Church of the Ascension, Hall Green
Encyclopedia
The Church of the Ascension (previously known as the Job Marston Chapel and Hall Green Chapel) is a Church of England
parish church
in the Hall Green
area of Birmingham
, England
.
and was named after Job Marston, a resident at Hall Green Hall, who donated £1,000 towards the construction of the building near the hall. It was consecrated on May 25, 1704.
The original building and additions are in the Queen Anne style
. The exterior of the building consists of red brick and a stone entablature and balustrade supported by Doric
pilasters and the window architrave
s are of moulded stone. The tower at the west end of the nave has an octagonal brick upper storey with a copper cupola
. Inside, the nave is covered in a coved plaster ceiling. The chancel and transepts were constructed between 1860 and 1866. It is the earliest classical church surviving within Birmingham. On each side of the nave are three semi-circular headed windows. The roof is slated.
Until the foundation of the diocese of Birmingham
in 1905, the city of Birmingham was situated on the boundaries of two ancient sees. The Diocese was divided into the two archdeaconries of Birmingham and Aston. In March 1907, the chapel became known as the parish church of Hall Green in the new diocese of Birmingham. In 1933, the patronage was transferred from the Trustees to the Bishop of Birmingham
. On April 25, 1952, it was designated Grade II* listed status.
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...
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 Hall Green
Hall Green
Not to be confused with Hall Green, Wolverhampton or Hall Green, SandwellHall Green is an area and ward in south Birmingham, England. It is also a council constituency, managed by its own district committee...
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...
.
History
Completed in 1704, it is believed to have been designed by Sir William WilsonWilliam Wilson (architect)
Sir William Wilson was an English architect, builder and sculptor.Born in 1641 in Leicester, he was the son of a baker. In his early life, it is believed that he served an apprenticeship with a statuary mason. It is also claimed that he studied under Sir Christopher Wren at Oxford University where...
and was named after Job Marston, a resident at Hall Green Hall, who donated £1,000 towards the construction of the building near the hall. It was consecrated on May 25, 1704.
The original building and additions are in the Queen Anne style
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
. The exterior of the building consists of red brick and a stone entablature and balustrade supported by Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
pilasters and the window architrave
Architrave
An architrave is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. It is an architectural element in Classical architecture.-Classical architecture:...
s are of moulded stone. The tower at the west end of the nave has an octagonal brick upper storey with a copper cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
. Inside, the nave is covered in a coved plaster ceiling. The chancel and transepts were constructed between 1860 and 1866. It is the earliest classical church surviving within Birmingham. On each side of the nave are three semi-circular headed windows. The roof is slated.
Until the foundation of the diocese of Birmingham
Anglican Diocese of Birmingham
The Anglican Diocese of Birmingham is a diocese in the Church of England's Province of Canterbury, covering the north west of the traditional county of Warwickshire in England....
in 1905, the city of Birmingham was situated on the boundaries of two ancient sees. The Diocese was divided into the two archdeaconries of Birmingham and Aston. In March 1907, the chapel became known as the parish church of Hall Green in the new diocese of Birmingham. In 1933, the patronage was transferred from the Trustees to the Bishop of Birmingham
Bishop of Birmingham
The Bishop of Birmingham heads the Church of England diocese of Birmingham, in the Province of Canterbury, in England.The diocese covers the North West of the historical county of Warwickshire and has its see in the City of Birmingham, West Midlands, where the seat of the diocese is located at the...
. On April 25, 1952, it was designated Grade II* listed status.