As part of the upcoming Balsall Heath Community Festival (July 3rd – 13th), we’ve created a new map with help from Chris Martin from Footsteps Faiths for a Low Carbon Future.
Today, we count an existing 62 faith centres within Balsall Heath – that’s one faith centre per 600 Heathans. To celebrate this heritage, we’re planning a guided Faith Walk to explore these landmarks and discuss the profound impact they’ve had on our community over the decades. Watch this space for dates and details of our Community Festival!
Lost Landmarks
Our map celebrates the present and marks sites that have vanished or been transformed:
St Paul’s Church (Corner of St Paul’s Rd & Moseley Rd)
Opened in 1853, once popular and fashionable, it sat over 1,000 people and extended in 1856. After over a century of service, it closed in 1977. The congregation merged into the then new Church Centre at Edward Rd/Mary St.
The Church of Christ (Moseley Rd)
Opened in 1912, this congregation also moved to the Edward Rd Church Centre. Today, the original building serves a new purpose as a Muslim Student House.
St Thomas in the Moors (Lincoln St)
Founded in 1883 on land donated by William Sands Cox, this church built in memory of his father Edward Towsend Cox owner of Long Moors Farm which they owned since 1608. The church was demolished in the Balsall Heath Clearances of the 1960s.
Wesleyan Church (Moseley Road/ Lime Grove)
This church was an off-shoot of the Cherry Street chapel in Birmingham founded in 1782 by John Wesley. The church buildings were destroyed during bombing in 1940. A new church was built on the same site, the foundation stone being laid in 1949, now closed.
Methodist Chapel (Vincent St)
This was the first public building in the area, erected in 1839. It stood for over 130 years before being demolished in the 1970s.
Wenman Street Chapel
Likely a Brethren meeting house, this chapel was another casualty of the clearances that reshaped Balsall Heath.
Hope Street Baptist Church
This Baptist chapel was built in 1854 ‘at the sole expence of Joseph Weakley of Graham’s Town, South Africa’. Joseph came ‘to superintend the shipping of guns’. James Weakley described his occupation as ‘colonial agent’ or ‘shipping agent’. James became a Deacon, and Rev. Peter Stanford of Hope Street Chapel, formerly a slave in America, was possibly the first black minister in the UK – see more in October 2020 edition of the Gazette.
Congregational Church Moseley Rd
Stood on corner of Runcorn Rd & Moseley Rd, opened 1862 with seating for over 1000 and demolished in the 1970s. The Sunday School building is still there and now used by Clifton Road Mosque as part of their educational premises.
Save the Date!
The Balsall Heath Community Festival runs from July 3rd to July 13th. We’ll be hosting events across the entire area, with more details on coming soon. Whether you are a person of faith or a lover of local history, we invite you to walk with us and discover the hidden stories of Balsall Heath.