St. Augustine's Church and House

Our church is a Victorian landmark with a sumptuous interior, and stands at the centre of the Conservation Area that bears its name. Both the church and the church hall - St. Augustine's House (shown right) - are available for hire. The church hall has a very good kitchen and food preparation facilities. It can accomodate up to 40 people and may be used for meetings, parties, receptions etc.

The nave of the church can be used for larger meetings and can accomodate up to 600 comfortably. The church is also an attractive concert venue, having an excellent acoustic and a fine pipe organ. Safe parking is available around the church. Moreover, as a photogenic church, it is also popular for weddings and christenings.

The Interior of St. Augustine's Church

We work diligently to maintain the interior of our church, in order to provide a suitable place of worship and to honour and glorify God.

The new lighting scheme at St. Augustine's has been designed to accentuate the architectural features of the building and of our liturgical practice.

The Carvings at St. Augustine's Church

We are proud of the expert carvings at St. Augustine's, which are the work of John Roddis who lived between 1839 and 1887. A prominent architectural sculptor with premises on Aston Road in Birmingham, Roddis did much carving for churches, most notably St Augustine of Hippo, Edgbaston (1868); St Catherine of Sienna (1875, now demolished) Goulburn Cathedral, South Australia; and Christchurch Cathedral, New Zealand (which he died during the building of).

He also completed the exterior carving of Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery (1885, excluding the tympanum) and was responsible for a number of monuments including the Earl of Derbys tomb at Knowsley (1872) and the Augustine Memorial erected by Lord Granville on the Isle of Thanet.

He was a founder member of the Midland Arts Club and became its President in 1885. He was also a member of the Minicipal Arts Club. As well as carving the corbels shown above, he also created the reredos at St. Augustine's.

The Stained Glass Windows at St. Augustine's Church

One of the most treasured aspects of our church is our collection of Stained Glass. Please click on the numbers below to see the various windows.

The Memorials at St. Augustine's Church

There are many memorials in St. Augustine's Church, placed in memory of loved ones now departed. May they rest in peace and rise in glory!

A portland stone memorial was erected after the Great War by an unknown sculptor, the guardianship of which is held by the PCC. It lists all those men from the parish who were lost in the conflict 1914-1918 and subsequently had those men added who died in the Second World War.

The form of the memorial is tapering block of stone, on a wider base and kerb to the fore is the incription...

"IN HONOURED MEMORY

OF ALL THOSE WHO WENT

FROM THIS PARISH AND

FELL IN THE GREAT WAR

1914-1919

AND

1939-1945"

and on each of the other three sides are the lists of the fallen. At the top of the memorial, above each of the four sides, is a victory wreath of laurel, which in turn is surmounted by 4 female figures in flowing gowns, united as one, by clasping 4 further laurel wreaths, at each corner of the memorial. The whole ensemble is topped by a stone representation of the eternal flame, keeping alive the memory of these departed who made the ultimate sacrifice

"FOR GOD AND COUNTRY."