St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham 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 ...

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, ...

in the Anglican Diocese of Birmingham. It is dedicated to Saint Alban, the first British Christian martyr.Thurston, Herbert. "St. Alban." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 19 February 2013
/ref> In 2018, the church was on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register due to its poor condition, particularly the roof.

History

A temporary church was established as a mission of

Holy Trinity Church, Bordesley Holy Trinity Church, Bordesley is a Grade II listed former Church of England parish church at Camp Hill, Bordesley, Birmingham, England. History An example of a Commissioners' church the church was built between 1820 and 1822 by the architec ...

in 1865 and opened on 13 September 1866. The permanent church was designed by

John Loughborough Pearson John Loughborough Pearson (5 July 1817 – 11 December 1897) was a British Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficiency ...

and built by the contractor Shillitoe of Doncaster. Work started in 1880 and the church opened in 1881. The formal consecration took place on 4 December 1899. The construction cost was in the region of £20,000 (equivalent to £ in ). The patron is

Keble College, Oxford Keble College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to th ...

. St Alban's Church took over the parish of

St Patrick's Church, Bordesley St Patrick's Church, Bordesley (also known as St Patrick's Church, Highgate) was a parish church in the Church of England in Birmingham. History The foundation stone was laid by William Lygon, 7th Earl Beauchamp on Saturday 23 November 1895. It ...

when St Patrick's was demolished in the early 1970s.

Present day

St Alban's Church stands in the

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglican ...

tradition A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

of the Church of England. The parish had passed Resolutions A and B of the Priests (Ordination of Women) Measure 1993, meaning they rejected the

ordination of women The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain Christian traditions and most denominations in which "ordina ...

, but these expired in 2016. They also voted on Alternative Episcopal Oversight, but this was rejected. In 2017, they voted on the replacement of Resolutions A and B, the Resolution under the House of Bishops' Declaration: "This was not carried, with equal votes for and against." This means that the parish would now accept a woman priest.

Architecture

St Alban's - Bunce reredos - Andy Mabbett - 62

The cruciform building is in red brick, with dressings in

ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...

. The tower and spire were added in 1938 by

Edwin Francis Reynolds Edwin Francis Reynolds LRIBA (30 November 1875 - 19 January 1949) was an English architect based in Birmingham. Life He was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham, and then articled to Cossins & Peacock from 1893 to 1896. From 1897 to 1899 ...

. The interior features a

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

east window by Henry Payne and, in the south chapel, a copper

Arts and Crafts A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

triptych with painted panels, by local artists Kate and

Myra Bunce Myra Louise Bunce (1854–1919) was an English designer and painter associated with the Arts and Crafts movement and the Pre-Raphelites. Early life Bunce was the elder daughter of John Thackray Bunce and Rebecca Ann Bunce, her younger sister ...

and donated by them in 1919 in memory of their sisters and parents. Kate Bunce blue plauqe unveiling - 2015-09-10 - Andy Mabbett - 24

A Birmingham Civic Society blue plaque honouring the Bunce sisters was unveiled at St Alban's in September 2015, by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham.

Vicars

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 2017-present: Dr Gerald Sykes

Organ

The organ dates was installed second-hand in 1870 and was by Bryceson Son & Ellis. It was overhauled in 1940 by Rushworth and Dreaper of Liverpool who extended the compass to C and added electro-pneumatic action. The Pedal Trombone, Great Tuba and Swell 5-rank mixture were added at this date. A new oak organ case was created by Birmingham Sculptors Ltd and Craftinwood Ltd. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

Organists

*Mr. Price. c. 1868 *Hugh Brooksbank 1881 (afterwards organist of

Llandaff Cathedral Llandaff Cathedral ( cy, Eglwys Gadeiriol Llandaf) is an Anglican cathedral and parish church in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales. It is the seat of the Bishop of Llandaff, head of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. It is dedicated to Saint Peter ...

) *Douglas Redman 1881 – c. 1884 (afterwards organist of

St Matthew's Church, Brixton St Matthew's Church is a Church of England church in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade II* listed building which occupies a prominent position at the junction of Brixton Road, Brixton Hill and Effra Road. The church was constructed ...

) *Mr. Woodall c. 1886 *J. Granville Smith 1889 c. 1891 – ???? (formerly organist of St Ambrose's Church, Edgbaston) *W. E. Abraham ???? – 1901 *W. T. Jenkins 1901 – ???? *Samuel Royle Shore 1908 – 1911 (formerly assistant organist of Birmingham Cathedral) *Thomas J. Richards 1911 – ???? (formerly organist of St Agnes Church, Moseley) *Ernest Edward Madeley c. 1923 – 1953 *

Roy Massey Roy Massey (born 10 September 1943) is an English former football player, now a coach. Career As a player, Massey played as a centre forward for Rotherham United (1964–67), Leyton Orient (1967–69) and Colchester United (1969–71). He reti ...

1953 – 1960 (afterwards organist of St Augustine's Church, Edgbaston) *Raymond Isaacson 1961 – 1967 (formerly organist of St Nicolas Church, Kings Norton, afterwards organist of High Wycombe parish church) * David Briggs 1979–1981Church of St Alban the Martyr, Birmingham, Concert by David Briggs, 25 May 2022. Retrieved 8 August 2022.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Alban the Martyr, Birmingham Grade II* listed buildings in Birmingham Church of England church buildings in Birmingham, West Midlands Anglo-Catholic church buildings in the West Midlands (county) Churches completed in 1881 19th-century Church of England church buildings Gothic Revival church buildings in England Grade II* listed churches in the West Midlands (county) 1865 establishments in England English churches dedicated to St Alban