West Bromwich history

Churches and Religion

The parish church of All Saints stands at the northern end of All Saints Way, at the junction with Newton Road. The original church was Norman and dedicated to St. Clement, then later rededicated to All Saints. It was built next to an important ancient trackway on a site that had been used for worship before the Norman conquest.

In 1140 to 1145, West Bromwich was ruled by Guy de Offini, who gave the church to Worcester priory, when his son Ralph was a monk there. The led to a several disputes, which were not settled until 1181 when Worcester granted the church to Henry, the priest at Handsworth, in return for an annual pension of 5 shillings. Around 1230, Worcester granted the church to Sandwell priory in return for an annual pension of 6 marks and an undertaking to maintain the church and provide books and ornaments.

From an old postcard.

By 1336, Sandwell was providing a house for the incumbent in Hall End, which in 1526 was described as being in decay. The minister and his wife were still living at Hall End in 1611. The church was rebuilt in the 15th century by monks from Sandwell Priory. It was much larger than the original church. Parts of the tower might be slightly older, dating from the 14th century. In 1528, Thomas Cromwell, then Wolsey's servant, ordered William Wyrley, the farmer of the West Bromwich tithes, to eject the curate, John Stylband, and to replace him by William, the prior's monk. Stylband refused to go, and there was some disorder in the church when the two priests competed to say mass. In 1529 Stylband brought an action against Wyrley and the rival priest.

All Saints' Church. From an old postcard.

By 1710 it came under the control of William, Baron Dartmouth (1st Earl of Dartmouth from 1711) who had purchased the estate of Sandwell from Thomas Brome Whorwood.

Thereafter it remained with the earls of Dartmouth until 1969 when it was transferred to the bishop of Lichfield.

The minister was described as a perpetual curate by 1752. About 1758 Lord Dartmouth built a new house for the incumbent, called Churchfield House, that stood to the south-east of the church. The old house at Hall End, on the north side of Vicarage Road, became the assistant curate's house, until 1811 when it was home to the school teacher at the school in Hall End.

The church was in a poor state of repair in the 1780s and by 1786 had been completely renovated. It could then seat 1,000 people, which included 300 pews that were free to use.

There was a small ancient chapel on the south side that was used as a pew by the Earl of Dartmouth, the lay rector, who enlarged and improved the chancel and donated the organ in 1847, which cost £300.

There were formerly seven alabaster effigies in the church. In the 1850s the benefice was valued at £566, under the patronage of the Earl of Dartmouth. The incumbent was the Rev. James Spry, who was assisted by the Rev. Isaac Bickerstaff.

In 1871 the church, with the exception of the tower and the former Whorwood Chapel, was rebuilt in rock-faced sandstone with tiled roofs, by Somers Clarke the younger. It reopened in 1872. The new building was partly funded by Lord Dartmouth, Frederic and Mary Willett, Mr. and Mrs. J. N. Bagnall and the parents of Mary Willett.

It has a nave, the original 14th and 15th century tower at the west end of the south aisle, a south porch, a south vestry and a chapel, also a south aisle under a pitched roof, a chancel, a north porch and north organ chamber. On the south side of the tower, there is a sandstone sundial tablet. On the south side there is a single-storey vestry and in the east wall of the chapel is a worn plaque dated 1691. The font is from the 15th century and a chest formed from a hollowed tree is from the same period. The oak altar table in the chapel is dated 1626 and two Whorwood effigies from the 1780s were placed between the chancel and the south aisle. They are believed to be Ann who died in 1599 and her fourth son Field.

Another view of All Saints' Church. From an old postcard.

In 1553 there were four bells in the tower, which were increased to eight in 1872. The bells were recast in 1918, thanks to a legacy from George Salter. The original clock in the tower was installed in 1794 and made by Thwaite of London. It was replaced in March 1905 with a clock made by J Smith and sons, of Derby. In 1788 a Sunday school was established at the church. In 1859 the Earl of Dartmouth gave around one acre of land to enlarge the churchyard and in 1875 Lord Dartmouth gave another acre as a burial ground for Church of England parishioners only. In about 1843, Church Farm, opposite the church at the junction of Heath Lane and All Saints Street (now All Saints Way), became the assistant curate's residence and later the incumbent’s residence.

