Carrs Lane Church, also known as The Church at Carrs Lane is a church in Birmingham and is noted as having the largest free-standing cross in the country.

History

The church was founded as an independent chapel in 1748 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 John Angell James (6 June 1785 – 1 October 1859), was an English Nonconformist clergyman and writer. Life James was born at Blandford Forum. After seven years' apprenticeship to a linen-draper in Poole, Dorset, he decided to become a pre ...

. A further enlargement was undertaken in 1820 to designs by the architect

Thomas Stedman Whitwell Thomas Stedman Whitwell (1784–1840) was an English architect and civil engineer, best known for his collaboration with Robert Owen on an unrealised design for a secular communal utopia at New Harmony, Indiana, USA. Biography Early life Thomas ...

, which was then re-fronted by

Yeoville Thomason Henry Richard Yeoville Yardley Thomason (17 July 1826 – 19 July 1901) was a British architect active in Birmingham. He was born in Edinburgh to a Birmingham family, and set up his own practice in Birmingham 1853–54. Life Yeoville ...

in 1876. The church became part of the

Congregational Union Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs it ...

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 Birmingham Civic Society is a voluntary body in Birmingham, England, and is registered with the Civic Trust. History The society was founded at an inaugural meeting on 10 June 1918 in the Birmingham Council House. The first president of the ...

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 Methodist Central Hall, 196–224 Corporation Street, Birmingham, England, is a three-storey red brick and terracotta Grade II* listed building with a distinctive tower at the northern end of Corporation Street. The design complements th ...

, the building has been shared with the Methodist Congregation, as a

local ecumenical partnership In England and Wales, a local ecumenical partnership (or project) is a partnership between churches of different denominations. First piloted in 1964, over 850 now exist to promote unity between different Christian denominations. The missiolo ...

under the name "The Church at Carrs Lane".

Organ

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.

Organists

*Samuel Stanley 1792 - 1803 (afterwards organist at Ebenezer Church until 1822) *Adam Wright ???? - 1845 - 1876 *William C. Stockley 1876 - 1889 *Walter Humphreys 1889 - 1895 (formerly organist of Wesley Chapel, West Bromwich) *C.H. Pett 1895 - 1901 *Maurice Davies 1901 - ???? *R.A. Ernest Payne ???? - 1915 *

Charles William Perkins Charles William Perkins (4 October 1855 - 2 August 1927) was Birmingham City Organist from 1888 to 1923. Life He was born in 1855 the son of Robert A Perkins, jeweller, and Hannah. He studied organ under Andrew Deakin, organist of the Church of ...

1915 - 1920 *Graham Godfrey 1920 - 1930 *Cyril Stanley Christopher 1930 - 1967

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birmingham Churches completed in 1971 United Reformed churches in Birmingham, West Midlands