St Edburgha's Church, Yardley
Encyclopedia
St Edburgha's Church is a parish church
in the Yardley
area of Birmingham
, England
. It is a Grade I listed building and a part of the Old Yardley conservation area
.
. It is dedicated to King Alfred's granddaughter, Edburgha. This is unusual in that Yardley was mentioned as being the property of Pershore Abbey in King Edgar of England
's Charter of 972.
The nave, north aisle, and Becket Chapel date to the 14th and 15th centuries. The church tower and spire date to the 1461, though the central section of the spire dates to 1898 as a result of restoration
work carried out in that year. It is believed that the church spire may have been built by the same master mason who built the church spires at Sheldon
and Kings Norton
. Inscriptions on the stonework at Sheldon give his name as Henry Ulm, it also records that the tower was built in 1461 fitting the time frame for the church spire at St Edburgha's Church. The church is 149 feet (45 m) tall. St. Edburgha's remained the only church in Yardley until Marston Chapel was consecrated in 1704.
The roof of the church above the nave was replaced between April and December 1926. Services were first held in the churchyard, however, gnat
s made this difficult so they were then moved to the parish hall.
and pomegranate
carved above the archway in celebration of the forthcoming marriage of Henry VIII
and Catherine of Aragon
.
Another feature are scraped incisions in the base of the tower. The cause of these is unknown but it is believed that they may be sharpening marks.
The clock on the side of the church tower has been replaced many times due to weathering. It was originally made of wood but it fell into a state of decay often. It also blocked a whole window on the side of the tower. Now the clock is made of metal with the window visible behind it.
On the interior wall of the church is an incised alabaster
slab of Thomas and Marion Est (d. 1462). It is heavily worn.
.
Yardley owned two bells before 1638, as noted in the 1552 inventory. It is believed that the metal from these bells was used in the manufacture of the three 1638 bells. These were the oldest bells in the tower prior to the 1950 recasting work. The next oldest bell was produced by John Martin of Worcester
in 1653. A fifth bell was added by 1691 by William Bagly and it remained as such for 200 years.
In 1892, the bells were rehung by Henry Bisseker. The sixth bell was added in 1902 and had been produced by James Barwell of Birmingham, who also produced new bearings for the bells. At the same time, the oak frame within the spire was repaired.
In 1949, it was discovered that the church tower has become infested with death watch beetle
s resulting in problems with ringing the bells. On May 1, 1949, the bells stopped ringing to allow work to begin on repairing the frame and recast the bells. The new ring of bells was dedicated by Michael Parker, the Archdeacon of Aston on September 9, 1950.
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 Yardley
Yardley, Birmingham
Yardley is an area in east Birmingham, England. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee.Birmingham Yardley is a constituency and its Member of Parliament is John Hemming.-Features:...
area of 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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is a Grade I listed building and a part of the Old Yardley conservation area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
.
History
Dating back to the 13th century, the church was constructed by Aston Church as part of the Diocese of LichfieldDiocese of Lichfield
The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England diocese in the Province of Canterbury, England. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Chad in the city of Lichfield. The diocese covers 4,516 km² The Diocese of Lichfield is a Church of England...
. It is dedicated to King Alfred's granddaughter, Edburgha. This is unusual in that Yardley was mentioned as being the property of Pershore Abbey in King Edgar of England
Edgar of England
Edgar the Peaceful, or Edgar I , also called the Peaceable, was a king of England . Edgar was the younger son of Edmund I of England.-Accession:...
's Charter of 972.
The nave, north aisle, and Becket Chapel date to the 14th and 15th centuries. The church tower and spire date to the 1461, though the central section of the spire dates to 1898 as a result of restoration
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
work carried out in that year. It is believed that the church spire may have been built by the same master mason who built the church spires at Sheldon
Sheldon, West Midlands
Sheldon is an area of eastern Birmingham in the West Midlands, England. It is close to the border with the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull and Birmingham International Airport....
and Kings Norton
Kings Norton
Kings Norton is an area of Birmingham, England. It is also a Birmingham City Council ward within the formal district of Northfield.-History:...
. Inscriptions on the stonework at Sheldon give his name as Henry Ulm, it also records that the tower was built in 1461 fitting the time frame for the church spire at St Edburgha's Church. The church is 149 feet (45 m) tall. St. Edburgha's remained the only church in Yardley until Marston Chapel was consecrated in 1704.
The roof of the church above the nave was replaced between April and December 1926. Services were first held in the churchyard, however, gnat
Gnat
A gnat is any of many species of tiny flying insects in the Dipterid suborder Nematocera, especially those in the families Mycetophilidae, Anisopodidae and Sciaridae.In British English the term applies particularly to Nematocerans of the family Culicidae...
s made this difficult so they were then moved to the parish hall.
Features
An unusual feature is the doorway on the north aisle which has the Tudor roseTudor rose
The Tudor Rose is the traditional floral heraldic emblem of England and takes its name and origins from the Tudor dynasty.-Origins:...
and pomegranate
Pomegranate
The pomegranate , Punica granatum, is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing between five and eight meters tall.Native to the area of modern day Iran, the pomegranate has been cultivated in the Caucasus since ancient times. From there it spread to Asian areas such as the Caucasus as...
carved above the archway in celebration of the forthcoming marriage of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
and Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon
Catherine of Aragon , also known as Katherine or Katharine, was Queen consort of England as the first wife of King Henry VIII of England and Princess of Wales as the wife to Arthur, Prince of Wales...
.
Another feature are scraped incisions in the base of the tower. The cause of these is unknown but it is believed that they may be sharpening marks.
The clock on the side of the church tower has been replaced many times due to weathering. It was originally made of wood but it fell into a state of decay often. It also blocked a whole window on the side of the tower. Now the clock is made of metal with the window visible behind it.
On the interior wall of the church is an incised alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
slab of Thomas and Marion Est (d. 1462). It is heavily worn.
Bells
Within the church tower are eight bells, installed in 1950 following the recasting of the six original bells and the addition of two trebles. They are hung from a frame manufactured by John Taylor Bellfounders of LoughboroughLoughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
.
Yardley owned two bells before 1638, as noted in the 1552 inventory. It is believed that the metal from these bells was used in the manufacture of the three 1638 bells. These were the oldest bells in the tower prior to the 1950 recasting work. The next oldest bell was produced by John Martin of Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
in 1653. A fifth bell was added by 1691 by William Bagly and it remained as such for 200 years.
In 1892, the bells were rehung by Henry Bisseker. The sixth bell was added in 1902 and had been produced by James Barwell of Birmingham, who also produced new bearings for the bells. At the same time, the oak frame within the spire was repaired.
In 1949, it was discovered that the church tower has become infested with death watch beetle
Death watch beetle
The death watch beetle, Xestobium rufovillosum, is a woodboring beetle. The adult beetle is long, while the xylophagous larvae are up to long....
s resulting in problems with ringing the bells. On May 1, 1949, the bells stopped ringing to allow work to begin on repairing the frame and recast the bells. The new ring of bells was dedicated by Michael Parker, the Archdeacon of Aston on September 9, 1950.