The lichgate was built in the memory of the late Mr. Jesson of Oakwood in 1874. A second lichgate was built that lead from the old churchyard to the new burial ground, built in 1878. The living became a vicarage in 1868 and under the terms of an Act of 1819, the minister had to be an Oxford or Cambridge graduate, who was to act as a lecturer. He could also be married. In 1866 the parish magazine was started by Frederic Willett, the incumbent from 1865 to 1881. In the mid 1880s there was a parochial library with 150 members.

There is a beautiful mosaic along the west wall, which is a memorial to those who lost their lives in the First World War. The church was Grade 2 listed on the 25th February, 1949. The registers which are very nearly complete, date from 1608. When Christ Church was built in the town centre in the 1820s, All Saints became known as ‘The old Church’.

Another view of the church. From an old postcard.

Frederic Willett believed that everyone in the congregation should live within half a mile of All Saints’ Church, but the town centre, and the main centre of local population, developed at the southern end of the parish, three quarters of a mile or more, away. To overcome this problem, he planned the building of several mission churches. The first to open was Christ Church, in High Street. Others that followed included Holy Trinity, in Burlington Road; St. James's, at Hill Top; St. Michael's, in John Street; St. Andrew's, in Old Meeting Street; St. Michael's, in Frederick Street (later called St. Chad’s); St. Mary the Virgin, in Jowett’s Lane, Hateley Heath; and St. Mary Magdalene, in Cottrell Street.

Christ Church

Building work began in 1821 when the first stone was laid by Lord Dartmouth on the 25th September.

In 1822 things went wrong when the builder became bankrupt. Christ Church ecclesiastical parish was finally formed on the 24th February, 1827 and the church was consecrated in January, 1829.

It was built of brick, cased in Tixall stone, in the Later English style and designed by Francis Goodwin at a cost of £20,400. It consisted of a chancel, a nave, aisles, and a western tower with pinnacles, a clock and 2 bells.

Nearly three-quarters of the cost of the building came from a government grant, with the remainder coming from private subscribers.

Half of the minister’s income was provided by the Stanley Trust. The appointment of the minister was shared by Lord Dartmouth and the trust. Lord Dartmouth provided a residence for the minister called Coopers Hill House, in Beeches Road, next to Dartmouth Park.

The church building was restored in 1858, 1876 and 1882 because of damage caused by mining subsidence.

From an old postcard.

A new pulpit was installed in 1911 and the Lady chapel at the end of the north aisle was constructed in 1917.

A new pulpit was installed in 1911 and the Lady chapel at the end of the north aisle was constructed in 1917. There were originally only two bells in the tower until 1847 when eight more were added, followed by two more in 1850. In 1954 they were recast and the number was reduced to eight. Lime trees were planted along the churchyard walks in 1880.

In the early 1970s the congregation dwindled due to people moving further afield when slum properties were demolished.

By 1974, fewer than 20 people attended the church, which closed 1975. The building had to be demolished in 1979 after being destroyed by a fire on the 23rd October 1979.

During its lifetime the church opened several churches and missions including a mission house in Twenty House Row, Ault Street; St. John's Church, in Sams Lane; St. Philip's Church in Beeches Road, which began as a mission room in Pitt Street; and St. Mark's Church in Duke Street.

The approach to Christ Church was a quiet oasis beside the noisy main road.

Holy Trinity Church

Holy Trinity Church was built in 1841 in Trinity Street at a cost of just over £3,000 raised by grants and subscriptions including £300 given by George Salter and £200 given by William Chance. The site was given by George Silvester. In 1844 a vicarage was built on part of the site. The church, designed by S. W. Dawkes is built of brick in Early English style and consists of a chancel, a nave with galleries on three sides, a west tower and a small north porch near the east end. Porches were later added to either side of the tower. The chancel burnt down in 1861 but was quickly rebuilt. The church stands in a walled churchyard with streets on three sides and the vicarage on the fourth.

