Church of the Messiah, Birmingham
| Church of the Messiah | |
|---|---|
| Former Church of the Messiah, Broad Street, Birmingham.
Former Church of the Messiah, Broad Street, Birmingham.
|
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| Location | Broad Street, Birmingham |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Unitarian |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | John Jones Bateman |
| Groundbreaking | 1860 |
| Completed | 1862 |
| Construction cost | £10,000 |
| Demolished | 1978 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 950 people |
| Length | 106 feet (32 m) |
| Width | 65 feet (20 m) |
| Height | 150 feet (46 m) |
The Church of the Messiah, Birmingham was a Unitarian church on Broad Street, Birmingham.
History
The foundation of this congregation goes back to 1692 when the first meeting house was built, the Lower Meeting House, Deritend in Birmingham. When they outgrew this in 1732, they moved into a new chapel in Moor Street. By the 1860s this was also too small so a new church was commissioned. The Moor Street chapel was sold to a Roman Catholic congregation
The church was built to designs by the architect John Jones Bateman. The foundation stone was laid on 11 August 1860 and the church opened on 1 January 1862,[1][2] at a cost of £10,000. It was unusual in that it straddled the Birmingham Canal[1] forming part of the Broad Street canal tunnel.
The Church was built by Branson and Gwyther. Articles of agreement between (1) George Branson and Edwin Gwyther both of Birmingham in the County of Warwick Builders hereinafter and in the Conditions and Specification referred to as the "Contractors" of the one part and (2) Timothy Kenrick of Edgbaston. Letters kept at Birmingham City Archives include Contract for the building of the Church of the Messiah, with specification and particulars, conditions and schedule of drawings and detailed descriptions of proposed works.
Early members of the congregation included members of the Martineau family[3] who would produce many Birmingham Lord Mayors throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.[4]
Joseph Chamberlain,[1] and his son Neville Chamberlain, prime minister (1937–1940), attended services in this church.
The church was demolished in 1978.[1] The congregational moved to a new building at Five Ways which opened on 1 September 1973.
Ministers
- John Sillitoe 1692 - 1704
- Thomas Pickard 1705 - 1747
- Samuel Bourn 1732 - 1754
- Samuel Blyth 1747 - 1791
- William Hawkes 1754 - 1780
- Joseph Priestley 1780 - 1791
- John Edwards 1791 - 1802
- David Jones 1792 - 1795
- John Kentish 1803 - 1853
- Joshua Toulmin 1804 - 1815
- James Yates 1817 - 1826
- John Reynell Wreford 1826 - 1831
- Samuel Bache 1832 - 1868
- Henry William Crosskey 1869 - 1893
- Lawrence Pearsall Jacks 1894 - 1903
- John Worsley Austin 1903 - ????
Organ
An organ was provided by Nicholson of Worcester in 1862, but by 1882 the congregation had commissioned a new one from William Hill and Son at a cost of £1571.[5] This was rebuilt by Nicholson of Worcester in 1923. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.[6]
Organists
- John Gilbert Mills ca. 1923
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Birmingham Journal - Saturday 4 January 1862
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Pipes and Actions. Laurence Elvin. 1995
- ↑ National Pipe Organ Register
