St Bartholomew's Church, Edgbaston, also known as Edgbaston Old Church, is a parish church

Parish church

A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....

 in the Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

 in Edgbaston

Edgbaston

Edgbaston is an area in the city of Birmingham in England. It is also a formal district, managed by its own district committee. The constituency includes the smaller Edgbaston ward and the wards of Bartley Green, Harborne and Quinton....

, Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

.

History

The Grade II listed church is medieval, but was largely rebuilt in the 19th century. The chancel, chapels and north arcade were added in 1885 by J. A. Chatwin

J. A. Chatwin

J. A. Chatwin FRIBA, RBS, FSAScot , was a designer of buildings and the most prolific architect involved with the building and modification of churches in Birmingham, England, building or altering many of the parish churches in the city. He used both the Gothic and Classical styles...

, who is buried in the churchyard. His grave monument, along with those of William Hoddinott, Jane Bellis and Catherine Chavasse is Grade II listed.

A memorial to physician and botanist Dr. William Withering

William Withering

William Withering was an English botanist, geologist, chemist, physician and the discoverer of digitalis.-Introduction:...

, who pioneered the medical use of digitalis

Digitalis

Digitalis is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennials, shrubs, and biennials that are commonly called foxgloves. This genus was traditionally placed in the figwort family Scrophulariaceae, but recent reviews of phylogenetic research have placed it in the much enlarged family...

(derived from the foxglove), is situated on the south wall of the Lady Chapel, and features carvings of foxgloves and Witheringia solanaceae, a plant named in his honour.

Bells

The tower contains a ring of eight bells, with a tenor weight of . The earliest four date from 1685. The bells are rung by the Birmingham University Society of Change Ringers during term time.

Organ

The organ was built by Norman and Beard dating from 1956. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

List of organists

• Alfred J. Silver ca. 1912
• Anthony J. Cooke ?-1964