St Mary's from the southeast, showing the south transept
The church is set back from the main Bristol Road (A38 road) and is approached from the south by a drive, ending at a lychgate at the entrance to the churchyard.[1] There is also an entrance from the north in Lodge Hill Road.[1]
The architect Edward Holmes designed the building in a Gothic Revival interpretation of Decorated Gothic.[1][5] It is built of coursed sandstone, laid in courses of two different shades.[1][5] The walls are of brick, faced externally with Bromsgrove stone, with Bath stone used for the tracery, dressings and spire. The nave, chancel and aisle arches and columns are executed in Bath stone, the arches having Weoley Castle stone voussoirs introduced alternately with Bath stone. Bands of Weoley Castle stone run horizontally around the inside of the church.[4] The chancel roof was decorated with flowers in gold and colours, painted on a blue ground between the rafters. The north-west tower has a broach spire 150 feet (46 m) high, topped by a weathercock.
The church is cruciform, and the nave has a clerestory and north and south aisles with four-bayarcades.[5] The clerestory windows are quatrefoils set in groups of three.[6] Internally the walls are plastered, and the plastering is punctuated by horizontal bands of sandstone. In the transepts and nave the roof timbers are exposed and in the chancel they are gilded and painted in heraldic colours of red, blue, green, white and gold.
For St Mary's centenary in 1961 the interior was reordered and redecorated under the direction of the architect Stephen Dykes Bower.[7] At the same time painted, sculpted rood was removed from the chancel arch and transferred to Holy Trinity parish church, Hadley, Shropshire.[8]
1957 Michael Webster, also afterwards Reton of Claverdon
1977 John Donald Waterstreet
1990 Christopher John Aldridge
2001 Martin Vincent Roberts
2009 James David Robert Cox
2019 Hazel White
Grave and Gothic Revival monument in St Mary's churchyard of Joel and Dorcas Merrett, who died within a month of each other in 1893. Joel Merrett paid for the treble bell in the tower
Bells
At the church's consecration on 12 September 1861 the tower had one bell. Five more were added in 1864, creating a ring of six that was first rung on 29 September 1864.[17] In 1887 the parish commemorated the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria by adding two more bells, increasing them to a ring to eight that was first rung on 20 June 1887.[citation needed]
In 1922 the bells were found to be unsafe to ring, and they were silent for a decade until enough money was raised for rectification work.[citation needed] In 1932 Gillett & Johnston of Croydonre-founded all eight bells[18] and they were re-hung. The tenor (the largest bell) now weighs 12 long cwt 1 qr 17 lb (1,389 lb or 630 kg) in and is tuned to the musical note G.[18]
The Master of the Ringers for many years from the 1930s was William B. Cartwright, a local solicitor.[citation needed]
No. 1 Bell — Treble: IN MEMORIAM FILIÆ ET S. M. VICTORIÆ ANNUM QUINQUAGESIMA REGNANTIS D. D. JOEL MERRETT. (Latin for "Given by Joel Merrett in memory of a daughter and the fiftieth year of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria.")
No. 8 Bell — Tenor: + BEATUS POPULUS QUI SCIT JUBILATIONEM. (Latin for "Happy are the people who know how to rejoice.")
An organ was installed in 1862 for the opening of the church built by Halmshaw of Camp Hill.[4] In the 1870s it was moved to the south side of the chancel.[citation needed] In 1902 Nicholson and Company of Worcester rebuilt it, retaining much of the original pipework.[19] Between 1925 and 1930 it was restored by Bird of Selly Park.[19] In 1958 it was restored again, this time by Nicholson & Co, and the console was moved to the north side of the chancel.[20] Between 1925 and 1930 it was restored by Bird of Selly Park.[19] It was dedicated by the Right Reverend John Leonard Wilson, the fourth Bishop of Birmingham on 4 June 1958 at a recital by Sir George Thalben-Ball, the Birmingham City Organist.[citation needed] Sheffield Organs made further tonal improvements in 1996 and 1999.[21]
The Organist is also choirmaster and a robed choir leads the worship at the principal Sunday services. Other choral occasions include the Christmas Festival of Lessons and Carols, and a passion cantata, such as Stainer's Crucifixion, in Holy Week. There are also organ recitals and concerts.
St Mary's has a tower clock that chimes the hours and quarter hours. It was installed in 1887, the year of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. JB Joyce & Co of Whitchurch, Shropshire made the clock under the supervision of the Rev. Canon Cattley. It is made on the same principle as the clock designed by Edmund Beckett, 1st Baron Grimthorpe for the great clock at Westminster and the large clock at Worcester Cathedral. The cost was about £331 (equivalent to £50,000 in 2023),[24] and was the gift of the widow and family of the late Benjamin Walters.
The frame is cast iron, horizontal and planed. It is 6 feet (1.8 m) long, 1 foot 9 inches (0.5 m) wide and 1 foot (0.3 m) deep, and is supported by beams that are built into the tower wall to preclude vibration. The wheels are of gunmetal and the pendulum beats every 1¼ seconds.
St Mary's acoustics are considered fine, and the church has been used as a concert venue, rehearsal space and recording space. The church has frequently featured in the BBC soap operaDoctors.
