St James the Great

Originally built as a chapel of ease for St Alphege Solihull, St James’s became a parish church in 1843 and was extended to its present shape and size in 1882. Unusually, the chancel faces west. Whether this was to shield it from the goings on in nearby pubs or simply a mistake with the building plans is unknown.

The church today is a light, tranquil space with some fine Victorian stained glass in the chancel and transepts. Behind the high altar is a reredos in glass mosaic supplied by Messrs Powell of Whitefriars, the makers of the chancel windows. The main altar is positioned between the transepts, in the heart of the congregation. The simple stone font is positioned opposite it at the end of the nave, in front of a small chapel at the base of the bell tower. The eight church bells are regularly rung by our own and visiting teams of ringers. The tower has a clock, dating from 1948 with an early electromechanical mechanism and some now rare components, to be retained in a planned refurbishment. The north transept houses the organ console, a fine instrument in good condition, and a small memorial chapel, displaying the original parchment commemoration of parishioners lost in the First World War and now also named on the official cenotaph in the churchyard.

The burial ground covers two acres and, in recent years, part of it has been managed to encourage wild life. There are 23 war graves and the War Memorial is unusual in recording the loss of an Army Matron, Katy Beaufoy, when the Hospital Ship Glenart Castle was torpedoed in 1918.

The church is open daily and regularly visited by local people seeking a quiet space for prayer or reflection.