St Mary the Virgin, Acocks Green
Encyclopedia
St Mary the Virgin, Acocks Green is a Church of England parish church
in Acocks Green
, Birmingham
, England.
, however the population had expanded throughout the 19th century, with the middle classes moving out of the town, and demand came for a separate parish church. The church was the outcome of meetings of local people in 1864. The site was given by Yardley Charity Trustees, and John Field Swinburn gave an endowment of £1,000, equivalent to £51,500 today. The foundation stone was laid on 13 October 1864 and, on 17 October 1866, a portion of the nave
and two aisles were consecrated. A parish
was created in 1867.
The church, designed in 1864 by J. G. Bland,http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22976 was originally to have a tower
and spire
which would have been sited at the southwest corner.
In 1894, the chancel
, designed by J. A. Chatwin
, was added. Despite this, the church still lacked the north and south transepts, Lady chapel
, choir vestry
and tower of the original design, as it still does today.
Photographs of the original church show that it had a much steeper roof pitch than today and roundel
windows above the aisles.
, chancel
and sanctuary
. In common with Christian practice, it is aligned to face east. Although Victorian in age, it is built in Gothic
style of the Early English period with buttress
es in a 13th century pattern.http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22976
St Mary's consists of the nave, the main body of the church with aisles to the north and south, a chancel, the area where the choir sit, the sanctuary containing the altar
, and a vestry. The church is entered by way of the porch on the north wall. The doors have wrought iron
work resembling a 13th century design.
The nave is separated from the aisles by five arches with contrasting red and yellow stonework supported by columns ending in Corinthian
capitals decorated with acanthus leaves of 13th century design. Bomb damage inflicted in December 1940 still remains. In old photographs, contrasting geometric patterns can be seen on the brickwork between the arches, but these are now painted white. Separating the nave from the chancel is the arch again constructed from contrasting red and yellow stonework. The roof trusses are wooden.
The aisles contain windows based on 13th century geometric designs. These developed from earlier narrow lancet window
s.
The south aisle contains the war memorial to the pupils of Wellesbourne House School killed in the two world wars. Wellesbourne House School was situated to the rear and left of Holy Souls R.C. Church on Warwick Road.
The pulpit
is on the right, but was originally on the opposite side. At 8.20 pm on 10 December 1940, a bomb landed in the nave, in front of the lectern, destroying the east window and all the other stained glass in the church. A confirmation class had recently gone to the cellar of the vicarage, then situated in what is now St Mary's Close. Revd. Philip Kelly collected the pieces and gave them to the art gallery for safekeeping. The bomb destroyed the roof and many internal features, although the structure was unaffected. The walls of the nave were raised to reduce the pitch of the roof, which had made repairs difficult and larger clerestory windows replaced the original roundels. The new glass was not stained but clear so the church is now lighter.
s bearing stiff leaf decoration.
The altar is on steps of Devon
shire marble installed in 1898. The reredos
, the carved screen behind the altar, is of alabaster and was installed in 1903. The north wing of which was given by Revd. James Balleine and the south wing by Dr. and Mrs. Cordley Bradford. The stained glass in the east window is from a design by Sir Edward Burne-Jones
. It was erected in memory of Revd. Frederick Swinburn, first vicar of St Mary's, in 1895 by his wife and son.
or Corpse gate. Historically, at the lychgate, the coffin was rested on a wooden or stone table while the priest said part of the burial service. It bears the carved legend: Enter into his altar with thanksgiving.
The graveyard contains some interesting memorials to the Victorian parish population, particularly those on the west side of the graveyard, which faces Warwick Road. Of the tombs here is that of Charles Rabone who lived at Stockfield House, a large house which occupied the site just above where Douglas Road joins Stockfield Road, now occupied by a Bingo Hall. The 1881 census records him as a farmer and malster, farming 133 acre (0.53823238 km²) and employing six men. Here also is the grave of Dr. Cordley Bradford, churchwarden for 25 years who died on 8 December 1931, aged 82, and that of Thomas Kiss, a grocer on the Warwick Road.
The large granite column surmounted by an urn with funereal draperies is to Emily Palmer, wife of Thomas Palmer, who died in 1885 aged 35. Thomas died three years later aged 42.
There are also four Commonwealth War Graves Commission
graves; each marked by the distinctive, simple and dignified headstone, to casualties of World War II in the cemetery.
