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Aston Church Institution Villa St Lozells

Vivienne14

Vivienne14

Kentish Brummie Moderator
Staff member
The sketch by Rev LN Walters was being sold in aid of the Institution. In 1967 someone wrote to the newspaper doubting it was ever built. But according to the 1846 advert it does appear to have existed.

Viv.231C6262-4E04-404E-A65D-5FB57418B895.jpeg

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thanks viv...i have that drawing and the 1846 snippet..as i grew up in villa st and have researched the area at length i still can not pinpoint the exact location the aston church institution so for now it remains a bit of a mystery even though i have no doubt it did exist in villa st lozells:rolleyes:

lyn
 
thats doubtful pedro as villa st is some distance away dennisons factory

lyn
 
I was looking at the article from 1877, which tells of the Watch Manufacturer in Birmingham, and it describes the entry to the English Watch Co as being in Villa Street. In 1879 it would become Dennison, Wigley and Co., and later Dennison's Watch Case Co.

"Passing along Villa Street one only sees a modest door plate bearing, the inscription English Watch Company as the outside indication of the important manufacturer carried on at the rear. The premises consist of 5 houses, an assembly room formerly a chapel, and three ranges of shopping, capable of accomodating at least 300 workmen. The whole area covering nearly an acre of land. Since acquiring the works the present company have considerably enlarged them, and introduced additional machinery, so that the power of production is largely increased...”
 
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In the articles telling the history of Dennison it does say that it is thought that Aaron left the English Watch
Company around 1877. They were situated at 45, Villa Street.

It was probably around that time that Aaron Dennison left the company and went on to form the separate Dennison, Wigley Co. By 1883 Aaron is shown in Kelly’s as 27, Villa Road.
 
I wonder if this has any connection - a former school perhaps ? Hence why money was being raised to build the one in post #1 ? Where was the vicarage barn/stables. This is an extract from British History Online. Viv.

ASTON. In 1739 there was at the end of the vicarage barn at Aston a small dwelling house and stable formerly erected for a school and belonging to the vicar (B.R.L. 413674: Terrier of Aston vicarage).
 
Another separate but interesting reference from British History Online churches section gives info about an evangelist Chapel in Villa Street. However, this appears to have been built 5 years later than the school advert, so it may or may not have had connections with the Aston Church Institute. The only thing we can be certain of is that the Institute had connections to a church.

Villa Street, Hockley evangelists' chapel, seating 300, was erected in 1851, and claimed, in that year, an average congregation of 100. It is possibly identifiable with Villa Street chapel, registered for worship in 1857, and used by the Latterday Saints and the Unitarians successively.

Food for thought. Viv.
 
thanks viv....the trouble is that in 1846 there were very few properties and certainly no numbering so the aston church institution could have been built anywhere in the street which was very long running from bridge st west over farm st over nursery road right up to wills st and still does to this day

lyn
 
I think Aston Church Institute was probably an early ‘mission’ of Aston Parish Church. Several were opened later in the 1800s to cater for the rapidly increasing population of Aston. They had several functions as well as addressing spiritual needs. The Aston Church Institute may not have existed into the 1850s. I can find no further mention of it in newspaper reports beyond 1849. Maybe it was absorbed into one of the later missions ?

Here’s a timeline of events I’ve extracted from newspapers.

13/11/1843 Collection taken at Aston Church for Aston Church Institute’s Daily & Sunday Schools instruction (Aris’s Gazette)

7/9/1846 Bazaar to defray expenses of fitting up a new schoolroom and providing a master for the Boys’ Daily School (Aris’s Gazette)

28/9/1846 Bazaar to defray expenses to enlarge Institute. Visitors and contributors included Lord Calthorpe, Henry Gough and Mrs Kendrick (Aris’s Gazette)

10/3/1849 Lecture at the Aston Church Institute on British poets by Henry H Horton (Aris’s Gazette)



24/9/1894 By this time other ‘missions’ were set up by Aston Church. The church was described as the mother church and had a zealous body of lay and clerical workers. The vicar had already by 1894 inspired these workers to set up two other missions: Witton and Church Road. A further mission at Park Street was underway. The missions, located in the remoter parts of the parish, aimed at addressing temporal and spiritual needs, and linking the increasing Aston population with the mother Church (Aston Church).

1/11/1917 A memorial service was held at Aston Parish Church commemorating officers and men connected with the Parish Church Mission Churches and Mission Rooms. So by this time there was a network linked to the mother church
 
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Of course, thanks Pedro. I’d forgotten the Latter Day Saints had the building for a while, then the Unitarians (post #10). And Pedros post #6 must be the same Chapel (there can’t have been many Latter Day Saints chapels at that time ?)

I suppose once more churches were built in the second half of the 1800s, there was no need for the “Institute”.Now all we need to know is exactly where was the Institute/Mission/Chapel on Villa Street, and when it was demolished (presumably of course). Then we can find out it’s other uses after 1863 when it closed as a place of worship (post #14).

I’m moving this thread to the Churches section, as it seems to be predominantly a church building rather than a school, although being a school in the 1840s was obviously one of its key functions. Viv.
 
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I think the school/mission/chapel on Villa Street was given up because St Silas Church, Church Road was consecrated and opened in 1854. The congregation and local community was thereby finally given easier access to their own church, rather than Aston Church, the mother Church. The Church also had school rooms at this date.Viv.
 
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thanks viv and pedro...some good information to ponder i...viv it did occur to me that the villa st chapel was defunct due to st silas church being so close by in church st/st silas square...very pleased to say the church is still in use

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If you look at the bottom right of the original picture there is written something like...
Lithograph by the Rev D.V....something

Can anyone make it out ?
 
Yes but it’s a massive stretch of the imagination to make out “Walters” on the signature. Viv.
 
H Umfreville was an engraver and printer around 1849, starting his own business in Cherry Street.
 
H. Umfreville - was the artist according to BMTrust ! Great. So there’s a connection. The Rev Walton was the lithographer. Love it when this happens. Viv.
 
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Here’s the Rev Walton President of the Lozells Choral Society promoting a concert for the Institution Rooms. Viv.

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brilliant thanks viv..i have searched old maps but no sign of the building on them

lyn
 
Was it unusual for a Reverend to be a lithographer ? Maybe he had his own printing press.

For info. 10/1/1848 Rev D N Walton was Curate at Aston Church (from Aris’s Gazette).
Viv.
 
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