Christ Church, Birmingham

For other uses, see Christ Church, Quinton; Christ Church, Ward End; and Christ Church, Yardley Wood.

Former Christ Church, Colmore Row, Birmingham
Christ Church, now demolished
52°28′47″N1°54′07″W / 52.4798°N 1.9020°W / 52.4798; -1.9020 Coordinates: 52°28′47″N1°54′07″W / 52.4798°N 1.9020°W / 52.4798; -1.9020
Location	Birmingham
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Architecture
Architect(s)	William Hollins Charles Norton
Groundbreaking	1805
Completed	1813 (1813)
Construction cost	£26,000
Closed	1897 (building)
Demolished	1899 (1899)
Specifications
Length	140 feet (43 m)
Width	71 feet (22 m)

Christ Church can be seen in the centre of this print of 1886 between the Town Hall and the Council House

There was a building called Christ Church based in central Birmingham, in the Church of England on Colmore Row, Birmingham from 1805 to 1899.

In 2021 a new church without a fixed building called Christ Church Birmingham opened and now serves communities across the City and beyond.it meets in south Aston.

History

Concert admission ticket, 1805 or 1806, showing the original design, with a cupola instead of a spire

Christ Church viewed from St Phillip's in a painting by Samuel Lines, 1821

Foundation stone, now in St Agatha's Church, Sparkbrook

The church building was built by public subscription. The site was donated by William Phillips Ing. ^[1] The foundation stone was laid on 22 July 1805 by George Legge, 3rd Earl of Dartmouth. ^[1] The Earl of Dartmouth was representing King George III, who had intended to lay the foundation stone personally, but was prevented from doing so by illness. The King gave £1,000 ^[1] (equivalent to £86,332 in 2021) ^[2] towards the construction. ^[3] The final cost was £26,000. ^[1] The original architect was Birmingham-based William Hollins.

It was consecrated on 6 July 1813 by James Cornwallis, 4th Earl Cornwallis, the Bishop of Lichfield. ^[1] It was unusual in that all of the seating on the ground floor was free, ^[1] and it came to be known as the 'Free Church'.

It was built in stone in the Classical style with Doric columns dominating the west front. The square west tower, completed in 1814, supported an octagonal belfry and an octagonal spire. The original design had included a cupola instead of a spire. ^[4] The catacombs beneath the church were believed to contain the re-interred remains of John Baskerville. ^[1]

The parish was assigned from St Martin in the Bull Ring and St. Philips' Church in 1865.

The building and site were sold in 1897; the proceeds were used to build St Agatha's Church, Sparkbrook. The church was demolished in 1899. Part of the parish was given to St Barnabas' Church, Birmingham.

In 2021 a new church without a fixed building called Christ Church Birmingham opened and now serves communities across the City and beyond.

Vicars

• John Hume Spry 1813 – 1824
• Archdeacon George Hodson 1824 – 1832
• John George Breay 1832 ^[5] – 1840
• George Lea 1840 – 1864 ^[6] (afterwards vicar of St George's Church, Edgbaston)
• Charles Marson 1864 – 1871 ^[7] (afterwards vicar of Clevedon, Somerset)
• Albert Workman 1871 – 1881 ^[8]
• Rev Prebendary E.R. Mason 1881 – 1888 (afterwards vicar of Oxton, Nottinghamshire)
• Rev Prebendary C.B. Willcox 1889 ^[9] – 1897 (formerly vicar of St Jude's Church, Moorfield, Sheffield)

Organ

An organ was installed by Thomas Elliot, of London. ^[10]

Organists

• Thomas Munden 1818 – 1856 ^[11]

Burials

Notable people buried at the church include:

• Joseph Frederick Ledsam (1791–1862), Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Warwick, High Sheriff of Worcestershire and deputy chairman of the London and North Western Railway

References

1. Dent, Robert Kirkup (1894). The Making of Birmingham: Being a History of the Rise and Growth of the Midland Metropolis. David. p. 278+. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
2. 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.
3. An historical and descriptive sketch of Birmingham: with some account of its environs, and forty-four view of the principal public buildings. Beilby, Knott, and Beilby, 1830
4. 'Religious History: Churches built since 1800', in A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 7, the City of Birmingham, ed. W B Stephens (London, 1964), pp. 379–396. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol7/pp379-396 [accessed 23 May 2020].
5. "The Rev. J.G. Breay" . Aris’s Birmingham Gazette. England. 26 November 1832. Retrieved 16 January 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
6. "St George's, Edgbaston and Christ Church, Birmingham" . Aris’s Birmingham Gazette. England. 18 June 1864. Retrieved 16 January 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
7. "Clerical Preferement" . Birmingham Daily Gazette. England. 3 July 1871. Retrieved 16 January 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
8. "Death of the Rev A. Workman" . Birmingham Mail. England. 14 May 1881. Retrieved 16 January 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
9. "Christ Church, Birmingham" . Birmingham Daily Gazette. England. 28 March 1889. Retrieved 16 January 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
10. A Description of Modern Birmingham. Charles Pye. Echo Library, 31 Mar 2007
11. "Retirement of Mr Munden" . Birmingham Journal. England. 28 June 1856. Retrieved 10 January 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.