St James' Church in Handsworth,

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 ...

, England was erected as an

Anglican church Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

in 1838–1840 (Handsworth was at that time in the county of

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

) on land given by John Crockett of the nearby New Inns Hotel. The architect was Robert Ebbles of

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...

, who specialised in

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

churches.Ebbles is given as architect o
St Paul's Church, Wolverhampton (1833-34, demolished 1960s)St Peters Church, Charles Street, Coventry (1840)St Pauls, Tipton
, and other churches around Wolverhampton as well as in Surrey and the Isle of Wight (). A new chancel was added in 1878 and the building was rebuilt in 1895, to designs by

J. A. Chatwin Julius Alfred Chatwin FRIBA, Royal British Society of Sculptors, ARBS, FSAScot (24 April 1830 – 6 June 1907) was a British architect known for his work on the construction and modification of numerous churches in Birmingham. He practiced bo ...

. The original chancel thus became the north chapel, the original nave became the north aisle, and the original western tower was redesignated as the north-west tower. The additions were a new chancel, a nave, and a south aisle. Chatwin's

Decorated style English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed a ...

, red-brick features contrasted with the

Early English style English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed a ...

stonework of the original building. The church's parish was created out of that of Saint Mary's in 1854. Portions were ceded to become parts of the parishes of

St Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the early Christian Church. He appears repe ...

in 1907, and

St. Andrew Andrew the Apostle ( ; ; ; ) was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Apostles in the New Testament, Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called () used by the Eastern Orthodox Chu ...

in 1914. From 1883, the vicar was the Rev. Thomas Smith Cave. The noted composer Theodore Stephen Tearne Mus Bac, L. Mus, F.S.Sc. (born 1860) was an organist at the church from 1904 to 1908, immediately prior to his emigration to Australia. The famous tenor Leslie

Webster Booth Webster Booth (21 January 1902 – 21 June 1984) was an English tenor, best remembered as the duettist partner of Anne Ziegler. He was also one of the finest tenors of his generation and was a distinguished oratorio soloist. He was a choriste ...

(born 1902) was a chorister at the church from 1909 to 1911, before he was accepted as a chorister at Lincoln Cathedral. The church's early baptism, marriage, and burial registers, and various parish meeting minutes, are in the archives of the

Library of Birmingham The Library of Birmingham is a public library in Birmingham, England. It is situated on the west side of the city centre at Centenary Square, beside the Birmingham Rep (to which it connects, and with which it shares some facilities) and Baske ...

. As of May 2014, the vicar is the Reverend Dr David Isiorho, a former social worker and a member of the editorial board of the journal ''

Black Theology Black theology, or black liberation theology, refers to a theological perspective which originated among African-American seminarians and scholars, and in some black churches in the United States and later in other parts of the world. It contex ...

''. Worship is conducted in the Liberal High Church tradition. The church sits on the corner of Saint James Road, to which it gives its name, and Crocketts Road, just off the A41 Holyhead Road, and is in the

Anglican Diocese of Birmingham The Diocese of Birmingham is a diocese founded in 1905 in the Church of England's Province of Canterbury, covering the north-west of the traditional county of Warwickshire, the south-east of the traditional county of Staffordshire and the north ...

References

External links

Entry on Birmingham Churches site

Images on 'Digital Handsworth'

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint James Church Handsworth Handsworth Churches completed in 1840 Churches completed in 1895 19th-century Church of England church buildings Handsworth, West Midlands