St Jude's Church, Birmingham

St Jude's Church, Birmingham was a parish church in the Church of England in Birmingham.[1]

St Jude’s Church, Birmingham
52°28′34.1″N 1°53′58.2″W
LocationBirmingham
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
History
Consecrated1851
Architecture
Architect(s)Charles W Orford
Groundbreaking1847
Completed1851
Demolished1971
Specifications
Capacity1300

History

The parish was formed in August 1846[2] from parts of the parishes of St Martin in the Bull Ring and St Philip's. Building of the church started in Hill Street in 1850 when Henry Pepys, Bishop of Worcester laid the foundation stone on 14 August. He subsequently consecrated the church on 26 July 1851.[3] The building was of brick in the Early English style designed by Orford and Nash, consisting of chancel, nave and aisles.

In 1861, the church opened St Jude's Schools, also on Hill Street.[4]

A restoration project was undertaken in 1879.

In 1905, the Society of the Precious Blood was started when Mother Millicent Mary SPB (formerly Millicent Taylor)[5] took her vows in the church.[6]

Depopulation of the city centre resulted in declining attendance. The church eventually closed and was subsequently demolished in 1971. The site on Hill Street is now occupied by the Birmingham Conference and Events Centre, built in 1975.

Organ

The church was equipped with a pipe organ by Edward James Bossward dating from 1867. It was opened on 19 May 1867 and had 13 stops. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.[7]

For over 40 years, until the church closed in 1971, the organist was Lawrence Briggs, grandfather of the organist and composer David Briggs.[8] Upon closure, the organ was transferred to Clayesmore School in Dorset, and then moved to St Michael and All Angels Church, Exeter in 2013.

References
  1. The Buildings of England. Warwickshire. Nikolaus Pevsner. Penguin Books. ISBN 0140710310 p.112
  2. "Birmingham, August 3, 1846". Aris’s Birmingham Gazette. Birmingham. 3 August 1846.
  3. "Episcopal Incomes". Staffordshire Advertiser. Staffordshire. 26 July 1851.
  4. "Opening of St Jude's Schools, Birmingham". Morning Chronicle. 19 September 1861. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  5. Calendar of Commemoration, Diocese of Oxford
  6. See Guide to the Religious Communities of the Anglican Communion, authorised by the Advisory Council on Religious Communities, published by A R Mowbray, London, 1951, pages 53-54.
  7. "NPOR [N07340]". National Pipe Organ Register. British Institute of Organ Studies. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  8. David Briggs - Biography. Accessed on 24 November 2021.
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