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O.C.
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A bit of Aston History which I came across and found quite amusing concerns Aston Church.
John Feeney born 1839 in Scotland was educated at King Edwards School Birmingham and at the age of 18 went to work at a Metal Art Workers, Messenger and Sons of Broad Street and gave John Feeney his life long interest in Industrial Art which I think he would have followed all his life and could have become a great Industrial Artist but as in a lot of cases he inherited his Fathers Newspaper business
The Birmingham Post. He held the view that works of art were the property of all mankind and being a very wealthy man he was the best friend of the City Museum and Art Gallery and was always ready to sponsor works for the city with one strict condition that his name must never be mentioned or revealed as the sponsor.
In the 1880's Aston Parish Church had become completely inadequate for the needs of the growing population, and so rebuilding on a large scale was started but like all big projects the funding was slow and was getting bogged down with red tape.
John Feeney got in touch with the architect J.A.Chatwin and asked to see the plans and after hearing that the building work was to be curtailed, Feeney said he would pay for the entire cost of rebuilding the whole of the chancel end of the church as well as the entire cost of restoration of Erdington Chapel.
The money to pay for the project was sent to the office of J.A.Chatwin in the form of a £1000 bank note cut in half and a few days later the other half of the note was sent to his home address in a registered envelope and the two half's were stuck together
The work was started and finished and the identity of the donor was never revealed.
In 1898 John Feney got permission to remove his parents bodies from Aston Churchyard to the vault of Erdington Chapel with strict instructions that it was all to be kept private and secret and to be done during the night.
The Next day John Feeney was horrified to see what had been printed in his own newspaper.
VANDALISM IN ASTON CHURCHYARD
BODIES DUG UP
Since that date a wit wrote If you want to keep a secret tell the press
On reading this story I wonder how many times this has been done in a veil of secrecy and you can imagine all kinds of stories springing up from it
The information were most of the story came from was revealed by Mr Phillip Chapman son of the Architect years after the death of his father
John Feeney born 1839 in Scotland was educated at King Edwards School Birmingham and at the age of 18 went to work at a Metal Art Workers, Messenger and Sons of Broad Street and gave John Feeney his life long interest in Industrial Art which I think he would have followed all his life and could have become a great Industrial Artist but as in a lot of cases he inherited his Fathers Newspaper business
The Birmingham Post. He held the view that works of art were the property of all mankind and being a very wealthy man he was the best friend of the City Museum and Art Gallery and was always ready to sponsor works for the city with one strict condition that his name must never be mentioned or revealed as the sponsor.
In the 1880's Aston Parish Church had become completely inadequate for the needs of the growing population, and so rebuilding on a large scale was started but like all big projects the funding was slow and was getting bogged down with red tape.
John Feeney got in touch with the architect J.A.Chatwin and asked to see the plans and after hearing that the building work was to be curtailed, Feeney said he would pay for the entire cost of rebuilding the whole of the chancel end of the church as well as the entire cost of restoration of Erdington Chapel.
The money to pay for the project was sent to the office of J.A.Chatwin in the form of a £1000 bank note cut in half and a few days later the other half of the note was sent to his home address in a registered envelope and the two half's were stuck together
The work was started and finished and the identity of the donor was never revealed.
In 1898 John Feney got permission to remove his parents bodies from Aston Churchyard to the vault of Erdington Chapel with strict instructions that it was all to be kept private and secret and to be done during the night.
The Next day John Feeney was horrified to see what had been printed in his own newspaper.
VANDALISM IN ASTON CHURCHYARD
BODIES DUG UP
Since that date a wit wrote If you want to keep a secret tell the press
On reading this story I wonder how many times this has been done in a veil of secrecy and you can imagine all kinds of stories springing up from it
The information were most of the story came from was revealed by Mr Phillip Chapman son of the Architect years after the death of his father
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