Details
997/12/35 PARK HILL B13
08-JUL-82 MOSELEY
Anglican Church of St Anne, North Boun
dary Wall and Piers
(Formerly listed as:
PARK HILL B13
MOSELEY
CHURCH OF ST ANNE)
II
An Anglican church, built in 1874, designed in a simplified Gothic style by Frederick Preedy (1820-1898). Stained glass of the mid-C20, by Camm & Co, Christopher Webb (1886-1966) and L C Evetts.
MATERIALS: The building is constructed from cream and red rock-faced sandstone, under plain clay tile roofs.
PLAN: The church is orientated north west-south east, but ritual compass points are used throughout this description. The plan has north-west tower, nave, north and south aisles, small chancel, south east vestries and polygonal west baptistery.
EXTERIOR: The exterior is mainly in red sandstone, with bands of cream stone and cream stone dressings. The six-bay building has a four-bay nave with aisles and clerestory, and a slightly lower two-bay chancel, all on a low moulded stone plinth. To the north west is a three-stage tower with corner pinnacles and a broad spire, which has gabled and traceried louvres. At the base of the tower is the main entrance: a gabled doorway with pointed arched opening, paired columns and moulded impost. The bays of the long elevations are expressed by two-stage buttresses, between which are traceried windows each of three lights above which are trefoils, quatrefoils or cinquefoils. The clerestory windows are similar but have only two main lights. The large east and west windows have more elaborate tracery.
INTERIOR: The interior has nave arcades of pointed stone arches carried on alternating circular and octagonal stone piers with moulded caps. Both piers and arches are constructed from alternating bands of cream and red sandstone. The walls are whitewashed apart from the stone window dressings. The nave roof has arch-braced trusses with collars, springing from moulded corbels. The paired clerestory windows have arched surrounds with central colonettes reminiscent of Early English style. The nave roof has arch-braced trusses springing from moulded corbels; the chancel roof has arch-braced collar-rafter trusses with king struts. The chancel floors are tile. The west baptistery houses the stone font, which is quatrefoil on plan, and has a polychrome tiled floor. The stone and marble pulpit is set at the foot of the chancel arch on its north side; the organ is housed on the south side of the chancel. The chancel has choir stalls, timber altar and altar back, which is panelled with cusped decoration. The glass throughout the building is plain with the exception of three windows. The north aisle window, dating from 1947, depicts Christ as The Good Shepherd; it was designed by Camm and Co at the Smethwick Studios. The east window shows Christ in Majesty surrounded by vignettes illustrating the four seasons, designed by Christopher Webb (1886-1966) and installed in 1956. The west window, by Professor L C Evetts, includes a celebration of the Birmingham metalworking industries. It was added in 1967.
SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: The northern boundary of the site is marked by a low, sandstone boundary wall with moulded copings, which steps down Park Hill in front of the church. It has square piers at either end, each carved with crosses, and similar piers to either side of a gateway, which has timber gates. Towards the eastern end of the boundary wall is the lych gate, a timber-framed structure set on a base of large sandstone blocks, gabled on four sides with a slate roof. It has stone benching to the interior. The entrance is carved with the inscription 'enter into his gates with thanksgiving'.
SOURCES: Nikolaus Pevsner and Alexandra Wedgwood, The Buildings of England: Warwickshire (1966), 192
History of the County of Warwick (Victoria County History), Volume 7: City of Birmingham (1964), 384
HISTORY: Moseley grew up from the 1860s as a relatively wealthy middle-class suburb of Birmingham. As the area expanded, the need for a new church was recognised. Land was donated by W F Taylor of Moseley Hall, and funds were given by another local landowner, Rebecca Anderton. The church, designed by Frederick Preedy, was completed and consecrated in 1874, as a daughter church of the parish of St Mary. A new parish was formed shortly afterwards. A choir vestry was added to the south east of the chancel in 1898, and a polygonal baptistery was added at the west end in 1923; in the same year, a church hall was added to the south of the church.
St Anne's was damaged during bombing in 1940, but restored and reconsecrated in 1948. All of the glass in the church, apart from a few fragments, was lost as a result of the blast, and the majority was replaced in plain glass. The three stained glass windows currently in the building were added at various times in the mid-C20.
REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The Anglican Church of St Anne, its lych gate, northern boundary wall and piers, are designated at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:
* The church is a robust design of 1874 by the recognised C19 architect, Frederick Preedy
* The exterior shows impressive massing, and demonstrates good detailing, showing a high degree of quality in its execution
* Its interior has good quality stonework and interesting roof structures
* Three stained glass windows of the mid-C20 are of interest, including one which celebrates sanctity of work through a depiction of the Birmingham metal trades
* The church, northern boundary wall, piers and timber-framed lych gate form a related group
Listing NGR: SP0747383640
