St George in the Fields, Hockley

St George in the Fields, Hockley
St George in the Fields, bottom left
Coordinates: 52°29′27.24″N 1°54′17.28″W / 52.4909000°N 1.9048000°W
Location	Birmingham
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
History
Dedication	St George
Consecrated	6 August 1822
Architecture
Architect(s)	Thomas Rickman
Style	Decorated Gothic
Completed	1819
Construction cost	£12,735
Demolished	1961
Specifications
Capacity	1,959 people

St George in the Fields, Hockley is a former Church of England parish church in Birmingham.

History

The church was the first of the Commissioner's churches in Birmingham. It was designed by Thomas Rickman in the Decorated Gothic style and built by Benjamin Nowell and Sons.^[1] It was consecrated on 6 August 1822 by the Bishop of Chester.^[2]

A parish was assigned out of St Martin in the Bull Ring in 1830. The church was enlarged in 1883 at a cost of £2,300 with the addition of a chancel and organ chamber by Bateman and Corser.^[3]

In 1856, part of its parish was taken to form the parish of St Matthias' Church, Farm Street, Birmingham.

The church was demolished in 1961.

Tomb of Thomas Rickman

Tomb of Thomas Rickman

The architect Thomas Rickman was buried in the churchyard in 1841, and his tomb is now a listed structure.

Organ

The church had a pipe organ by Elliott, later modified by Bishop & Banfield. The organ was rebuilt in a new organ chamber in 1883 by Nicholson and Ward of Walsall. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.^[4]

References

1. A Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland. 1500-1830. A.W. Skempton. Thomas Telford. 2002
2. "Consecration". Northampton Mercury. Birmingham. 10 August 1822. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
3. "Reopening of St George's Church, Birmingham". Northampton Mercury. Birmingham. 14 March 1883. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
4. "NPOR N07327". National Pipe Organ Register. British Institute of Organ Studies. Retrieved 7 March 2015.