A STUDY OF CHURCHES BUILT FOR THE USE OF CONGREGATIONS OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND BETWEEN 1945 AND 1970 AND OF THEIR EFFECTIVENESS IN SERVING THE NEEDS OF THEIR CONGREGATIONS TODAY. by Michael Gilman, BA, FSA (Scot). A Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, in the School of Architecture of the University of Sheffield Volume One Accepted for Post-Graduate study - September 1993. Thesis sbmitted: May 1999. 1 A Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, in the School of Architecture of the University of Sheffield, by Michael Gilman. Title of Thesis: A Study built for the of churches use of congregations of the Church of England between 1945 and 1970 and of their in effectiveness serving the needs of their congregations today. Summary: This thesis is a study of churches built for the Church of England, in the dioceses of Manchester, Birmingham and Coventry, in the years 1945 to 1970, with the intention, first, of examining, the circumstances of their planning and building, and, second, the degree to which those building serve the needs of their respective parishes today. The church buildings described in the study have been visited, clergy or churchwardens interviewed, and archival material, individual relating both to churches, and to the diocese as a whole, consulted where it was available. The study comprises three sections. The first is an introduction, which includes a discussion of significant factors affecting the design of post-war churches, including the Liturgical Movement, the Institute for the Study of Worship and Religious Architecture, in Birmingham, and the idealism of the post-war era, both in the nation, and in the Church. The second section comprises examinations of the churches of each of the three dioceses, and a short section on other, significant, buildings, in other dioceses. Each diocesan section includes a description of the diocese in the immediate post-war years, examining the general approach, policies and administrative arrangements established by the respective diocesan authorities to cope with the range of challenges facing it at the time, and then a description of each individual post-war church. The study closes with the third section, the conclusion, which identifies the great changes which took place in the approach to church building within a very short time span, the demographic changes which have subsequently taken place in the majority of areas within which the new churches were built, the advantages and disadvantages displayed by the church buildings and the range of requirements made of their church by parishioners, and, finally, the most important factor, the freedom which the Church-finally gave itself to experiment with new forms of worship, new forms of building, and new approaches to the whole work of a parish. Contents. Volume 1. Acknowledgements - Page 7 Introduction - Description of the Study. 9 Chapter 1. The meaning of the word 'Church'. 14 Chapter 2. The function of the church building. 20 Chapter 3. Post-War idealism - Meeting the needs of the Post-War world. 24 Chapter 4. The inheritance of the Church in the Post-War Era. 27 Chapter 5. Prophets of the Post-War Era - The Institute for the Study of Worship and Religious Architecture in the University of Birmingham. 36 Chapter 6. The Work and Worship of the Church and the Requirements of the Liturgical Movement. 41 Chapter 7. Thoughts on new patterns of Ministry 56 Chapter 8. Principles of Church Architecture in the Post-War era. 61 Manchester Diocese: 72 Introduction to the diocesan programme of church building after the war. 73 Church building in the 1930s - Housing context 75 Church building in the Post-War period: Housing context 79 Dual-purpose buildings 76 Permanent churches - New Churches Appeal 84 End of New Churches Appeal 90 New thoughts 91 Study of individual Churches. 93 1) 1931. St Nicholas, Kingsway, Burnage. 94 2) 1935/7 St Christopher, Withington. 99 3) 1938/9 St Luke the Physician, Benchill. 105 4) 1955. All Saints, Barton Road, Stretford. 108 5) 1959. St Mark, White Moss, Blackley. 111 6) 1959/60. St Martin, Blackcarr Road, Wythenshawe. 114 7) 1959-61. St Francis of Assisi, Newall Green. 116 8) 1960-2. St Saviour, Denton Lane, Chadderton. 120 9) 1962-3. St Mark, Ogden Street, Chadderton. 125 10) 1962-64. St John's, Bury. 125 11) 1963/4. All Saints, Wood Street, Langley. 128 12) 1964/5. St Chad, Limeside, Oldham. 135 13) 1964/5. St Hilda, Old Trafford. 137 15) 1964-5. William Temple Memorial Church. 141 16) 1968. St. John's, Irlam Road, Flixton. 147 17) 1968. St Stephen, Astley, near Atherton. 150 18) 1970. Church of the Ascension, Hulme. 153 19) 1976. St Cuthbert's, Miles Platting. 157 Conclusion. 