Christ Church, Birmingham

Christ Church, Birmingham

Christ Church, now demolished
52°28′47″N 1°54′07″W / 52.4798°N 1.9020°W / 52.4798; -1.9020Coordinates: 52°28′47″N 1°54′07″W / 52.4798°N 1.9020°W / 52.4798; -1.9020
Location Birmingham
Country England
Denomination Church of England
Architecture
Architect(s)
  • William Hollins
  • Charles Norton
Groundbreaking 1805
Completed 1813 (1813)
Construction cost £26,000
Closed 1897
Demolished 1899 (1899)
Specifications
Length 140 feet (43 m)
Width 71 feet (22 m)
Christ Church can be seen in the centre of this print of 1886 between the Town Hall and the Council House

Christ Church, Birmingham, was a parish church in the Church of England on Colmore Row, Birmingham from 1805 to 1899.

History

Christ Church viewed from St Phillip's in a painting by Samuel Lines, 1821
Foundation stone, now in St Agatha's Church, Sparkbrook

The church was built by public subscription. The site was donated by William Phillips Ing.[1] The foundation stone was laid on 22 July 1805 by George Legge, 3rd Earl of Dartmouth.[1] The Earl of Dartmouth was representing King George III, who had personally intended to lay the foundation stone, but was prevented from doing so by illness. The King gave £1,000[1] (equivalent to £73,184 in 2015)[2] towards the construction.[3] The final cost was £26,000.[1]

It was consecrated on 6 July 1813 by James Cornwallis, 4th Earl Cornwallis, the Bishop of Lichfield.[1] It was unusual in that all of the seating on the ground floor was free,[1] and it came to be known as the 'Free Church'.

It was built in stone in the Classical style with Doric columns dominating the west front. The square west tower, completed in 1814, supported an octagonal belfry and an octagonal spire. The catacombs beneath the church were believed to contain the re-interred remains of John Baskerville.[1]

The parish was assigned from St Martin in the Bull Ring and St. Philips' Church in 1865.

The building and site were sold in 1897, and money being used to build St Agatha's Church, Sparkbrook. The church was demolished in 1899. Part of the parish was given to St Barnabas' Church, Birmingham.

Organ

An organ was installed by Thomas Elliot, of London.[4]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Christ Church, Birmingham.
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dent, Robert Kirkup (1894). The Making of Birmingham: Being a History of the Rise and Growth of the Midland Metropolis. David. p. 278+. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  2. UK CPI inflation numbers based on data available from Gregory Clark (2016), "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)" MeasuringWorth.
  3. An historical and descriptive sketch of Birmingham: with some account of its environs, and forty-four view of the principal public buildings. Beilby, Knott, and Beilby, 1830
  4. A Description of Modern Birmingham. Charles Pye. Echo Library, 31 Mar 2007
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