St Mary's Church, Whittall Street, Birmingham

St Mary’s was a Church of England parish church in Whittall Street, Birmingham, England.

St Mary’s Church
St Mary's in 1880, with the remodelled tower
52°29′6.2″N 1°53′46.4″W
LocationWhittall Street, Birmingham
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
History
DedicationSt Mary the Virgin
ConsecratedAugust 1774 (1774-08)
Architecture
Architect(s)Joseph Pickford
StyleNeo-classical
Completed1774
Construction cost£4,700
Closed1925 (1925)
Demolished1920s
Specifications
Capacity1,000 people
Number of spires1

History
1783 engraving, showing the original tower

St. Mary's Church, Whittall Street, was built in 1774, under an Act of 1772,[1][2] as a chapel of ease to St Martin in the Bull Ring. The building was designed by Joseph Pickford.[3] Two years after opening, part of a gallery collapsed during a service, but the incident did not result in any injuries.

In 1786 John Wesley attended a service and heard a sermon by the first incumbent Edward Burn.[4]

A parish was assigned to St. Mary's in 1841 out of St Martin in the Bull Ring.

St Mary's on the Ordnance Survey 25 inch map of 1892-1914
Memorial card to victims of the explosion at Messrs Pursall and Philips

In 1859, 15 women (of a total of 19), who had died in an explosion at Messrs Pursall and Philips Percussion Cap Manufactory, also in Whittall Street, were interred in a single vault in the church.

Structural problems were discovered in 1866 and the tower and spire were subsequently rebuilt in a Gothic style.

In 1925 the church was closed pending demolition for the expansion of Birmingham General Hospital. The parish was united with that of Bishop Ryder Church.[2] The proceeds of the sale went to build St Mary's Church, at Pype Hayes.

Its registers of baptisms (1774–1812) and burials (1779–1812) are at St. Martin's.[2] Its silver communion service is at St. Mary's, except for two flagons which are in the collection of Birmingham Assay Office.[2]

The thoroughfare at the north-west side of the site is still called St Mary's Row.

Vicars
  • John Riland ???? - 1810
  • Edward Burn 1810 - 1837
  • John Casebow Barrett 1837 - 1880
  • John Stanley Owen 1881 - 1886
  • J. Foster Pegg 1886[5] - 1892
  • Herbert Aylwin 1900 - 1905 (formerly vicar of Christ Church, Silloth)
  • H.M. Foyl 1905 - 1910
  • W.F.W. Hunter 1910 - 1925

References
  1. The History of Birmingham. William Hutton and James Guest. Rights and Webb. 1836
  2. A History of the County of Warwick. 7, the City of Birmingham. London: Victoria County History. 1964. pp. 361–379.
  3. Joseph Pickford of Derby, Edward Saunders, Sutton Publishing Ltd. 1993. p. 118
  4. W.B. Stephens (Editor) (1964). "Religious History: Churches built before 1800". A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 7: The City of Birmingham. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 16 December 2013.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  5. "The new vicar at St Mary's". Birmingham Daily Post. England. 30 April 1886. Retrieved 10 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
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