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St Chads Cathedral

K

kenh

Guest
bham post today did article on plans for a heritage centre in the crypt of st chads cathedral and there is now a virtual tour at www.stchadscathedral.org.uk have just tried it its beautiful and will be a great new addition to bhams historic attractions
 
Thanks for posting this site Ken. I have never been inside St. Chad's but have read some interesting articles about the church on the Internet. I intend to visit the place in the future. You are right Ken St. Chad's will be a great
asset to the Birmingham's historic attractions.
 
St. Chad's Cathedral Virtual Tour

Thanks for posting the link Ken, I have only been there once about 45 years ago when a work colleague married there, it was during lent and most of the statues were covered in purple cloth so I didn't see it in all its glory.

I definitely want to visit as I have catholic grandparents and other ancestors, and I believe my father attended St. Chad's School, I would like information on the school in the period about 1905 - 1914 if anyone can help.
 
When I was in Birmingham for a couple of days in the spring I had a little time to spare and I went to St Chads, it is beautiful and well worth a visit. The interior is filled with light, and the design, by Pugin, is wonderful. The door was unlocked and I walked in and saw no one, it was very quiet and peaceful even though in the middle of a very busy thoroughfare.
 
Image.jpg
Saint Chads 1902, This was the first Roman Catholic Cathedral to built in England since the Reformation.
 
Thanks for the link Ken.
I have only been in St Chads a couple of times, whem I was a child - as some of you know, my great aunts were devout Catholics and this was my Aunty Cis's favourite church. I loved it when I went, as both days wre sunny and the light made everything beautiful - just like the hymn! I think the aunts saved St Chads as their special place, but I will always link it with the light.
Sue
 
​Could anyone tell me anything about the Mosaic floor in St Chad's, like who was responsible for the tiling,
 
Photos from Heritage week tour of St Chads. We began outside so I took a couple of photos. The guide told us that when the cathedral was being built if we had wanted to cross the road seen in the first photo we would have had to swim. There was a canal there in the 1830s and they built a wharf so that the building materials could be brought by barge. I am not sure when the canal went - possibly someone will know or I will investigate.
 

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nice pics jan glad you enjoyed the tour...very interesting info which has now got me wondering if there is a map available showing that old canal and wharf

lyn
 
I should have said that the cathedral was built of the cheapest materials because the people could not afford to pay much money - hence the use of cheap red bricks. Inside it was more splendid. Pugin designed and oversaw the building - he was notoriously hard to please as he wanted perfection. He employed a firm called Hardman's who made metalwork - candlesticks and altar plate etc. He was not happy with some of the stained glass produced in London and persuaded Hardman junior to undertake the production of stained glass. The business operated until 2008 when it closed.
Pugin also built a house for the archbishop on the opposite side of the road. Allegedly when Birmingham roads were being re designed in the 1960s they wanted to cut across the site of St Chads. This was overturned but the plan then put the road through Archbishop's house - objections were raised but the response was, supposedly, either we knock down the house or you pay for re-routing. Needless to say the house went - or so the story goes. Photo of house here https://lostbritain.uk/site/bishops-house-birmingham/
 

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thanks jan most interesting its a shame the bishops house was not built alongside the cathedral pretty sure if it had been it would still be standing...as you have mentioned him jan and for those who do not know ...thomas hardmans house is just as the crow flies in hunters road (formally little hunters lane)/nadan road situated opposite st marys convent which if i remember correctly he also had a hand in...his house does have a blue plaque on it now

lyn

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.4...4!1s0dylEOwU27xtyI7ep8uqsg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
 
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His nephew was also involved and married Pugin's daughter. Didn't take all the stained glass as a bit much for my little camera but more pics to follow. Trying to sort out the info to go with them.
The current Archbishop's House is next door. Includes offices as well.
 
morning jan...i knew a hardman had married pugins daughter but could not remember which one..

lyn
 
I wonder if the canal mentioned in Janice's post #8 was a branch arm of Hondurus Wharf ? Maybe a map will help - please Mike ? Viv.
 
thanks for the map mike..what a hive of activity the wharf must have been when building st chads

lyn
 
Thanks for the map Mike - think our guide might have exaggerated the "swim" story - she did say she used it with children to grab their attention. However, good to know there was a nearby wharf
 
Sometime in the 80's a group of painters including myself asked permission if we could paint some internal scenes, but the Bishop said no, so we had to make do with external paintings. I have painted it more than once, the latest one I have attached. EricSaint Chads.jpg
 
When we went into the church we started at the statue of St Chad. The guide told us his story - apparently there was a big shrine to him at Lichfield Cathedral before the reformation. The story suggests that when the soldiers were entering the cathedral in 1538 to loot any valuables a priest "rescued" some bones (all he could put in a small box). This was passed around and hidden in a variety of places. In 1651 the then "owner" passed them on to a Jesuit priest who wrote down the story. To cut a long story short the bones were "rediscovered" with the story in 1839 - the then Pope ordered that they should be interred at the new cathedral dedicated to St Chad in Birmingham. Pugin designed a casket to hold the box and this was placed behind the main altar on the day of the church's consecration where it remains to this day. In 1995 the bones were dated at Oxford and found to be of the period when Chad is believed to have lived. One extra bone was a different date and so could not be St Chad. The remaining bones were replaced.
 

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Originally there would have been a rood screen separating the main altar from the church - I have very vague recollections of seeing this in the early 1960s. It was removed around that time when priests began facing the congregation. I took a photo of a drawing showing this screen. The crucifix it was designed to hold is now supported from two steel wires.
 

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Just inside the door to the left is a small chapel dedicated to St Edward it was added in 1933. Apparently there were still some building (I think our guide said - shops) on the land and when they were demolished the chapel was added. It is in memory of Edward Ilsley - the first Archbishop of Birmingham. Designed by Pugin's grandson.
 

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Eventually we went down into the crypt. This is divided into a series of small chapels - some seem to be unused others have been decorated by various families. The only one named for us was one for the Hardman family (photo 3). This one was quite small and decorated in dark colours - it was so decorated I found it a bit oppressive. The first one posted had white walls until the last refurbishment (1990s) when the paintwork was carefully picked back so they could find the original colours. It was hard to photograph some as they were quite dark. I am attaching some of the others for people to see.
 

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what splendid photos and a wonderful description of your tour jan i felt as though i had actually been myself...many thanks:D

lyn
 
Dr. Bernard Griffin went on to be Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster. The rood was removed in the 1960's, it still exists - but I do not recall where.
 
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