. He was the 26 year old son of William Frederick and Ethel Victoria Helm, of Acocks Green, and husband of Betsy May Helm, of Elmdon Heath
. He was the 20 year old son of Frederick and Elsie Gwendola Priest, of Acocks Green. His elder brother Alfred Lewis Priest, had also died on service the previous year.
. He was the 24 year old son of David and L. Rew, of 266, Wharfdale Rd., Tyseley, Birmingham. He died on 24/02/1919.
.
He was born in 1894 and died of wounds on 3 November 1918. He was the sixth son of Frank Wright, a button maker, and Alice Wright. He originally arrived in France on 2 March 1915 as a Lieutenant and was made Captain on 1 June 1916. He was wounded at Vermelles
on 13 October 1915 during the attacks made by the Territorial Battalions of the North and South Staffordshire Regt. as part of the Battle of Loos
.
A medical report shows that he was wounded in three places:
These wounds were classed as 'Severe' but did not attract a gratuity.
He attended various medical boards whilst recuperating at home, and, although the head and arm wounds healed quickly, his leg did not, and was always weak. On 30 June 1917, a medical board declared him to be unfit for general service, as he could not march for long. He was, however, considered to be fit for duties behind the lines and was appointed as a Railway Transport Officer on 19 July 1917, before being returned to France.
During the early morning of 11 August 1918, he was on duty at Heilly Station near Amiens
supervising the loading of mules onto a train when one escaped, and in attempting to avoid it he fell into a 6 feet (1.8 m) disused gun-pit. He suffered a contusion of his right thigh with haemorrhage of lissures. He returned to England on the St Patrick travelling from Rouen to Southampton and returned home.
He subsequently died of pneumonia
at Scarborough on 3 November 1918, widowing Mrs. Marjorie Claire Wright of Westleigh, Acocks Green. She was sent a gratuity and backdated pay of £333.5s.0d. and, on 20 February 1920 received the memorial scroll and plaque for those who died.
It was replaced in 1950 by a Compton whose specification can be found here on the National Pipe Organ Register.
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
in Acocks Green
Acocks Green
Acocks Green is an area and ward of south Birmingham, England. It is named after the Acock family who built a large house in the area in 1370. Acocks Green is one of the four wards making up Yardley formal district...
, 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.
Background
For centuries, Acocks Green was part of the Parish of YardleyYardley, Birmingham
Yardley is an area in east Birmingham, England. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee.Birmingham Yardley is a constituency and its Member of Parliament is John Hemming.-Features:...
, however the population had expanded throughout the 19th century, with the middle classes moving out of the town, and demand came for a separate parish church. The church was the outcome of meetings of local people in 1864. The site was given by Yardley Charity Trustees, and John Field Swinburn gave an endowment of £1,000, equivalent to £51,500 today. The foundation stone was laid on 13 October 1864 and, on 17 October 1866, a portion of the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and two aisles were consecrated. A 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...
was created in 1867.
The church, designed in 1864 by J. G. Bland,http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22976 was originally to have a tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
and spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
which would have been sited at the southwest corner.
In 1894, the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, designed by J. A. Chatwin
J. A. Chatwin
J. A. Chatwin FRIBA, RBS, FSAScot , was a designer of buildings and the most prolific architect involved with the building and modification of churches in Birmingham, England, building or altering many of the parish churches in the city. He used both the Gothic and Classical styles...
, was added. Despite this, the church still lacked the north and south transepts, Lady chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
, choir vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
and tower of the original design, as it still does today.
Photographs of the original church show that it had a much steeper roof pitch than today and roundel
Roundel
A roundel in heraldry is a disc; the term is also commonly used to refer to a type of national insignia used on military aircraft, generally circular in shape and usually comprising concentric rings of different colours.-Heraldry:...
windows above the aisles.
Plan of the church
St Mary's Church has a typical three-cell arrangement of naveNave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
and sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
. In common with Christian practice, it is aligned to face east. Although Victorian in age, it is built in Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style of the Early English period with buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es in a 13th century pattern.http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=22976
St Mary's consists of the nave, the main body of the church with aisles to the north and south, a chancel, the area where the choir sit, the sanctuary containing the altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
, and a vestry. The church is entered by way of the porch on the north wall. The doors have wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
work resembling a 13th century design.
Nave
Beneath the rose window on the west wall, there is a memorial to John Field Swinburn, the church benefactor.The nave is separated from the aisles by five arches with contrasting red and yellow stonework supported by columns ending in Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
capitals decorated with acanthus leaves of 13th century design. Bomb damage inflicted in December 1940 still remains. In old photographs, contrasting geometric patterns can be seen on the brickwork between the arches, but these are now painted white. Separating the nave from the chancel is the arch again constructed from contrasting red and yellow stonework. The roof trusses are wooden.
