St Bartholomew's Church, Edgbaston, also known as Edgbaston Old Church, is a

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 ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

Edgbaston Edgbaston () is a suburb of Birmingham, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It lies immediately south-west of Birmingham city centre, and was historically in Warwickshire. The Ward (electoral subdivision), wards of Edgbaston and Nort ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

History

The Grade II listed church is medieval, but was largely rebuilt in the 19th century. The chancel, chapels and north arcade were added in 1885 by J. A. Chatwin, who is buried in the churchyard. His grave monument, along with those of William Hoddinott, Jane Bellis and Catherine Chavasse is Grade II listed. A memorial to physician and botanist Dr.

William Withering William Withering Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (17 March 1741 – 6 October 1799) was an English botanist, geologist, chemist, physician and first systematic investigator of the bioactivity of digitalis. Withering was born in Wellington, S ...

, who pioneered the medical use of

digitalis ''Digitalis'' ( or ) is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennial plants, shrubs, and Biennial plant, biennials, commonly called foxgloves. ''Digitalis'' is native to Europe, Western Asia, and northwestern Africa. The flowers are ...

(derived from the foxglove), is situated on the south wall of the Lady Chapel, and features carvings of foxgloves and ''Witheringia solanaceae'', a plant named in his honour.

Bells

The tower contains a ring of eight bells, with a tenor weight of . The earliest four date from 1685. The bells are rung by the Birmingham University Society of Change Ringers during term time.

Organ

A small organ was given to the church by Lord Calthorp in 1837. A Hill organ was built and placed in the gallery in 1857. It was moved to a south east position in the church in 1890. The current organ was rebuilt by Norman and Beard dating from 1956. The organ was extensively damaged by rain water after a theft of lead from the church roof. It was rebuilt at a cost of £70,000 (all funds were raised by the church) and relocated to its current position in the north east of the church in 2012. 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 organists

*John Augustus Sherman * John Robert Lunn 1846–47 * Stephen Samuel Stratton 1867–75 *Samuel Bath ?–1877 * Herbert Walter Wareing 1881–88 * Theodore Stephen Tearne 1888–1903 * Henry Taylor 1903– ca. 1912 - 1927 ???? * Russell Harry Coleman Green 1933–58 * Anthony John Cooke 1958–64 *A John Flower 1964–1967 *Michael Jones 1967–89 *Bryan Brown 1989–96 *Graeme Martin 1996–97 *Roland Keen 1997–2007 *Father Clifton Graham 2007–10 *David Griffiths 2010– 2024Parish records Position currently vacant

Burials

John Thackray Bunce John Thackray Bunce (11 April 1828 – 28 June 1899) was a British journalist and writer. He served as editor of '' Aris's Birmingham Gazette'' from 1860 to 1862, and of the ''Birmingham Post'' from 1862 to 1898. Early years Bunce was bo ...

, editor of the

Birmingham Daily Post The ''Birmingham Post'' is a weekly printed newspaper based in Birmingham, England, with distribution throughout the West Midlands. First published under the name the ''Birmingham Daily Post'' in 1857, it has had a succession of distinguished ...

* J. A. Chatwin, architect * William Haywood, (ashes) architect and urban designer, and first Secretary of

The Birmingham Civic Society Birmingham Civic Society is a voluntary body in Birmingham, England, and is registered with the Civic Trust. History The society was founded at an inaugural meeting on 10 June 1918 in the Birmingham Council House. The first president of th ...

* John Pixell, poet, priest and composer. * Joseph Henry Shorthouse, 1834–1903, the author of "John Inglesant" Also in the churchyard is the

war grave A war grave is a burial place for members of the armed forces or civilians who died during military campaigns or operations. Definition The term "war grave" does not only apply to graves: ships sunk during wartime are often considered to b ...

of a Loyal Regiment officer, Lieutenant Rowland Charles Mason, of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

.
CWGC Casualty Record. Photograph of the War Memorial

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Bartholomew's Church, Edgbaston Church of England church buildings in Birmingham, West Midlands, Edgbaston Grade II listed churches in Birmingham Edgbaston