St Stephen the Martyr's Church, Newtown Row is a former Church of England parish church in Birmingham.
| St Stephen the Martyr’s Church, Newtown Row | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 52°29′42.6″N 1°53′43.5″W / 52.495167°N 1.895417°W | |
| Location | Birmingham |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Stephen |
| Consecrated | 24 July 1844 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Richard Cromwell Carpenter |
| Style | Early English Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | 27 September 1842 |
| Completed | 1844 |
| Construction cost | £3,200 |
| Closed | 1950 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 1,150 people |
History edit
The church was funded by the governors of King Edward's School, Birmingham and built by the Birmingham Church Building Society to designs by the architect Richard Cromwell Carpenter. It was consecrated by the Bishop of Worcester on 24 July 1844.[1]
In 1869 part of the parish was taken to form a new parish for St Nicolas' Church, Hockley.
In 1890 the vicar made liturgical changes to the service, replacing “Psalms and Hymns” with “Hymns Ancient and Modern”, put the choir in surplices, and set the church Ad orientem.[2] which caused a rift amongst some dissident members of the congregation. Some members left and formed an Evangelical Mission in Ormond Street.
A major restoration was undertaken in 1896, and the church was rebuilt in 1910 by William Bidlake.
In 1896, the parish purchased New John Street West Presbyterian church as a mission room, which two years later was consecrated as St Edward's Church, Hockley.
The church was closed in 1950 and demolished. The parish was united with that of St Mary's Church, Aston Brook. Some of the paneling was reused in Christ Church, Ward End and the altar taken to St Boniface, Quinton.[3]
Vicars edit
- John Garbett 1844 - 1848
- Stenton Eardley 1848[4] - 1854
- Patrick Reynolds 1854 - 1890
- G.H. Cameron 1890[5] - 1900 (formerly senior curate of St George's Church, Edgbaston)
- J.T. Jones 1900[6] - 1907 (afterwards vicar of Holy Trinity Church, Birchfield)
- Tom Stephenson Dennison 1907[7] - ????
- Harry Dickinson 1917[8] (killed in action during the First World War)[9]
- F.W. Chambers 1918 - 1920 (formerly vicar of St Alban's Mission Church, Cowley St John, Oxford)
- Edward Lewis Blood 1920 - 1948[10] (formerly vicar of St Margaret's Church, Ladywood)
Organ edit
On 12 September 1847, the third anniversary of the consecration of the church, a new organ by Banfield was opened.[11]
Organists edit
- William Akers Edwards 1846 - 1851[12]
- William C. Stockley 1851-1856[13] (afterwards organist of St Mary's Church, Whittall Street, Birmingham)
References edit
- ^ "Birmingham New Churches". Aris’s Birmingham Gazette. Birmingham. 22 July 1844. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
- ^ "Parochial Differences in St Stephen's Newtown Row". Aris’s Birmingham Daily Post. Birmingham. 5 January 1891. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
- ^ "St Boniface". nationalchurchestrust.org. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
- ^ "The Rev. Stenton Eardley". Aris’s Birmingham Gazette. England. 15 May 1848. Retrieved 16 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "St Stephen's Church, Birmingham". Birmingham Daily Post. England. 20 May 1890. Retrieved 16 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Ecclesiastical Intelligence". Birmingham Daily Post. England. 9 June 1900. Retrieved 16 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "New Vicar of St Stephen's". Birmingham Daily Gazette. England. 26 September 1907. Retrieved 16 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "New Vicar of St Stephen's Newtown Row". Birmingham Daily Post. England. 19 February 1917. Retrieved 16 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Chaplain Killed in Action". Birmingham Daily Gazette. England. 6 November 1917. Retrieved 16 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Obituary The Rev. E.L. Blood". Birmingham Daily Post. England. 8 January 1971. Retrieved 16 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "The sum of £29. 0s 2.5d was collected on Sunday last". Birmingham Journal. England. 18 September 1847. Retrieved 16 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "The Wardens of St Stephen's Church". Aris’s Birmingham Gazette. England. 17 February 1851. Retrieved 10 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Handford, Margaret (1992). Sounds Unlikely. Six Hundred Years of Music in Birmingham. Birmingham and Midland Institute. p. 174. ISBN 0951442473.