St George's Church, Kidderminster is a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

Kidderminster Kidderminster is a large market and historic minster town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, south-west of Birmingham and north of Worcester. Located north of the River Stour and east of the River Severn, in the 2011 census, it had ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...

, England. The church is a

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

building.

History

St George’s Church was a

Commissioners' church A Commissioners' church, also known as a Waterloo church and Million Act church, is an Anglican church in the United Kingdom built with money voted by Parliament as a result of the Church Building Acts of 1818 and 1824. The 1818 Act supplie ...

designed by architect Francis Goodwin. Its grant of just over £17,000 (), was the third-largest given by the commission to any church outside London.
A History of Kidderminster
', Nigel Gilbert, 2004,

Phillimore Phillimore is the surname of: People: * Augustus Phillimore (1822–1897), Royal Navy admiral * Claud Phillimore, 4th Baron Phillimore (1911–1994), English architect *Egerton Phillimore (1856–1937), British scholar of Welsh literature and lang ...

, . p89 and p102 It opened in 1824. A fire which originated in the belfry destroyed the interior of the church on 20 November 1922 and it was restored by

Giles Gilbert Scott Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (9 November 1880 – 8 February 1960) was a British architect known for his work on the New Bodleian Library, Cambridge University Library, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, Battersea Power Station, Liverpool Cathedral, and d ...

Incumbents

*William Villiers 1824 - 1842 *

John Downall John Downall (1803–1872) was the Archdeacon of Totnes from 1859 until 1872. He was the only son of James Downall of Liverpool and studied at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, graduating BA in 1826 and MA in 1829. He was ordained deacon in 1826 at Ecclesha ...

1842 - 1847 *

Thomas Baker Morrell Thomas Baker Morrell FRSE (4 September 18155 November 1877) was a British Episcopalian minister who served as Bishop of Edinburgh. Life He was born in 1815, the fifth son of Baker Morrell (1779–1854) of Oxford and his wife, Mary Elizabeth Chapm ...

1847 - 1852 *Charles John McQueen Mottram 1852 - 1872 * Frederic Rawlins Evans 1872 - 1876 *Stephen Brown Bathe 1876 - 1887 *Theobald W. Church 1887 - 1915 *Albert Edward Riland Bedford 1915 - 1918 *Robert Hume Stephen 1918 - 1932 *Benjamin John Isaacs 1932 - 1940 *P.J. Martin 1940 - 1959 *Canon L.W. Chidzey 1959 - 1968 *H. Edward Montague-Youens from 1969 - 1972 *Peter D. Chippendale 1972 - 1976 *Andrew John Piggott until 1994 *Canon Nick Barker until 2007 *David Hildred from 2020

Organ

The church obtained a pipe organ in 1828 by Elliot and Hill. In 1869 this was rebuilt by Hill but was destroyed in the fire of 1922. In 1929 a new organ was installed by G.H.C. Foskett. The organ currently comprises 3 manuals and pedals with 45 speaking stops. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

Organists

*C.S. Herve 1836 - 1837 *Charles Baldwin from 1837 *W. White ca. 1841 *James Fitzgerald 1850 - 1895 (formerly assistant organist at Bristol Cathedral, from 1850 to 1868 also choirmaster at St Mary’s) *Frank Thornton 1896 - 1900 (formerly organist at St Cuthbert’s Church, Birmingham) *C. Milton Bill from1900 (formerly organist at Newport Parish Church, Isle of Wight) *Richard Alfred Taylor *Harold Evers ca. 1941 until 1976 *Tim Morris from 1976

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kidderminster, St George Church of England church buildings in Worcestershire Grade II* listed churches in Worcestershire Churches completed in 1824 1824 establishments in England Buildings and structures in Kidderminster