The aisles contain windows based on 13th century geometric designs. These developed from earlier narrow lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s.
The south aisle contains the war memorial to the pupils of Wellesbourne House School killed in the two world wars. Wellesbourne House School was situated to the rear and left of Holy Souls R.C. Church on Warwick Road.
The pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
is on the right, but was originally on the opposite side. At 8.20 pm on 10 December 1940, a bomb landed in the nave, in front of the lectern, destroying the east window and all the other stained glass in the church. A confirmation class had recently gone to the cellar of the vicarage, then situated in what is now St Mary's Close. Revd. Philip Kelly collected the pieces and gave them to the art gallery for safekeeping. The bomb destroyed the roof and many internal features, although the structure was unaffected. The walls of the nave were raised to reduce the pitch of the roof, which had made repairs difficult and larger clerestory windows replaced the original roundels. The new glass was not stained but clear so the church is now lighter.
Chancel
The chancel has a wooden barrel vaulted ceiling, the trusses supported by corbelCorbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s bearing stiff leaf decoration.
The altar is on steps of Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
shire marble installed in 1898. The reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
, the carved screen behind the altar, is of alabaster and was installed in 1903. The north wing of which was given by Revd. James Balleine and the south wing by Dr. and Mrs. Cordley Bradford. The stained glass in the east window is from a design by Sir Edward Burne-Jones
Edward Burne-Jones
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet was a British artist and designer closely associated with the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, who worked closely with William Morris on a wide range of decorative arts as a founding partner in Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, and Company...
. It was erected in memory of Revd. Frederick Swinburn, first vicar of St Mary's, in 1895 by his wife and son.
Vicars
- 1867-1890 Frederick Thomas Swinburn, D.D.
- 1890-1907 James Alexander Balleine, M.A.
- 1907-1913 Llewellyn Theodore Dodd, M.A.
- 1913-1919 Percy Edward Lord, M.A.
- 1919-1925 Reginald William Dawson Stephenson, M.A.
- 1925-1931 George Herbert Harris, M.A.
- 1931-1953 Philip James Kelly, M.A.
- 1953-1970 Charles Herbert Iball, B.A.
- 1970-1979 Bert Tabraham
- 1980-1986 Joe Evans
- 1986-2002 Rev Canon Richard Postill
- 2002-2003 Interregnum
- 2003- Revd. Andrew Bullock
Churchyard memorials
The churchyard is entered from the Warwick Road by way of a lychgateLychgate
A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, or as two separate words lych gate, is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard.-Name:...
or Corpse gate. Historically, at the lychgate, the coffin was rested on a wooden or stone table while the priest said part of the burial service. It bears the carved legend: Enter into his altar with thanksgiving.
The graveyard contains some interesting memorials to the Victorian parish population, particularly those on the west side of the graveyard, which faces Warwick Road. Of the tombs here is that of Charles Rabone who lived at Stockfield House, a large house which occupied the site just above where Douglas Road joins Stockfield Road, now occupied by a Bingo Hall. The 1881 census records him as a farmer and malster, farming 133 acre (0.53823238 km²) and employing six men. Here also is the grave of Dr. Cordley Bradford, churchwarden for 25 years who died on 8 December 1931, aged 82, and that of Thomas Kiss, a grocer on the Warwick Road.
The large granite column surmounted by an urn with funereal draperies is to Emily Palmer, wife of Thomas Palmer, who died in 1885 aged 35. Thomas died three years later aged 42.
There are also four Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
graves; each marked by the distinctive, simple and dignified headstone, to casualties of World War II in the cemetery.
Sydney Basil Barber
In the north part of the cemetery is the grave of Sydney Basil Barber, Sergeant (Flt. Engr.) Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve serving with 460 (R.A.A.F.) Sqdn. He was the 35 year old son of Annie Barber; husband of Gladys May Barber, of Acock's Green, Birmingham, who died on 09/04/1944.Gordon Grant Helm
On the south side, there is the grave of Staff Sgt. Gordon Grant Helm, Royal Army Pay CorpsRoyal Army Pay Corps
The Royal Army Pay Corps was a former corps of the British Army responsible for administering all financial matters. It was amalgamated into the Adjutant General's Corps in 1992....