St. James's Church

St. James's Church, Hill Top, was built in 1842 and designed by Robert Ebbles. The land for the building of the church was given by Joseph Hateley of Walsall, in 1840. It was built of brick in the Perpendicular style with two open turrets at the west end. Subscribers towards the cost of the building included Lord Dartmouth and James Bagnall. The interior consisted of a shallow sanctuary, aisles and a larger sanctuary created by the arrangement of the seating etc. Originally there were galleries on three sides, but the north and south galleries were removed in 1904. The church was consecrated in 1844. The church could seat around 1,000 people, half of them for free. The organ which cost £300 was provided by James Bagnall. The First incumbent was the Rev Francis Parker Sockett, who stayed until 1868.

A south west tower was added in 1890 to house the bell, which had previously hung in a bellcot at the east end of the church. Also in 1890 the façade was pointed in Portland cement and the vestry enlarged. In 1892 the pews were replaced by chairs and a pulpit and an eagle lectern were added. In the late 1960s a modern organ was installed. A house on the corner of New Street was acquired as a vicarage in 1891 and continued in use until a new vicarage was built in 1963.

By the 1970s the church was in a bad state of repair. The work required was unaffordable by the parish and so it was decided to move into the church hall, next door. The last service in the old church was held on the 28th April, 1986. The old church was demolished in November 1989 and construction of a new church began in 1994. The new church was consecrated on the 4th February 1995 by the bishop of Lichfield.

St. James's Church.

St. Michael and All Angels Church

St. Michael and All Angels Church began as the wooden mission chapel of St. Michael, that was built in Bull Lane in 1872. It was originally part of the parish of All Saints, until the new parish of St. Andrew was founded in 1879. The Church was designed by Wood & Kendrick of West Bromwich and consisted of a chancel, a nave, a sacristy, a baptistery, a choir vestry and a school room. It was mainly funded by Henry Jesson, who was the curate in charge of that part of St. Andrew's parish. At the time he was a forge manager at an iron works. The church was consecrated in 1881. In 1911 the parish was abolished and so the church returned to St. Andrew's parish. The church closed in 1953 and was demolished in the early 1970s.

St. Philip’s Church

St. Philip’s Church in Beeches Road began in 1874 as St. Philip's Mission Room, in Pitt Street. It was in the parish of Christ Church and housed in a former oil warehouse. The original St. Philip's Church in Beeches Road, which was consecrated in 1892, was funded by Lord Dartmouth. In 1898 the present church was built next door. It is of red brick with terracotta dressings in a Gothic style, designed by Wood & Kendrick. Originally it consisted of a nave, aisles, a morning chapel and vestries. It was extended in 1913 to 1914 with the addition of a chancel, a lady chapel and new vestries. It was Grade 2 listed on the 2nd July, 2001. The parish of St. Philip was founded in 1900. The original church became Mayers Green School and is now King George V Primary School.

St. Philip's Church in 1938.

St. Paul’s Church

St. Paul’s Church in Bagnall Street, Golds Hill, began life as a result of the opening of a mission room, in part of John Bagnall & Sons Ironworks at Golds Hill, in 1853. It came under the parish of St. James and was run by the works' chaplain. In 1855 a school opened at the works, which was used as a chapel on Sundays. The building was designed by S. W. Dawkes and by 1868 became known as Golds Hill Iron Works Episcopal Chapel. St. Paul’s Church was built in Bagnall Street in 1881 to 1882 to replace the chapel.

