St. Laurence's Church, Northfield 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, ...

Northfield, Birmingham Northfield is a residential area in outer south Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England, near the boundary with Worcestershire, which it was historically within. It is also a Government of Birmingham, Engl ...

. The church is in a conservation area near nail maker's

cottage A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager had to provide ...

s, the Great Stone Inn, the old school and the Village Pound.

History

The Grade I listed church dates from the 12th century and contains some of the finest Early English work in the county. It also has a rare 14th-century timber porch outside the south door. The church and parish were originally controlled from the Priory of St. James, in

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 ...

. The north aisle was added in 1900 by George Frederick Bodley. The gridiron associated with the martyrdom of St. Laurence can be seen in the stonework of the church tower.

Patronage

Keble College, Oxford Keble College () is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, University Museum a ...

own the

Advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living, a ...

to the Rectory. A list of the Patrons and Rectors from the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

to the present day can be found in the history section of the Churc
web site

Bells

The ring of eight bells was increased to ten on 20 November 1999. At the same time a new ground floor ringing chamber was created at the foot of the tower. Image:St Laurence Church Northfield Birmingham - geograph.org.uk - 52167.jpg File:Northfield St Laurence from road.jpg File:Church of St Laurence, Northfield - church yard.jpg

Organ

The church was presented with a new organ by Herbert Austin, 1st Baron Austin and Lady Austin in memory of 2nd Lieutenant Vernon James Austin, who had died in 1915. It was built by the Compton Organ Company and opened on 22 March 1937. It comprises three manuals and pedals and is built on the extension principle. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

Stained Glass Windows

The beautiful depth of colour and ornate designs of the windows are masterpieces contributed to the work of Hardman & Co. They also designed and made stained glass windows for St. Andrew's Cathedral and St. Mary's Cathedrals in Sydney, Australia as well as for the

Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, including a window in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

'. Almost all of the windows in this historic Church of St. Laurence are by Hardman, replicating 13th-century stained-glass designs accurately through expert techniques and attention to detail. Hardman's windows include the subjects of: The Passion of Christ, The Resurrection, The Adoration, The Nativity, The Presentation in the temple before Simeon, The Annunciation, The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, Our Lord's appearance to St. Thomas, The Transfiguration, Walking on the waters of the Sea of Galilee, Raising of Lazarus, to name but a few. There is also a window by Pugin and Kempe. The church tower and the Chancel date back to the 12th/13th century AD. There is a Lady Chapel dedicated in the South Aisle and a chapel dedicated to St. Laurence in the North Aisle. The site of this Norman church was probably the previous location of a Saxon church as a priest was mentioned here in "Nordfeld" in the

of 1086.

War Graves

The churchyard extension, which lies between Kings Norton and Bristol Road, contains war graves of sixteen service personnel, one 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 ...

and fifteen of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.
CWGC Cemetery Report. Breakdown obtained from casualty record.

References

{{Reflist

External links

www.stlaurencenorthfield.org
Northfield Northfield Keble College, Oxford Northfield Constituency Grade I listed buildings in Birmingham