St Matthew's Church, Perry Beeches

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St Matthew's Church
St. Matthew's, Perry Beeches - 2025-05-13 - Andy Mabbett - 02.jpg
The church in May 2025, with the old building to the left
St Matthew's Church, Perry Beeches
52°32′22″N1°53′44″W / 52.539307°N 1.895437°W / 52.539307; -1.895437
AddressBirdbrook Road, Birmingham, B44 8RA
CountryEngland
Denomination Church of England
Website www.stmatthewsperrybeeches.org.uk OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
History
Consecrated 21 September 1964
Architecture
Architect(s)
Style New brutalism
Groundbreaking November 1962
CompletedJuly 1964
Construction cost £29,827
Specifications
Capacity400
Number of floors1
Floor area5,930 square feet (551 m2)
Materials Brick, concrete
Administration
Diocese Birmingham

St Matthew's Church is a 20th-century church in the Anglican Diocese of Birmingham, in the Perry Beeches area of Great Barr, Birmingham, England. It was designed by Robert Maguire and Keith Murray and consecrated on 21 September 1964.

Contents

Background

St Matthew's parish was established in 1938, in a newly developed residential area that was previously farmland. [1] The first church, known as Christ Church, was a simple, single-storey brick building, completed in 1939, which also served as a community hall. [1] [2] It was retained and is connected to the current church, continuing in its latter function. [1] [3]

Land for the church was donated by Douglas James of the James Motorcycle Company. [2]

Architecture

Building work began in November 1962 and was finished in July 1964, with a total contract price of £ 29,827 (equivalent to £803,741in 2023). [1] A foundation stone was laid on 13 June 1963 by the Bishop of Birmingham, Leonard Wilson. [2] The church was consecrated on 21 September 1964. [1]

Its architects were Robert Maguire and Keith Murray. [1] It follows their earlier work on St Paul's, Bow Common. [4]

The bell tower. Note also the raincatcher, dated 1938, on the old church building. St. Matthew's, Perry Beeches - 2025-05-25 - Andy Mabbett - 03 (cropped).jpg
The bell tower. Note also the raincatcher, dated 1938, on the old church building.

The building is constructed of brick and reinforced concrete with a copper roof. [5] Its concrete and mortar have a pinkish hue, caused by the use of locally quarried red sand. [1] It has a bell tower on its western side. [5]

The interior floor plan is an irregular hexagon, arranged to so that both the altar and the blue-brick font are visible to the seated congregation. [1] The church has a floor area of 5,930 square feet (551 m2) and is designed to seat up to 400. [1]

It retains original light fittings by Murray, using Swedish glass, as well as the original wooden bench-pews, pulpit, lectern, priest's chair and desk. [5] The original altar was replaced in 1978 with one made in English ash by students from the nearby Brooklyn Technical College. [2] [5] The church's interior wooden detailing is also in English ash. [1]

A review in the Architects' Journal noted the importance of consultation with its parishioners on the church's design, and said that "the unusual relationship between font and altar is of interest". [1]

An organ was installed in 1969. [6] It was replaced in 2011. [2]

The church was Grade II listed in 1997, giving it legal protection from unauthorised modification or demolition. [5] Historic England described it as "a fine example of the influence of the Liturgical Movement", and called the pulpit "de Stijl-like". [5]

Worship

Holy Family by Nicholas Mynheer. The grille to the left is part of the link between the 1960s church (right) and the old church (far left, out of shot) St Matthew's, Perry Beeches - 2016-12-08 - Andy Mabbett - 07.jpg
Holy Family by Nicholas Mynheer. The grille to the left is part of the link between the 1960s church (right) and the old church (far left, out of shot)

St Matthew's describes its services as being in the "Modern Catholic" tradition. [7]

An episode of the BBC Television programme Songs of Praise , recorded at the church on 15 May 1968, was broadcast on 30 June that year. It was presented by Geoffrey Wheeler. [8] [9]

A statue in English limestone by Nicholas Mynheer, Holy Family was erected in the church grounds in 2011. [2] [10] In September 2014, a series of 14 stations of the cross artworks by Mynheer were installed inside the church. [2] [11] Near the altar are two icons by Tatiana Nichita. [2]

Vicarage

The Vicarage, on Beeches Road Vicarage, St Matthew's, Perry Beeches - 2025-04-07 - Andy Mabbett - 01.jpg
The Vicarage, on Beeches Road

In 1960, a vicarage was constructed on Beeches Road, around a third of a mile from the church. [2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Church at Perry Beeches, Birmingham". Architects' Journal . 42 (13): 793–804. 6 October 1965.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Welcome to St Matthew Perry Beeches. St Matthew's Church. 2014.
  3. ↑ "Architecture". St Matthew's Perry Beeches. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  4. ↑ Adler, Gerald; Maguire, Robert; Murray, Keith (2012). Robert Maguire and Keith Murray-Twentieth Century Architects. London: RIBA Publishing. ISBN   978-185946-165-5.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Historic England. "Church of St Matthew (1375536)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  6. ↑ "West Midlands, Birmingham -- Perry Beeches, St. Matthew, [N07356]". The National Pipe Organ Register. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  7. ↑ "St Matthew". A Church Near You. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  8. ↑ "BBC Programme Index". BBC Genome. 30 June 1968. Retrieved 1 May 2025.[ dead link ]
  9. ↑ Event programme booklet, St Matthew's Church archives.
  10. ↑ "Sculpture - Gallery - Mynheer-art: the fine art site of painter and sculptor Nicholas Mynheer". Nicholas Mynheer. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  11. ↑ "Stations of the Cross". St Matthew's Church. 30 March 2021. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
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