. He was the 26 year old son of William Frederick and Ethel Victoria Helm, of Acocks Green, and husband of Betsy May Helm, of Elmdon Heath
Vernon Leslie Priest
On the north side, is the grave of Aircraftman 1st Class, Vernon Leslie Priest, Royal Air Force Volunteer ReserveRoyal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve consists of a number of groupings of individual military reservists for the management and operation of the Royal Air Force's Air Training Corps and CCF Air Cadet formations, Volunteer Gliding Squadrons , Air Experience Flights, and also to form the...
. He was the 20 year old son of Frederick and Elsie Gwendola Priest, of Acocks Green. His elder brother Alfred Lewis Priest, had also died on service the previous year.
Albert Thomas Rew
In the west side is the grave of Lance Corporal Albert Thomas Rew of D Coy. 4th Bn, Royal Sussex RegimentRoyal Sussex Regiment
The Royal Sussex Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed as part of the Childers reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th Regiment of Foot and the 107th Regiment of Foot...
. He was the 24 year old son of David and L. Rew, of 266, Wharfdale Rd., Tyseley, Birmingham. He died on 24/02/1919.
Wilfred Eric Wright
Also on the west side of the churchyard is the grave of Captain Wilfred Eric Wright, 5th Btn South Staffordshire Regt. who, though listed on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission site, lies beneath a private memorial with a stone cross bearing the Regimental badge of South Staffordshire RegimentSouth Staffordshire Regiment
The South Staffordshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 38th Regiment of Foot and the 80th Regiment of Foot. In 1959 the regiment was amlagamated with the North Staffordshire Regiment to form the Staffordshire Regiment...
.
He was born in 1894 and died of wounds on 3 November 1918. He was the sixth son of Frank Wright, a button maker, and Alice Wright. He originally arrived in France on 2 March 1915 as a Lieutenant and was made Captain on 1 June 1916. He was wounded at Vermelles
Vermelles
Vermelles is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:A ex-coalmining town, Vermelles is situated southeast of Béthune and southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D39, D75 and D943 roads and by the banks of the river...
on 13 October 1915 during the attacks made by the Territorial Battalions of the North and South Staffordshire Regt. as part of the Battle of Loos
Battle of Loos
The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 during World War I. It marked the first time the British used poison gas during the war, and is also famous for the fact that it witnessed the first large-scale use of 'new' or Kitchener's Army...
.
A medical report shows that he was wounded in three places:
- A superficial wound to the left front of his head and ear
- A flesh wound of the left forearm
- A wound of the left leg the bullet passing through the calf.
These wounds were classed as 'Severe' but did not attract a gratuity.
He attended various medical boards whilst recuperating at home, and, although the head and arm wounds healed quickly, his leg did not, and was always weak. On 30 June 1917, a medical board declared him to be unfit for general service, as he could not march for long. He was, however, considered to be fit for duties behind the lines and was appointed as a Railway Transport Officer on 19 July 1917, before being returned to France.
During the early morning of 11 August 1918, he was on duty at Heilly Station near Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
supervising the loading of mules onto a train when one escaped, and in attempting to avoid it he fell into a 6 feet (1.8 m) disused gun-pit. He suffered a contusion of his right thigh with haemorrhage of lissures. He returned to England on the St Patrick travelling from Rouen to Southampton and returned home.
He subsequently died of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
at Scarborough on 3 November 1918, widowing Mrs. Marjorie Claire Wright of Westleigh, Acocks Green. She was sent a gratuity and backdated pay of £333.5s.0d. and, on 20 February 1920 received the memorial scroll and plaque for those who died.
Organ
The original organ by Nicholson in 1905 was damaged in the Second World War; its specifications can be found here on the National Pipe Organ Register.It was replaced in 1950 by a Compton whose specification can be found here on the National Pipe Organ Register.
List of organists
- Arthur Elmore 1906 - 1932 (formerly organist of St. Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham)
Sources
- 'Religious History: Churches built since 1800', A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 7: The City of Birmingham (1964), para 93. St, Mary the Virgin, Acock's Green pp. 379-396.
- Acocks Green, the archive photographs series, Compiled by Michael Byrne. Chalford Publishing 1997 ISBN 0 7524 1039 3
- Acocks Green, "Yesterdays Warwickshire Series No 8", John Marks ISBN 0 946245 63 0
- How to Study an Old Church, A. Needham, FRSA, AMC, Batsford 1944
- National Archive WO/374 Service Record of Capt. Wilfred Eric Wright