The Birmingham Church Building Society was formed in 1838 in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, England, with the purpose of building ten new churches.

History

The

Bishop of Worcester A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Robert Carr Leonard Robert Carr, Baron Carr of Hadley, (11 November 1916 – 17 February 2012) was a British Conservative Party politician who served as Home Secretary from 1972 to 1974. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for 26 years, and later ser ...

, chaired a meeting in Birmingham on 27 November 1838, at which the Birmingham Church Building Society was formed. The objective of the society was to build ten churches in the town (as it then was) to cater for the expanding population, and as a consequence it became known as the ''Ten Churches Fund''. Initial collections for the society were promising and quickly reached £10,000 and many people paid by regular subscription. The Society eventually constructed 5 churches which were: *

St Matthew's Church, Duddeston and Nechells St Matthew's Church, Duddeston and Nechells is a Grade II listed parish church in the Church of England in Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the se ...

1840 * St Mark's Church, Ladywood 1841 (demolished 1947) * St Luke's Church, Bristol Street 1842 (rebuild 1903, demolished 2018) *

St Stephen the Martyr's Church, Newtown Row St Stephen the Martyr's Church, Newtown Row is a former Church of England parish church in Birmingham. History The church was funded by the governors of King Edward's School, Birmingham and built by the Birmingham Church Building Society to des ...

1844 (demolished after 1950) *

St Andrew's Church, Bordesley St Andrew's Church, Bordesley was a parish church in the Church of England in Birmingham. History The foundation stone was laid on 23 July 1844 by Henry Pepys, the Bishop of Worcester. The church was built to designs of the architect Richard Cr ...

1846 (demolished 1985) However, the society never lived up to its original aims, lacking sufficient funds, and it was superseded in 1865 by the Birmingham Church Extension Society.

References

{{Reflist Christianity in Birmingham, West Midlands Religious organizations established in 1838 1838 establishments in England Church of England societies and organisations History of Birmingham, West Midlands