St David's Church, Shenley Green 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, ...

of 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 ...

located in Shenley Green,

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

Until 1970 services were held in the church hall which was opened in 1962. In February 1969, twelve Birmingham Scouts hauled 3 stones from St David’s Cathedral in Pembrokeshire to Shenley Green. The 200 mile journey took 56 hours with the scouts working in relay teams of 4 pulling a hand trek cart. The stones were later included in the new church as foundation and consecration stones. The church was built between 1969 and 1970. It was consecrated on 9 May 1970 by Laurie Brown,

Bishop of Birmingham A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

. It was designed by the architects of the

Bournville Village Trust Bournville Village Trust is an organisation that was created to maintain and improve the suburb of Bournville, located in Birmingham. However, during the 20th century it expanded its geographical coverage to include developments in Shenley Gre ...

under the direction of

Selby Clewer Selby James Clewer (6 April 1917 – 12 April 2001) was an English architect. Born in Morton, Shropshire, to James Clewer (1889–1968) and Minnie Thacker (1883–1918), with his father a policeman, he spent his childhood in many different areas ...

. Part of the parish was taken from that of

St Gabriel's Church, Weoley Castle St. Gabriel's Church, Weoley Castle is a parish church in the Church of England located in Weoley Castle, Birmingham. History Neville Chamberlain, at the time Chancellor of the Exchequer, laid the foundation stone for the new church on 10 Decem ...

. The vicarage adjacent to the church was built in 1969 for a cost of £11,585 ().

Architecture

The church is dominated by its large lantern tower which not only illuminates the interior but also acts as a local landmark. The distinctive green copper roof was replaced with stainless steel in 2011-2012 after a number of thefts of copper sheeting. The consecration stone, and dedication stones were brought from St David's Cathedral by the local scout troop in a handcart.

Organ

The church contains a pipe organ dating from 1970 by Bowen of Northampton. It was enlarged in 1999 by Trevor Tipple of Worcester. A specification of the organ can be found on the

National Pipe Organ Register The British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS) is a British organisation and registered charity which aims to promote study and appreciation of all aspects of the pipe organ. Further, it acts as a lobbying body to raise awareness of organ issue ...

List of incumbents

*David Pendleton, 1959–1989 *Chris Jackson, 1989–2001 *Nick Evans, 2002–2015 *Mark Bennett, 2016–2020

Sources

*St David's Church History. Church pamphlet

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint David's Church, Shenley Green Shenley Green Churches completed in 1970 20th-century Church of England church buildings