St Paul's Church, Hamstead

St Paul's Church, Hamstead is a Grade II listed Church of England parish church in Birmingham, England.

St Paul's Church
St. Paul's in February 2020
52°32′30.9″N 1°55′43.4″W
Location	Hamstead, Birmingham
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Website	www.stpaulshamstead.org.uk
History
Dedication	St Paul
Consecrated	29 September 1892 (1892-09-29)
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade II listed
Architect(s)	William Davis
Groundbreaking	27 July 1891
Completed	1892
Construction cost	£3,400
Specifications
Capacity	450 persons
Length	95 feet (29 m)
Width	40 feet (12 m)
Materials	Brick
Administration
Diocese	Anglican Diocese of Birmingham
Archdeaconry	Birmingham
Deanery	Handsworth
Parish	St Paul Hamstead

Location

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.

History

The mission church on an Ordnance Survey map of Staffordshire, sheet LXVIII.NE, published in 1886. It is located between Hamstead Colliery to the west and Hamstead Villa - both now also defunct - at the junctions of what are now Hamstead Road and Spouthouse Lane, and to the north of the Grand Junction Railway line and River Tame.

The church originated as a mission church in 1865, closer to Hamstead village. 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.^[1] The church was built to the designs of the architect William Davis.^[2] It comprised nave, north and south transepts, north and south aisles and a chancel. It was built of red brick with Bathstone dressings.^[2] The contractors were Harley and Son of Smethwick. It was consecrated on 29 September 1892 by Augustus Legge, the Bishop of Lichfield.^[3] Pevsner and Wedgwood (1966) describe the building as "A pleasant country church in a Dec[orated] style".^[2]

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.^[4]

References

1. "The New Church at Hamstead". Lichfield Mercury. Lichfield. 31 July 1891. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
2. Nikolaus Pevsner; Alexandra Wedgwood (1966). The Buildings of England: Warwickshire. The Buildings of England. Penguin Books. p. 181. ISBN 0-14-071031-0. OL 18937008M. Wikidata Q110888189.
3. "Consecration of St Paul's Church Hamstead". Birmingham Daily Post. Birmingham. 30 September 1892. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
4. "Hamstead War Memorial, Non Civil Parish - 1442623 | Historic England". Historic England. Retrieved 20 February 2020.