163 2. Volume 2. Birmingham Diocese. Page Introduction 184 Character of the City Centre 184 Housing in Birmingham 186 Church planting in the inter-war years 188 The Diocese at beginning of the war 189 War Damage 190 OS Maps - City Centre 1912 192 Planning for the Post-war era - City Centre 194 The story of St. Jude's 196 1 inch OS Map, 1947. 202 Planning for new housing areas 204 Lord Portal and Church and Government liaison 205 Continuation of work in Birmingham Diocese 207 1945 Commission of Enquiry 208 Ten Year Forward Movement 212 Work of the Diocesan Reorganisation Committee 219 Success of the £30,000 Appeal 224 The Bishop's Appeal - 1953/58 227 The Second Mile - 1964 231 The 1963 Exhibition - Church Design Today 233 Thoughts on new patterns of Ministry 234 The Birmingham Institute 238 Individual Churches 239 St. Chad, Erdington. 1949 242 St. Clement, Castle Bromwich. 1969 244 St. Stephen the Martyr, Rednal. 1951 246 St. Barnabas, Kingshurst. 1957 249 All Saints, Shard End. 1959 252 St. Luke's, Kingstanding. 1937 254 St. Boniface, Quinton. 1958/9 256 St. John Baptist, Longbridge. 1956/8 259 St. Chad, Rubery, New Road, B45.1960 261 St. Thomas, Garretts Green. 1967 265 St. John the Baptist, Harborne. 1960 268 St. Peter, Hall Green. 1964 271 St. Columba's, Sutton Coldfield. 1957/60 275 St. Paul, Bordesley Green. 1968 279 St. Richard, Lea Hall. 1965 283 St. Michael and All Angels, South Yardley. 1964/5 285 St. Michael and All Angels, Bartley Green. 1964 288 St. Mark, Kingstanding. 1966 291 St. David, Shenley Green. 1965 293 St. Anne, West Heath. 1966 299 St. Mary, Hobs Moat. 1966 301 St. Peter, Tile Cross. 1968 304 St. Matthew's, Perry Beeches. 1964 307 SS Philip and James, Hodge Hill. 1968 311 St. George, Birmingham (Newtown). 1970 316 St. Andrew's, Chelmsley Wood. 1972 318 Birmingham Diocese today. 321 Conclusion. 327 3. Coventry Diocese. 329 Introduction. 330 Individual churches: St. Luke, Rotherham Road, Holbrook, Coventry. 1939 336 St. John the Divine, Willenhall, Coventry. 1955/8 339 St. Oswald, Tile Hill, Coventry. 1957 342 St. Chad, Hillmorton Road, Wood End, Coventry. 1956/7 344 The Spence churches - General Comments. 348 St. Nicholas, Engleton Road, Radford, Coventry. 1955/7 351 Christ Church, Cheylesmore, Coventry. 1958 353 St. George's, Hillmorton, Rugby. 1961/2 357 St. John and St. Mary, Camp Hill, Nuneaton. 1963/4 363 St. Andrews, Smorrall Lane, Bedworth. 1963/4 365 St. Philip's, Potter's Green. 1964 367 Christ Church, Brownsover, Rugby. 1990 369 Conclusion. 371 Churches in other Dioceses. 373 Christ Church, Kingston Road, Staines, Middlesex. 375 1961/2 Three churches in Guildford diocese: 1963/5 380 Church of the Holy Spirit, Burpham, Nr Guildford. Church of the Good Shepherd, Pyrford, Woking. St Alban's, Wood Street, Guildford. Three Bournemouth Churches: 385 St George's, Oakdale, Poole. 1963/4 385 St Thomas's, Barnes Road, Ensbury Park, Bournemouth. 388 St Barnabas's, Mount Pleasant Drive, Bournemouth. 1968 388 Three churches in Eastbourne: 390 St. Elizabeth, 1938 390 St. John the Evangelist, Meads' 391 St. Richard of Chichester, Langney. 1957 393 Churches in Vienna 395 Conclusion. 397 Bibliography 411 Volume 3. Appendices. Appendices - Contents. Manchester diocese. Page St Nicholas, Kingsway, Burnage. 418 St Christopher, Withington. 425 St Luke the Physician, Benchill. 431 All Saints, Barton Road, Stretford. 437 St Mark, White Moss, Blackleg. 438 St Martin, Blackcarr Road, Wythenshawe. 438 4 St Francis of Assisi, Newall Green. 439 St Saviour, Denton Lane, Chadderton. 441 St Mark, Ogden Street, Chadderton. 443 St John's, Bury. 443 All Saints, Wood Street, Langley. 445 St Chad, Limeside, Oldham. 450 St Hilda, Old Trafford. 451 Wil liam Temple Memorial Church. 451 St. John's, Irlam Road, Flixton. 452 St Stephen, Astley, near Atherton. 455 Chu rch of the Ascension, Hulme. 460 Birmingham Diocese. 461 1945 Commission of Enquiry - Deanery reports 462 Priorities for Church Extension, 1948 469 Ten Year Forward Movement 473 Reorganisation of Perry Barr neighbourhood 479 Individual Churches St. Chad, Erdington. 4483 St. Clement, Castle Bromwich. 484 St. Stephen the Martyr, Rednal. 485 St. Barnabas, Kingshurst. 486 All Saints, Shard End. 486 St. Luke's, Kingstanding. 490 St. Boniface, Quinton. 491 St. John Baptist, Longbridge. 492 St. Chad, Rubery, New Road, B45. 496 St. Thomas, Garretts Green. 497 St. John the Baptist, Harborne. 497 St. Peter, Hall Green. 504 St. Columba's, Banner's Gate. 505 St. Paul, Bordesley Green. 509 St. Richard, Lea Hall. 514 St. Michael and All Angels, South Yardley. 515 St. Michael and All Angels, Bartley Green. 516 St. Mark, Kingstanding. 517 St. David, Shenley Green. 517 St. Anne, West Heath. 521 St. Mary, Hobs Moat. 521 St. Peter, Tile Cross. 522 St. Matthew's, Perry Beeches. 522 SS Philip and James, Hodge Hill. 536 St. George, Birmingham (Newtown). 551 St. Andrew's, Chelmsley Wood. 552 Coventry Diocese. 553 Individual churches: St. Luke, Rotherham Road, Holbrook, Coventry.