Wythall
Anglican: St Mary
The original church of St Mary stands to the south west of the villages of Wythall and Hollywood which lie along the Alcester Road just south of the boundary with the City of Birmingham. It was built in 1862 by Frederick Preedy and is his only brick built church. His nave is dominated by the immense open work tower added by W H Bidlake in 1903. This church was closed for safety reasons in 1987 and declared redundant in 1991. It is now in commercial use.
Following 27 years of a nomadic existence, using various school premises, the people of Wythall finally got a new church in 2014. Located in the centre of the village at Coppice Primary School the new church shares use of the large school hall. (Diocese of Birmingham)
Click the link below for more information.
WhyThe New Church? (St Mary’s Church Website)
St Mary’s Old Church. (Interior image courtesy of Vale of Evesham Historical Society)
St Mary’s Old Church in September 2007.
For more pictures from 2007: Please Click Here. (www.flickr.com/tudorbarlow)
The new St Mary’s Church, April 2016
For two more pictures of the new church: Please Click Here. (www.flickr.com/tudorbarlow)
References and some further sources:
Aiken, John. Census of Religious Worship, 1851: The Returns for Worcestershire.
Bridges, Tim. Churches of Worcestershire (2005)
Brooks, Alan, and Nikolaus Pevsner. Buildings of England: Worcestershire (2007)
Morgan, Paul. Inspections of churches and parsonage houses in the Diocese of Worcester in 1674, 1676, 1684, and 1687 (1986)
Ransome, Mary. The State of the Bishopric of Worcester, 1782-1808 (1968)
Stanton, George K.. Rambles and researches among Worcestershire churches: with historical notes relating to the several parishes Volume I (1884)
Barnes, Gordon. Frederick Preedy. (Vale of Evesham Historical Society, 1984.)
n.b. Full details of these books are on the bibliography and sources page.
Websites: British History Online: Entry for Kings Norton includes Wythall.
Old church is a Grade II Listed Building: Listing Details Here.
Historic England Listing: Please Click Here.
Church Plans Online: ground plan 1860 – 2
Family History Website.
Church Website. (For the new church)
A Church Near You.
Nearby Churches: Alvechurch, Kings Norton, Redditch.
Other denominations
Baptist
Evangelical churches
Roman Catholic
Unitarian
Click on red text for a link. External websites will open in a new window. Page updated April 2016.