Erdington Abbey
Encyclopedia
Erdington Abbey Church on Sutton Road, Erdington
, Birmingham
, England
, is the more usual name of the grade II listed church of Saints Thomas and Edmund of Canterbury. It is the church of a Roman Catholic parish
in the Archdiocese of Birmingham
served by the Redemptorists. The abbey itself was the adjacent building, now Highclare School
.
High Street, on the croft opposite the end of Station Lane.
Before this priests from Oscott College had said mass in a house on the High Street, but Catholics in Erdington are mainly indebted to the Rev. Daniel H. Haigh
, founder of the Church of SS Thomas & Edmund of Canterbury. He laid the foundation stone of the new church on 26 May 1848. The church was opened and consecrated by Bishop Ullathorne
on 11 June 1850. The church is an example of the Gothic revival.
The church was designed by Augustus Pugin
well-known for designing notable Roman Catholic buildings in Birmingham, such as Saint Chad's Cathedral
and Oscott College The church was built by Charles Hansom
, who built the steeple of the church 117 ft (35.7 m) high, which is also the length of the building.
, exiled for their faith
from their own country during the "Kulturkampf
", the anti-Catholic
and anti-clerical movement headed by Bismarck
.
The abbey was built on this land next to the church. Its building is also grade II listed.
during World War I
(1914–18). The parish came under the control of the Redemptorist order of priests in 1922, and is currently served by Fr. Gabriel Maguire C.Ss.R - Rector and Parish Priest and Fr. Francis Dickinson C.Ss.R.
Erdington
Erdington is a suburb northeast of Birmingham city centre, England and bordering Sutton Coldfield. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, 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...
, is the more usual name of the grade II listed church of Saints Thomas and Edmund of Canterbury. It is the church of a Roman Catholic parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
in the Archdiocese of Birmingham
Archdiocese of Birmingham
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham is one of the principal Latin-rite Catholic administrative divisions of England and Wales in the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church....
served by the Redemptorists. The abbey itself was the adjacent building, now Highclare School
Highclare School
Highclare School was founded in 1932 and is an independent primary and secondary school located on three sites in the Birmingham area providing children's education from 18 months to 18 years....
.
Erdington Abbey church
In 1847 Father Heneage built a chapel in ErdingtonErdington
Erdington is a suburb northeast of Birmingham city centre, England and bordering Sutton Coldfield. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee...
High Street, on the croft opposite the end of Station Lane.
Before this priests from Oscott College had said mass in a house on the High Street, but Catholics in Erdington are mainly indebted to the Rev. Daniel H. Haigh
Daniel Henry Haigh
Daniel Henry Haigh was a noted Victorian scholar of Anglo-Saxon history and literature, as well as a runologist and numismatist.-Biography:...
, founder of the Church of SS Thomas & Edmund of Canterbury. He laid the foundation stone of the new church on 26 May 1848. The church was opened and consecrated by Bishop Ullathorne
William Bernard Ullathorne
William Bernard Ullathorne was an English Roman Catholic bishop and a missionary in Australia.-Early life:William Ullathorne was born in Pocklington, Yorkshire, the eldest of ten children of William Ullathorne, a prosperous grocer, draper and spirit merchant, and his wife Hannah, née Longstaff...
on 11 June 1850. The church is an example of the Gothic revival.
The church was designed by Augustus Pugin
Augustus Pugin
Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin was an English architect, designer, and theorist of design, now best remembered for his work in the Gothic Revival style, particularly churches and the Palace of Westminster. Pugin was the father of E. W...
well-known for designing notable Roman Catholic buildings in Birmingham, such as Saint Chad's Cathedral
Saint Chad's Cathedral
The Metropolitan Cathedral Church and Basilica of Saint Chad is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham and province of the Catholic Church in Great Britain and is dedicated to Saint Chad of Mercia. Built by Augustus Welby Pugin and substantially complete by 1841, St...
and Oscott College The church was built by Charles Hansom
Charles Francis Hansom
Charles Francis Hansom was a prominent Roman Catholic Victorian architect who primarily designed in the Gothic Revival style.-Career:...
, who built the steeple of the church 117 ft (35.7 m) high, which is also the length of the building.
Abbey
In 1876 Father Haigh handed over his church, parish and estate of 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) to the Benedictine monks from Beuron in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, exiled for their faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
from their own country during the "Kulturkampf
Kulturkampf
The German term refers to German policies in relation to secularity and the influence of the Roman Catholic Church, enacted from 1871 to 1878 by the Prime Minister of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck. The Kulturkampf did not extend to the other German states such as Bavaria...
", the anti-Catholic
Anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism is a generic term for discrimination, hostility or prejudice directed against Catholicism, and especially against the Catholic Church, its clergy or its adherents...
and anti-clerical movement headed by Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
.
The abbey was built on this land next to the church. Its building is also grade II listed.
Roman Catholic Redemptorists
The Benedictine monks were later displaced a second time, as a result of problems experienced by the predominantly German Beuronese CongregationBeuronese Congregation
The Beuronese Congregation, or Beuron Congregation, is a union of mostly German or German-speaking religious houses of both monks and nuns within the Benedictine Confederation...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
(1914–18). The parish came under the control of the Redemptorist order of priests in 1922, and is currently served by Fr. Gabriel Maguire C.Ss.R - Rector and Parish Priest and Fr. Francis Dickinson C.Ss.R.