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St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham

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Coordinates: 52°27′57″N 1°53′18″W / 52.46583°N 1.88833°W / 52.46583; -1.88833
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St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham
Church of St Alban and St Patrick, Highgate, Birmingham
St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham
Map
52°27′57″N 1°53′18″W / 52.46583°N 1.88833°W / 52.46583; -1.88833
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
Groundbreaking31 January 1880
Completed3 May 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

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]

History

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A temporary church was established as a mission of Holy Trinity Church, Bordesley in 1865 and opened on 13 September 1866.[3]

The nave and chancel

The permanent church was designed by John Loughborough Pearson and built by the contractor Shillitoe of Doncaster.[4] The foundation stone was laid on 31 January 1880 by Frederick Lygon, 6th Earl Beauchamp[5] and the church opened for worship on Tuesday 3 May 1881[6]

The formal consecration took place on 4 December 1899.[7] The construction cost was in the region of £20,000 (equivalent to £2,758,944 in 2023).[8]

The tower and spire were added in 1938 by Edwin Francis Reynolds.

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

In 2016 a grant from the Heritage Lottery permitted the renewal of the roofs of the South Transept, St Patrick's Chapel, the Organ Loft and the Ambulatory. However, despite this, by 2018 the church was on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register due to its poor condition, particularly the remainder of the roof.[9] However, a programme of restoration took place in 2020-21, the remainder of the church roof was repaired and high-level repairs to the windows and walls were carried out. As a result Historic England removed the church form the list of "Buildings at Risk".[10]

Present day

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The patron is Keble College, Oxford.

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.[11] 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."[12] This means that the parish would now accept a woman priest.

Architecture

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The reredos, and 1938 silver tabernacle

The cruciform building is in red brick, with dressings in ashlar.

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[13] and donated by them in 1919 in memory of their sisters and parents.[7]

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.[14][15]

Vicars

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  • 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

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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.[16] A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.[17]

Organists

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  • Mr. Price. c. 1868
  • Hugh Brooksbank 1881 (afterwards organist of Llandaff Cathedral)
  • Douglas Redman 1882-1885 (afterwards organist of St Matthew's Church, Brixton)
  • T.J. Woodall 1885-????
  • J. Granville Smith 1889[18]-1899 (formerly organist of St Ambrose's Church, Edgbaston, from 1890 also organist at Christ Church, Wolverhampton)
  • W. E. Abraham 1899–1901
  • William Terrence Jenkins 1901–1910
  • Alban W. Cooper 1910-1911
  • Thomas J. Richards 1911[19] – 1919 (formerly and afterwards organist of St Agnes' Church, Moseley)
  • George Henry Manton 1919-1923
  • Ernest Edward Madeley 1923–1953[20]
  • Roy Massey 1953–1960 (afterwards organist of St Augustine's Church, Edgbaston)
  • David Britton 1960-1961
  • Raymond Isaacson 1961–1967 (formerly organist of St Nicolas Church, Kings Norton, afterwards organist of High Wycombe parish church)
  • Alistair Pow 1968
  • John Bates 1969-1970
  • Paul Hale 1970-1971
  • Roy Hayton 1971-1976
  • John Butt 1977-1979
  • David Briggs 1979–1981[21]
  • Iain Simcock 1981-1983
  • Ian Ledsham 1983-1991
  • Colin Kinton 1992-1997
  • Darren Hogg 1998-2004
  • Chris Harker 2004-2018
  • David Lane 2006-2011
  • Thomas Keogh 2011-2012
  • Graeme Martin 2013-2019
  • Aled Liddington 2022-current

See also

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References

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  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. ^ "Dedication Services at St Alban's". Birmingham Journal. Birmingham. 15 September 1866. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  4. ^ "The Church of St Alban, Birmingham". Birmingham Daily Post. Birmingham. 29 April 1881. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  5. ^ "Church of St Alban the Martyr in Birmingham. Laying the Foundation Stone". Birmingham Daily Gazette. England. 2 February 1880. Retrieved 11 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  6. ^ "Opening of St Alban's Church". Birmingham Daily Post. England. 4 May 1881. Retrieved 13 February 2024 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ^ a b S. Alban and S. Patrick, Birmingham 12. St Alban's. 1984–1986.
  8. ^ 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 7 May 2024.
  9. ^ Heritage at Risk - West Midlands Register 2018 (Report). Historic England. p. 54. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  10. ^ "Church Restoration". St Alban the Martyr, Highgate. St Alban the Martyr, Highgate. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
  11. ^ "About our community". St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  12. ^ "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.
  13. ^ Historic England. "Church of St Alban the Martyr (1290539)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  14. ^ "Blue Plaque to Kate Bunce - News - St. Alban the Martyr". www.saintalban.co.uk. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  15. ^ "Blue Plaque to Kate Bunce unveiled as part of Birmingham's first Heritage Week". Birmingham Civic Society. 12 September 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  16. ^ "Reconstruction Work Completed". Birmingham Daily Post. England. 22 May 1940. Retrieved 26 December 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  17. ^ "Warwickshire Birmingham, St. Alban and St. Patrick, Conybere Street [N07307]". National Pipe Organ Register. British Institute of Organ Studies. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  18. ^ "Presentation to a local organist". Birmingham Daily Post. England. 13 December 1889. Retrieved 16 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  19. ^ "New Organist for St Albans". Birmingham Daily Gazette. England. 31 July 1911. Retrieved 16 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  20. ^ "Mr. E. E. Madeley". Birmingham Daily Post. England. 3 August 1963. Retrieved 16 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  21. ^ Church of St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham, Concert by David Briggs, 25 May 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
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