St Mary on the Hill

Paul Waddington examines an impressive Black Country church

All photographs from the parish website and used by kind permission

Until the opening of the Birmingham Canal in 1772, Wednesbury was a very small place, although the local deposits of iron ore, coal and clay had enabled the nascent industries of coal mining, nail making and pottery to develop. With improved access to transport, these industries prospered causing a huge increase in the population, including many Catholics. Until the opening of a small chapel in Wednesbury in 1850, these Catholics had to travel to Bilston or Walsall to attend Mass.

The current Church of St Mary on the Hill in Wednesbury, which opened in 1874, owes its existence to one Stuart Eyre Bathurst. He was the eldest son of General Sir James Bathurst, an aide de camp to the Duke of Wellington during the Peninsula War. His mother was Caroline Stuart, daughter of the first Earl of Castle Stuart who owned lands in Ireland. The young Stuart Bathurst was educated at Winchester School and Christ Church, Oxford. Coming from such a background, it is not at all surprising that in 1842 he would be ordained as a clergyman in the Church of England. He was appointed Rector of the parish of Kibworth in Leicestershire where he quickly earned a reputation as an energetic and effective minister.

During his time at Kibworth, Bathurst was much influenced by the Oxford Movement. John Henry Newman’s conversion in 1845 started him on the road to Catholicism, and following the Gorman controversy, he converted in 1850. He was baptised by Newman and joined the Oratorian community, which at that time was based in Alcester Street in Birmingham. However, Bathurst did not stay long with the Oratorians. Instead, he studied for the priesthood at Oscott College and was ordained for the Diocese of Birmingham in 1854.

Beautifully lit in winter: the spire is the most recognisable feature of the church

Dilapidated and dangerous

After serving as a curate at Stone and Cheadle in Staffordshire, he was, in 1871, appointed Parish Priest of St Mary’s in Wednesbury. He found that the modest chapel that had been built in 1852 was “dilapidated and dangerous”. He also found that the school buildings were inadequate and not compliant with the standards required by the Education Act of 1870. Father Bathurst immediately initiated a massive building programme, completing two new schools before turning his attention to a replacement church. It is believed that Father Bathurst personally contributed as much as £10,000 towards the cost of these three projects.

To design the church, he engaged Gilbert Blount, one of the leading Catholic architects of the time. Blount had been educated at Downside before embarking on a career as a civil engineer. He worked alongside Isambard

Kingdom Brunel on the construction of the Thames Tunnel, becoming the Superintendent of Construction in 1841. Later he decided to train as an architect, and in 1849 became architectural advisor to Cardinal Wiseman. He designed numerous Catholic churches, mostly in the Decorated Gothic style. Among his most impressive churches are St Peter’s in Gloucester and St Mary Magdalen in Brighton. St Mary on the Hill in Wednesbury was one of his last works.

The old chapel was demolished in 1872 to make way for the new church. The foundation stone was laid in 1873, and the church was sufficiently advanced to be opened for public worship on 22 September 1874, with a Mass offered by Bernard Uller thorne OSB, the Bishop of Birmingham. The sermon was preached by Cardinal Manning.

Pyramidal spire

The Church of St Mary on the Hill, along with the nearby Anglican church, occupy high ground, and are prominent features of the Wednesbury landscape. They can be seen clearly from the M6 motorway. The Catholic church is built from red brick, with string courses in black brick. It consists of a five bay nave extending into a polygonal sanctuary, under a common roof line. There are side aisles and, at the north-west corner, a tower with an open bell chamber beneath a copper-covered pyramidal spire.

It is this spire that is the most recognisable feature of the church.

The church is given height, as well as plenty of light, by a clerestory formed of three light windows of plain glass above each bay. Side aisles, which terminate in side chapels, have two light windows filled with stained glass. The sanctuary has tall two-light lancet windows with stained glass and elaborate tracery. These extend upwards to form projecting gables in the style often used by Edward Pugin.

The Interior

The columns of the arcades, which are slender and octagonal, support double chamfered arches. At the west end, a sixth bay houses a narthex with organ and choir loft above. There are four lancet windows with stained glass arranged in the west wall. Over the nave, the roof is supported by arch-braced timber rafters, but above the sanctuary, the ceiling is formed of plaster ribbed vaults.

In common with so many Catholic churches, a lot of damage was done in the 1970s, supposedly in compliance with Vatican II liturgical reforms.

The stencilling that covered the walls throughout the church was over-painted in a particularly offensive orange colour. A carpet in another shade of orange was laid over the sanctuary floor, the communion rail was removed, and a forward altar installed.

Kneeling for Communion

Whilst Fr Peter Madden (a former Oratorian priest) was in charge of the parish in the early twenty-first century, much of this damage was reversed. The orange paint was replaced by a light coloured one, restoring some brightness to the church. The carpet was pulled up from the sanctuary floor, revealing the original Minton tiles and communion rails were reinstated. This was well received because the custom of kneeling for communion had apparently persisted in the parish. Regrettably the stencilling has not been restored, and this remains a great loss, especially in the sanctuary and side chapels.

The church is fortunate to retain many of its original features. The high altar, with its carved stone frontal and red marble shafts, stands before a tall stone reredos. This features a central tabernacle flanked by kneeling angels, with monstrance throne above. Niches at the extremities house statues of Our Lady and St Joseph. The two side altars are also survivors of Blount’s original design.

The Altar

One thing that has not survived is the very fine presbytery that once stood next to the church. The four-storey building which incorporated its own little tower was fairly eccentric in design, and presumably not considered suitable for modern use.

The Church of St Mary on the Hill is Grade II listed, and the current parish priest, Fr Paul Lester, offers a Latin Mass every Sunday at 11.30am.