St Mary’s, Acocks Green – Now Stat Listed Grade II

Julia — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 14:18:54 +0000

Just picked up a bit of news yesterday. There is nothing about this on the Birmingham statutorily listed buildings list yet, but we have it on good authority, from Birmingham Victorian Society, and the Vicar of St Mary the Virgin, Acocks Green, Andrew Bullock, that St Mary’s is now Statutorily Listed – Grade II. If both the VicSoc and the Vic say that we are inclined to think it must be true! Previously St Mary’s had no listing at all. It seems the listing was applied for because St Mary’s needs rennovation funds, and a listing helps with grants. St Mary’s is a fine Victorian Church, by a Birmingham architect, J. G. Bland, 1867. It was sadly damaged by fire during World War II, loosing it’s roof. It retains however, a reredos (alter piece and support by a Bridgeman’s of Lichfield, a well known church stone masons of the time. Most important, though is the Burne Jones window, added in 1895, by local subscription. Acocks Green is the ONLY Birmingham suburb to have such a window, designed by this world famous painter and stained glass designer, for the Wiliam Morris Company. Burne Jones was born in Birmingham. (The only other example of Burne-Jones stained glass work in Birmingham is in St Philip’s Cathedral in the city centre.) Apparently the Burne Jones window was quite a deciding factor in the listing. Here is is.

Burne-Jones Window (William Morris & Co), 1895 St Mary the Virgin, Acocks Green. Image by Mike Byrne, reproduced from the Acocks Green History Society Website.

You can read more about St Mary the Virgin at the Acocks Green History Society web pages here.

We now have the listing details for St Mary’s which you can read, or download if you wish, here

Acocks Green Focus Group » Burne Jones window

St Mary’s, Acocks Green – Now Stat Listed Grade II