The Churches of Britain and Ireland

Kings Heath, Birmingham

Kings Heath on Wikipedia.
 

All Saints, on Vicarage Road. From an old postcard in Steve Bulman's Collection. Another old postcard, this one from Reg Dosell's Collection. Two modern views, both from Streetview in 2019 - 1, 2. SP 0731 8167. Link. History page. Grade II listed, wherein it's dated to 1859-60, with spire added in 1866, all by Preedy. The churchyard war memorial is also listed as grade II.

There are two Christadelphian Halls in Kings Heath. The first, Kings Heath Christadelphian Church, is on Institute Road at SP 0755 8174. It has evidently been re-built (or re-fronted) in recent years - Streetviews from 2011 and 2022. Link. The second, originally in a different circuit, is the Christadelphian Meeting Room (2022 Streetview), on Alcester Road at SP 0740 8060. Link.

Hazelwell Church (CoE and Methodist) on Vicarage Road, as seen by Streetview in 2022. The earliest available map to show it is (perhaps) the 1" of 1959. I say perhaps because the map shows the church symbol a little too far north of its real position. SP 0626 8094. Link1. Link2.

Hope Chapel used to stand on the west side of High Street at SP 0738 8220. It's mentioned here as a Seventh-day Adventist Chapel, later Hope Chapel. Already standing when the adjacent Kings Heath Library was built (opened 1906), "The congregation remained there for fifty years". It was eventually demolished to make way for an extension to the library. Link. The grade II listing for the library says "In March 1974 the council bought the site of the Hope Chapel, immediately to the south, and built an extension......", implying that it had been demolished by then. Its site (it stood a little way behind the brick-built wall) was seen by Streetview in 2022.

Kings Heath Mosque (2022 Streetview) is on Station Road at SP 0711 8201. It occupies two terraced houses. Link.

Kings Heath National Spiritualist Church is on Springfield Road, and was seen by Streetview in 2021. SP 0769 8202. Link.

Kingsway Evangelical Church (2019 Streetview) is on Highbury Road at SP 0708 8160. Link1. Link2.

Kings Heath had Primitive, Wesleyan and United Methodist Churches. The Primitive stood on Vicarage Road at SP 0633 8091. This source says it was registered in 1901 and closed in 1937. A map of 1904 labels it as Mission Hall. In this 2022 Streetview the chapel would have stood near the red car in the background; the brick path appears to be the same as one shown on the 25" map of 1904 leading to the chapel.
The United Methodist Chapel stood on Addison Road at SP 0764 8150. It's described in the source already given as a wooden building, registered in 1927, and having been built on the site of a Bible Christian predecessor, built by 1908. Somewhat confusingly, another source say
s "In August 1992 Addison Road Methodist Church closed after 80 years", i.e. commencing in 1912. After demolition the site remained undeveloped (2016 Streetview), but two houses had gone up by 2018 (Streetview).
Cambridge Road Methodist Church (2021 Streetview), which stands at the junction of Cambridge Road and School Road, was originally Wesleyan. SP 0769 8212. Link. History page, which dates it to 1896-8, on the site of (or incorporating) the earlier church of 1887.
Standing a short walk away from the P.M. Chapel on Vicarage Road was a Wesleyan Mission Hall on Kings Road at SP 0642 8097. Pre-dating a map of 1903 it had gone by 1913 when it had been replaced by the two houses either side of the satellite dish seen here in a Streetview from 2022. It was the predecessor of Hazelwell Wesleyan Methodist Chapel which stood on Vicarage Road at SP 0650 8104. This source dates it to 1910, and a map of 1959 shows it still in active use. Since demolished, the  housing built on the site was seen by Streetview in 2008.

New Life Baptist Church on High Street, as seen by Streetview in 2021. SP 0738 8194. Link. History page, from which we learn that the present church resulted from the amalgamation with Billesley Baptist (for which see the Assemblies of the First Born entry in the Billesley section of the Birmingham page) in 2008. In 1991 there had been another amalgamation with Moseley Baptist (for which see the Calvary Church of God in Christ entry in the Moseley section of the Birmingham page). The first chapel on the present site was the "Little Chapel" of 1815, replaced in 1872 and again in 1897.

Three Roman Catholic churches have existed in succession in Kings Heath. The earliest was a tin tabernacle of 1896 on Station Road at its junction with Westfield Road. It was destroyed by bombing in WWII (1941, Good Friday, ironically). The housing built on its site was seen by Streetview in 2014. SP 0711 8204. The next permanent church was built on Kingsfield Road, opening in 1953, and now serves as St. Dunstan's Community Centre (2011 Streetview), but was previously St. Dunstan's church hall. SP 0748 8167. The present St. Dunstan (2015 Streetview) of 1966-8 also stands on Kingsfield Road at SP 0743 8166. Link. A good history page. Grade II listed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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29 January 2024

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