Summary

A 1956-1960 modernist church designed by the well-known Midlands-based architect, Richard Twentyman.

Description

A 1956-1960 modernist church designed by the well-known Midlands-based architect, Richard Twentyman.

MATERIALS: the church is constructed of brick and concrete, with slate details and a copper roof.

PLAN: the church is oriented roughly north to south with a tall square campanile situated at the north-west end. An octagonal lady chapel is situated at the south-west end of the church. The church’s vestry and ancillary spaces are located in a linear range projecting to the east.

EXTERIOR: the church’s north façade faces onto New Road and comprises a large gable housing the nave and a separate square campanile to the west, attached by a single-storey porch. The campanile is tall, constructed of brick and is open with concrete ties holding the walls together. There is a concrete platform covered with mosaic tiling with metal rail beneath the two bells at the top of the tower. There is a simple Latin cross affixed to the west end of the north elevation of the tower. Below at ground floor is a sculptural piece by Geoffrey Clarke depicting the arms of the Diocese of Birmingham. To the east of the tower, is a low, single-storey porch with timber doors and glazing to either side and above. This connects the campanile to the main body of the church to the east, which takes the form of a gable which is dominated by a central section with vertical concrete ribs. Five copper-clad platforms which were intended to house statuary are situated in the sections between the ribs, which have slate cladding and glass blocks below. At the west end of the gable is a fixed timber crucifixion with a separate panel below to remember the names of the individuals from the parish who lost their lives during the First and Second World Wars. The figure of the crucifixion was originally part of a separate, free-standing memorial in the parish, but was relocated here and a new panel added after the church’s erection.

The west elevation of the church features the campanile at the north end, which is clad with large slate tiles. The main body of the church features three identical bays at the centre, each with fifteen rectangular window openings with single panes of glass. Beneath each bay of windows is a blue brick section. To the south, is the octagonal lady chapel which has contrasting vertical bricks. The lady chapel features a section of glazing with tall lights facing north, it is attached to the main nave of the church via an additional single-story link building with double timber doors with circular metal handles. The doors are original and have a ribbed design, they are surrounded by glazing. The lady chapel has a pyramidal roof and is surmounted by a metal finial taking the form of the Chi Ro Christogram.

The south elevation of the church takes the form of a blind gable with a concrete cross affixed to the centre. To the west, the lady chapel mirrors its elevation to the north and has a section of glazing. The single-story porch has clerestory glazing and is constructed of blue brick in Flemish Garden Wall bond. To the east of the nave, the church’s ancillary spaces are housed in a single-story linear range with four regularly spaced window openings.

The nave from the east elevation matches that to the west and has three identical large bays with glazing and blue brick below. To the north is a foundation stone which was laid in 1958, it reads: TO THE GLORY OF GOD/ THIS CHURCH OF SAINT CHAD/ TAKES THE PLACE OF THE WOODEN CHURCH/ BUILT HERE IN 1895/ AND THIS FOUNDATION STONE WAS LAID BY/ THE LORD BISHOP OF BIRMINGHAM/ ON THURSDAY JUNE 26 1958. The inscription is followed by the names of the vicar, church wardens, architects and builders. The south elevation of the church’s ancillary rooms has a central entrance with double doors and circular handles to either side. There is ribbed timber panelling with glazing above and a further three light window opening to both the west and east of the entrance.

INTERIOR: the church’s porch has a timber clad ceiling and south wall. The porch is accessed via three stone steps and leads directly into the nave to the east. The nave is a lofty open space with a timber clad ceiling and Granwood block flooring. There are piers within the nave with a rounded cruciform quatrefoil section. The windows to the east and west have deep reveals. The chancel features a wall clad with pre-cast concrete slabs in a staggered pattern. The wall is surmounted by a simple Latin cross. A stone altar table stands beneath the wall, behind a low timber rail. The chancel is lit by an additional area of glazing immediately to the west and east. The church’s oak pulpit to the east was carved by Don Potter and has a ribbed design to match the design elsewhere and is supported by a single cast iron column. There is a commemorative plaque on the front of the pulpit in memory of the Rev F Norman Scott, Vicar of Rubery 1926-1934. The quire of the church contains fixed bench seating to either side with the church’s organ located to the east, with the organ’s pipes located to both the west and east. The north end of the church contains five panels on the gable wall above the glass blocks, the central panel contains a tapestry of St Chad. A row of lanterns lighting the nave runs from the north to south.

On the west side of the chancel is an additional lobby leading to the church’s Lady Chapel. The interior of the lobby matches the one to the north, with timber cladding. The Lady Chapel to the east has an altar at the east end of the room with a timber and metal rail. From the east side of the chancel, a passage leads to a vestry and rooms used for storage and office space. The vestry contains inbuilt storage at the east end of the room. The doors and windows within this area of the building are largely original and retain their window and door furniture.

History

The church of St Chad was constructed to the designs of Richard Twentyman (1903-1979) of Lavender, Twentyman and Percy in 1956-1960. The church replaced an earlier timber church on the site and catered for an expanding population in Rubery after the Second World War. Twentyman was based in Wolverhampton and designed a number of places of worship across the midlands from the 1930s to 1970s. The cost of the new church in Rubery was £40,000 and was largely covered by the Diocesan Golden Jubilee Appeal, with the parish contributing around £11,000. The materials for the interior of the church were specially selected to assist the acoustics and electric underfloor heating was also installed. The nave was designed to seat 400 with an additional, octagonal Lady Chapel attached at the south-east end of the building. The original design for the church included five sculptural works by the artist Geoffrey Clarke (1924-2014). However, the final pieces were rejected by the Diocesan Advisory Committee as they were considered to have deviated too far from the original brief which was more traditional in nature. The church was opened in 1960 by Princess Margaret. The design of the building was well received with a piece in The Architects’ Journal describing it as ‘… light, elegant, and inviting- a building of its time.’

In the early C21 the entrance lobby was altered with the timber partitions to either side of the double doors replaced with glazing. A slim pane of glazing was also inserted into the internal double doors to enter the church at this time. During this time a small kitchen area was installed at the north-east end of the church’s nave.

Reasons for Listing

The church of St Chad, constructed to the designs of Richard Twentyman of Lavender, Twentyman and Percy in 1956-1960, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* as an accomplished modernist church with a simple yet effective design with a tall campanile featuring an imaginative sculptural work by Geoffrey Clarke;
* for its simple and honest use of materials and attention to detail, with the Lady chapel constructed of vertically set bricks offering subtle contrast from the nave;
* the interior of the church is a skilful display of light and space with a well-lit nave and chancel with generous proportions.

Historic interest:

* as a mature work by the noted C20 architect, Richard Twentyman, the church being a clear development from his earlier work elsewhere in the West Midlands;
* the church replaced an earlier timber building on the site and its bold modernist design embodies the wider post-war values and ambitions of the period.

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