St Paul's Church, Hamstead

St Paul's Church Hall

The church sits west of the A34 Walsall Road, near its junction with Old Walsall Road, on top of a hill overlooking the suburb of Hamstead, a former mining village, and not far from the border of Birmingham and Sandwell. At the time of the church's construction its site was part of Staffordshire. In 1928 it was incorporated into Birmingham, and thus also Warwickshire, and, from 1974, the West Midlands county.

The church's community hall sits a few yards further south along the A34.

The church originated as a mission church in 1865. Eventually funding was found for a permanent church and the foundation stone was laid on Friday 27 July 1891 by Augustus Gough-Calthorpe, 6th Baron Calthorpe[2] and built to the designs of the architect William Davis.[3] It comprised nave, north and south transepts, north and south aisles and a chancel. It was built of red brick with Bathstone dressings.[3] The contractors were Harley and Son of Smethwick. It was consecrated on 29 September 1892 by Augustus Legge, the Bishop of Lichfield.[4] Pevsner and Wedgwood (1966) describe the building as "A pleasant country church in a Dec[orated] style".[3]

In 1894 a parish was assigned with land taken from the parishes of St Mary's Church, Handsworth and St John the Evangelist's Church, Perry Barr.

Hamstead War Memorial

Hamstead War Memorial stands next to the church. Erected by public subscription in December 1920, it commemorates 22 men of the parish who died in World War I. It has the shape of a Celtic wheel-cross and is also Grade II listed.[5]