Saint Martin in the Bull Ring

Many of you will be familiar with Saint Martin in the Bull Ring, the Parish Church of Birmingham which was restored just a few years ago as part of the "Bullring" redevelopment. I had intended to post a picture of the stone font I was baptized in way back when in 1985, but it has been removed and sent to New Zealand in favour of a piece reminiscent of a fountain in shopping mall. I shall investigate further...

The original church dated from the year 1263, but much of this was replaced in 1873 under the direction of JA Chatwin, architect of the lovely Old Joint Stock pub in Birmingham.

All of the "original" (i.e. Victorian) windows were destroyed in the Birmingham Blitz of 1941, except the window in the south transept which is a beautiful Burne-Jones, William Morris produced effort. This window had been removed from the church for safe keeping the day before the bombing. The west window is a 1954 copy of the "original". The east window was replaced after the war to a new design depicting eight of Christ's miracles and some goodly Brummies in '40's garb.

The oldest elements of the current structure are the tower, the clock and chime of which were mentioned in the King's Commissioners report of 1547 and the monuments to the members of the de Bermingham family from the 1300's.

The pulpit of the church is notable for two historic events which happened in it. Dame Elizabeth Cadbury, the 1925 president of the National Council of Evangelical Free Churches, preached there. It was the first known time that a woman had spoken from a Church of England pulpit. In 1969, a sermon was preached by the Archbishop of Birmingham, Patrick Dwyer, making him the first Roman Catholic to preach in the Church of England since the protestant revolt. St Martin’s also has an outdoor pulpit on the side of the building opposite Selfridges, it is the only one of its kind in Britain.

 

 

Some external shots.

 

The unique outdoor, and historic indoor, pulpits.

 

Alabaster de Bermingham memorial from 1390.

 

Minton tiles in the choir showing the de Bermingham arms.

 

The high altar, showing the alabaster frieze of the last supper from 1874 and some of the '40's characters in the post-war east window.

 

 The Hammer Beam roof, showing the influence of Westminster Hall.

 

 The "copy" west window.

 

The Burne-Jones/William Morris south window.

http://www.bullring.org/

 

Shot on my FujiFilm Finepix S4300.

 



Hereford

Today I paid a visit to the Cathedral of Blessed Virgin Mary and St Ethelbert in Hereford.

Originally built between 1110-c.1250, the central tower was rebuilt in the first half of the 14th century. The west end of the cathedral collapsed on Easter Monday 1786, and was controversially repaired by James Wyatt, who made alterations to the original design as he had done at Durham.

As per usual, the Victorians did plenty of work!

The cathedral contains a number of medieval effigies as well as the chantry chapel of Bishop John Stanbury and the restored shrine of Saint Thomas of Hereford.

The cathedral is also home to the world famous Mappa Mundi and chained library, although I haven't got shots of either as the displays weren't open today - and anyway, piccies aren't allowed!

 

Some exterior shots, the restored west end.

 

Nicely painted vaulting.

 

View down the nave, the modern nave altar and crown are nicely made, but i don't think they "fit".

 

Roundel on the floor of the choir.

 

The high altar and reredos.

 

Reverse of the reredos.

 

A row of effigies in the south choir aisle.

 

A restored altar frontal in the Lady Chapel.

 

The altar in the Lady Chapel.

 

Polychromed effigy in the Lady Chapel.

Some remnants early decoration.

 

Stanbury chantry chapel.

 

The restored Saint Thomas of Hereford shrine.

 

http://www.herefordcathedral.org/

 

Taken on my FujiFilm Finepix S4300

Lichfield

Today I paid a visit to the beautiful Cathedral of The Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in Lichfield which was built between the years 1195 and 1340 in sandstone.

The cathedral took a real pounding during The Civil War which included the demolition of the central spire and the destruction of the stained glass windows.

Luckily much restoration work has followed since, some very shortly after (in the 1660's funded Charles II), some more recently (those industrious Victorians!).

The spirit of restoration continues to the present day which means that unfortunately I am able to post pictures of the famous Flemish glass in the Lady Chapel as they have been removed to be restored. A little about the life of the windows though; they were brought to the cathedral in 1803 to replace those that were lost in The Civil War. They had been purchased by Brooke Boothby in 1801 when the Herkenrode Abbey had been dissolved during the Napoleonic Wars, and he sold them on to the cathedral at the same price. The glass dates from the 1530's.

 

An English Altar in a war memorial chapel

 

A medieval effigy and the remains of a painting of The Holy Trinity.

 

View down the cathedral from the Lady Chapel, showing the reverse of the reredos.

 

One of a number of tiled roundels in the choir.

 

Reverse of the cathedra.

 

The high altar from the choir.

 

Hanging in the choir.

 

The Lady Chapel (note the missing stained glass).

 

 

Bishop George Selwyn memorial, just off the lady chapel.

 

Detail from an altar frontal.

 

 

Some exterior shots (note that the cathedral isn't "straight").

 

All taken on my Fujifilm Finepix S4300.

 

http://www.lichfield-cathedral.org/