St John the Baptist's Church, Longbridge is a
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, ...
in the
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 Britai ...
in
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
.
History
The church was designed by G H While of Bromilow, While and Smeaton. The church was consecrated in 1957 and a parish was formed from
St Nicolas' Church, Kings Norton at the same time. It was built to serve the expanding car-making area around the
Longbridge plant.
The church is noted for five oak statues on the
mullion
A mullion is a vertical element that forms a division between units of a window or screen, or is used decoratively. It is also often used as a division between double doors. When dividing adjacent window units its primary purpose is a rigid supp ...
s of the west window designed by G H While and carved by the
Robert Pancheri
Celestino Enrico Pancheri (ca. 1881 – 21 November 1961) was an Italian sculptor and carver who worked in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.
He was born in Italy but came to England to work for the Bromsgrove Guild of Applied Arts at the end of the ...
of Bromsgrove. The central figure is of
St John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
holding a cross, with a lamb lying on the Bible. Around him are depictions of
Elijah
Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My El (deity), God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic language, Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) w ...
with a raven,
Isaiah
Isaiah ( or ; he, , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "God is Salvation"), also known as Isaias, was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named.
Within the text of the Book of Isaiah, Isaiah himself is referred to as "the ...
with a branch,
Ezekiel with a wheel and
Jeremiah
Jeremiah, Modern: , Tiberian: ; el, Ἰερεμίας, Ieremíās; meaning " Yah shall raise" (c. 650 – c. 570 BC), also called Jeremias or the "weeping prophet", was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewi ...
with a scroll.
The church was used by the architect as a model for St Boniface's Church, Quinton which was built 2 years later.
Organ
A two manual organ from
St Thomas in the Moors, Balsall Heath
St Thomas in the Moors, Balsall Heath is a former Church of England parish church in Balsall Heath, Birmingham.
History
The foundation stone was laid on 28 November 1870 by Mrs Sands Cox of Dosthill Hall in memory of Edward Townsend Cox and Jan ...
was installed in 1958 by
Nicholson and Co of Worcester. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Longbridge
Church of England church buildings in Birmingham, West Midlands
Churches completed in 1957
20th-century Church of England church buildings