The Church of Saint Edmund is a

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholicism, Catholic heritage (especially pre-English Reformation, Reformation roots) and identity of the Church of England and various churches within Anglicanism. Anglo-Ca ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

on Castle Street in the town of

Dudley Dudley ( , ) is a market town in the West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically part of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. In the ...

in the

West Midlands County West Midlands is a Metropolitan county, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the larger West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of England. A landlocked county, it is bordered by Staffordshire to the north ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. It is known locally as "Bottom Church", as opposed to

St Thomas's St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS teaching hospital in Central London, England. Administratively part of the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, together with Guy's Hospital, Evelina London Children's Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospital an ...

parish church in High Street which is known as "Top Church". The dedication is to the Anglo-Saxon King and Martyr,

Edmund Edmund is a masculine given name in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings and nobles *Ed ...

indicating the original church dated from the Anglo-Saxon period. Since Edmund died in 869 or 870 then the church must date from after this time, although there are no references to the church before the twelfth century. At the front of the present church are two sculptures showing a metal crown pierced by arrows – referring to the martyrdom of Edmund. In 1190, it was noted as being within the possession of

Dudley Priory Dudley Priory is a dissolved priory in Dudley, West Midlands (formerly Worcestershire), England. The ruins of the priory are located within Priory Park, alongside the Priory Estate, and is both a scheduled monument and Grade I listed. The r ...

. In 1646, during the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

, Colonel Leveson ordered the demolition of the church. As a result, residents in the parish congregated at St. Thomas's Church in Dudley, which was repaired, and the parishes united. St. Edmund's Church was subsequently rebuilt and was completed circa 1724. The reconstruction of the church was paid for by brothers Richard and George Bradley and by subscriptions from the parishioners. It was built of red brick with stone dressings and consisted of a chancel, nave, aisles, south porch and an embattled west tower. The tradition of the church is

Chapel of ease within the parish of St Thomas, 1646 to 1844

Following the 1646 union of the parish with that of St. Thomas's and though the church was rebuilt in 1724 it was as a

chapel of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently, generally due to trav ...

to St. Thomas's and it did not become the centre of a separate parish again until 1844.Worcester FHS
/ref> The interior of the church was altered in 1864, although the church still retains its early pews, pulpit and panelled gallery. On 14 September 1949 the building received Grade B listed status. This has since been upgraded to Grade II* listed status. A school for children aged 5–11 years was built near to the church on Birmingham Street during the 19th century, but this closed in 1970 when it merged with St John's School on

Kates Hill Kates Hill, or Kate's Hill, is a residential area in Dudley, West Midlands, England. History Kates Hill was the scene of chaos in 1648 when parliamentarians used it as their base in the Civil War against King Charles I. As a result, many ro ...

to form the Church of England Primary School of St Edmund and St John, located at a new site on Hillcrest Road. The school building survives, however, and since 1978 has been the Dudley Central Mosque.

References

External links

Church website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dudley, Church of Saint Edmund Church of Saint Edmund Church of England church buildings in the West Midlands (county) Grade II* listed churches in the West Midlands (county) Churches completed in 1724 Anglo-Catholic church buildings in the West Midlands (county) 18th-century Church of England church buildings 1724 establishments in England English churches dedicated to St Edmund