Church of St. Edmund
Encyclopedia
The Church of Saint Edmund is a parish church
on Castle Street in Dudley
, West Midlands
, England
.
It is known locally as "Bottom Church", as opposed to St Thomas's parish church in High Street which is known as "Top Church".
It dates back to AD970. In 1190, it was noted as being within the possession of Dudley Priory
. In 1646, during the English Civil War
, 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.
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 interior of the church was altered in 1864, although the church still retains its early pews, pulpit and panelled gallery.
On September 14, 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
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 has been used by Muslims
since 1978 as Dudley Central Mosque.
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
on Castle Street in Dudley
Dudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
It is known locally as "Bottom Church", as opposed to St Thomas's parish church in High Street which is known as "Top Church".
It dates back to AD970. In 1190, it was noted as being within the possession of Dudley Priory
Dudley Priory
Dudley Priory is a dissolved priory in Dudley, West Midlands , England. The ruins of the priory are located within Priory Park, alongside the Priory Estate, and is both a Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade I listed. The ruins received this status on September 14, 1949.The priory was founded in...
. In 1646, during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, 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.
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 interior of the church was altered in 1864, although the church still retains its early pews, pulpit and panelled gallery.
On September 14, 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
Kates 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...
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 has been used by Muslims
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
since 1978 as Dudley Central Mosque.