. The building is listed as Grade II*.
Rushworth and Dreaper was a firm of organ builders, and later general instrument suppliers associated with Paul McCartney based in Liverpool. The manufacturer was founded in 1828 by William Rushworth, operating until 2002. Upon its liquidation, its archives were mostly destroyed, and the Victorian clock in the works tower was removed. The premises are now occupied by Henry Willis & Sons.
St George's Church, Edgbaston, is a parish church in the Church of England in Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Charles Lloyd was a pipe organ builder based in Nottingham who flourished between 1859 and 1908.
Forster and Andrews was a British organ building company between 1843 and 1924.
James Jepson Binns was a pipe organ builder based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.
St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham is a Grade II* listed Church of England parish church in the Anglican Diocese of Birmingham. It is dedicated to Saint Alban, the first British Christian martyr.
St Peter's Church, Edensor, is a Grade I listed church in Edensor, Derbyshire. St Peter's is the closest parish church in the Church of England to Chatsworth House, home of the Dukes of Devonshire, most of whom are buried in the churchyard. St Peter's is in a joint parish with St Anne's Church, Beeley.
Reverend Joseph Miller BD was a Congregational minister, much in demand as an "eloquent preacher" for 14 years in the north of England. While in Hamburg during his ministry he "rendered valuable assistance to his countrymen in distress" following a call from the American Embassy there. However, in 1929 he "created a sensation" by becoming an Anglican priest. His first Anglican incumbency was as vicar of the Church of St Mark, Old Leeds Road, Huddersfield, England, from 1929 to 1931.
George Woodhouse was an English architect who practised from offices in Bolton, and Oldham, then in the county of Lancashire. He collaborated with William Hill on the designs for Bolton Town Hall.
Charles William Perkins was Birmingham City Organist from 1888 to 1923.
St George's Church, Kidderminster is a Church of England parish church in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The church is a Grade II* listed building.
George Baines FRIBA was an architect based first in Accrington, Lancashire and then London who is known for designing many non-conformist chapels and churches.