The church is built of brick with stone dressings and consist of a chancel, a transept, a vestry, a nave with a porch and a bellcot, with a bell over the junction of the chancel and the nave. The furnishings and part of the structure came from a chapel that had been built at John Bagnall & Sons Ironworks at Capponfield, Bilston, in the 1850s, for the factory workers. When it closed, the vicar of St. James's Church, bought the building, and much of it was transported to St. Paul's Church, which was consecrated in 1886. The church contains a window that had been purchased by the workers at Capponfield in 1854, as a present to the Bagnall family for building the Capponfield chapel. It depicts the Bagnall family’s coat of arms and a symbol of the Lichfield Diocese. There is also a memorial giving the names of local people who served in the armed forces in the First World War and returned afterwards.

The parish of St. Paul was founded in 1887 and a vicarage was built next to the church in 1892, followed in 1898 by a parish hall. In 1889 a mission room was opened in Brickhouse Lane, replaced by a new mission room in 1892, dedicated to St. Mary. In 1935 it was leased to Steel Parts Limited and sold to the firm in 1937. The church hall was sold in 2000 to raise funds for improvements to the church.

St. Andrew’s Church

St. Andrew’s Church, in Dudley Street, Carter’s Green, began life as a mission church in Old Meeting Street, which opened in 1867. The church was built on land given by Thomas Jesson and was initially used as both a mission church and a National school, until 1877, when it ceased to be a school. It was a plain brick building designed by Somers Clarke the younger. In 1879, St. Andrew’s a parish was formed and in 1894 a vicarage, designed by Wood & Kendrick of West Bromwich was built in Old Meeting Street.

A new St. Andrew’s Church in Dudley Street, was designed by Wood & Kendrick. Building work began in 1915, but little was done until after the First World War. The foundation stone was laid in 1922 and the first part of the building was completed in 1924. It was consecrated in 1925 and finally completed in 1940, when two bays and a baptistry had been added. The completed church was consecrated on the 21st January, 1940.

In 1982, a social area and a kitchen were added, along with a coffee lounge in 1998. In 1988 a formal sharing agreement was made with Swan Village Methodist Church, which had shared in joint services with St. Andrew’s Church for many years. Funds from both churches were used to build the extension at St. Andrew’s, including an upstairs meetings room.

St. Andrew’s Church.

St. Peter’s Church

In the 1840s it was felt that there was a need for a church at Greets Green, which was in Christ Church parish. Initially services were held in a small rented room, but it was some time before enough money could be raised for the building of a church. Work on St. Peter’s Church in Whitehall Road began in 1857. It was designed by Johnson & Son of Lichfield and is built of stone in a Decorated style. It consists of a chancel, an aisled and clerestoried nave with a south porch and a west tower. It was consecrated in 1858 and has a graveyard which was extended in 1881, 1882, and 1891. In the 1880s there was a vicarage in Old Meeting Street, but by the mid 1890s the vicar was living in Fisher Street. A new vicarage in Whitehall Road was completed in 1898, which was largely paid for by Henry Jesson, the vicar from 1893 until 1910.

In the 1850s there were fifteen chapels of other denominations:

Roman Catholic:
The Church of St. Michael, in High Street, built in 1832 in Early English style.

Wesleyan:
High Street, built in 1835, at a cost of £3,500, seating 1,700 people.
Hill Top, built in 1850, at a cost of £3,000, seating 900 people.
Swan Village, built at the cost of £720.
Spon lane, built in 1840, at a cost of £1,000.
Greets Green built in 1834, at a cost of £400.
Lyndon, built in 1835, at a cost of £450.

The New Connexion Methodists had a chapel in Swan Village, built in 1851.
The Primitive Methodists had chapels at Gold’s Green, Swan Village, Whitton Lane and Queen Street.

There were three Independent chapels:
Ebenezer Chapel at Carter’s Green, built in 1839, seating 900 people.
Mare’s Green Chapel, built in 1808.
Salem Chapel in Sheepwash Lane, built in 1839.

There is also a modern Roman Catholic Church in Stone Cross:
The Holy Cross Church, Hall Green Road, Stone Cross, which dates from the 1960s.


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