St Agatha
Sparkbrook, West Midlands
A new lease of life for a little-known gem of a church which poet John Betjeman called 'the finest parish church in Birmingham'.
The church, constructed in 1893-8 to designs by Thomas Proud, is a very large and highly accomplished building in a Perpendicular style. Known as 'The Cathedral of the Back Streets' the church is an excellent example of the quality and sophistication of the best building in brick and terracotta which was prevalent in Birmingham in the later 19th century. The enormously lofty interior space displays excellent planning and spatial qualities, enhanced by the vertical emphasis of the Perpendicular tracery in the clerestory.
The interior displays well crafted and intricate detailing, with a wealth of decorative terracotta work and elaborate timber roof structures. The quality of artistic embellishment is very good, with an important rood beam and Lady Chapel screen by Frederick Bligh Bond, glass by Bertram Lamplugh of the Birmingham School of Art, and more by John Hardman of Hardman & Co. An interesting feature of the church, is the 15th century font, acquired from a redundant church in the Bristol area.
All Saints is an Anglo Catholic parish church of the Church of England with roots in the Oxford Movement and a proud tradition of serving its vibrant and diverse community with an active programme of worship and outreach.