St Mary and St Margaret Church, Castle Bromwich is a
Grade I 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 ...
parish church 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 Britain ...
in
Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich () is a large suburban village situated within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of the West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east; also Sutton Coldfield to the east and ...
,
Metropolitan Borough of Solihull
The Metropolitan Borough of Solihull is a metropolitan borough in West Midlands county, England. It is named after its largest town, Solihull, from which Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council is based. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region ...
, England.
History
A small wooden Norman chapel was known on the site before 1175, probably built for one of the de Bromwich family. The chapel was remade of stone in the 12th century, possibly earlier. In the 15th century the Norman chapel had a large half-timbered structure and wooden tower added to the west end, probably by a member of the Devereux family.
The present church was extensively altered between 1726 and 1731 by Sir John Bridgeman II to give an English Renaissance, neo-classical, style. The new brick tower was built first in 1725, a little way away from the existing main church.
The Hall and Church were then rebuilt using bricks made of local Castle Bromwich clay, fired close by. It is thought that the architect was
Thomas White of
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
. The old timber church was now encased in brick and plaster. The massive oak timbers still carry the roof trusses, both of which can only be seen in the roof now as a flat ceiling was also built. It is therefore unusual and unique, as it is a "church within a church", a Norman and medieval church within a Georgian one. The circular plastered pillars inside the church cover 20 inch square 23 feet high solid oak timbers, which stand on stone piers. Until 1878, the church was a chapel to
Castle Bromwich Hall
Castle Bromwich Hall is a Jacobean mansion in the Castle Bromwich area of Birmingham, England. It is a Grade I listed building.
History
The Hall was built between 1557 and 1585 by Sir Edward Devereux, 1st Baronet of Castle Bromwich, MP for ...
, the adjacent Jacobean mansion, and part of the large Aston Parish. It then became the
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...
of
Castle Bromwich
Castle Bromwich () is a large suburban village situated within the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in the English county of the West Midlands. It is bordered by the rest of the borough to the south east; also Sutton Coldfield to the east and ...
.
Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens
Castle Bromwich Hall Gardens are situated adjacent to the west side of Castle Bromwich Hall, a Jacobean Mansion. They are in the old centre of Castle Bromwich, a large village in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull of the English West Midland ...
surround the Hall. The North Garden has double iron gates, which lead to the Church grounds.
Castle Bromwich was originally one parish but was split into two in 1967, when St Clement's Church was built in the east of the village.
Features
The church is a
Grade I listed building
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 ...
. The brick tower has a clock face and contains a peal of six bells. Weathervanes stood on top of the stone urns at the four corners of the tower before 1947. These were replaced after the bells were recast in 1952 by four of the old bell clappers.
Inside, the church has two side chapels (one is called the Lady Chapel) and traditional wooden pews. The box pews at the front were originally reserved for the Bridgeman family. There is a stone tablet with an epitaph to Sir John Bridgeman of 1752 and a window dedicated to the memory of the Countess of Bradford who died in 1842. There is a rare three-tiered pulpit with a sounding board above. It has a high pulpit, a reading desk and a seat for the clerk. In 1966, bluish Victorian glass which filled all of the windows was replaced with clear glass to let in more light. A little still remains in the tower. The Foden Room (named after one of the Churchwardens) was also built in ordinary brick on the south side (hidden from the road) to give additional accommodation, this was demolished in 2012 and replaced with a much larger community hall. Some box pews were removed in 1980 to give added space in the Lady Chapel.
A proposal to site a mobile phone mast on the church aroused some controversy in October 2006, due to aesthetic concerns.
Notable burials
*
John Jones Bateman
John Jones Bateman (1817–1903) was an English architect, active in the town (later city) of Birmingham, where he designed a number of important civic buildings, and nonconformist churches, often in partnership with George Drury.
He was the f ...
(1817-1903), architect, and his family
Organ
A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.
Organisations
Groups and organisations that use the church are the Choir, Bellringers, Mothers Union, Wayfarers (Sunday School), Youth Group, Prayer Group and Bible Study Group.
References
External links
Old map of the Area*
St Mary & St Margaret's SchoolSt Mary and St Margaret Parish Church Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castle Bromwich, St Mary And St Margaret Church
Grade I listed churches in the West Midlands (county)
Rebuilt churches in the United Kingdom
18th-century Church of England church buildings
Buildings and structures in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull