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The Growing ParishThe history of Wythall Chapel during the period preceding the building of the present church is somewhat obscure. ‘[homas Habington,1 County Historian of thei early 17th Century, describes it thus two miles south from Kings Norton is White (WITHO) Chapel—a poor thing affording neither arms nor monuments” ... and in another document2, dated 1662 we read . . . “It is desired that Mr. Richard Moores licence for that which he calls his House in Withall (which is nothing but the curates chamber over uric code of the chappell. and for the room adjoining (which is the chap- pell. itselfe into which he had made a hole out of the chamber and preached to the people) be revoked”. Some of the parish registers for the period are intact, but they give very little information. It is from the churchwardens presentment for King~s Norton that we get hint of the situation. In 1714 and 1737 they reported—”the roof of Wythall Chapel is out of repair”. Happily in 1777, Nash, the Worcestershire historian, stated that the chapel was being rebuilt. Peter Prattinton. in 1826 gives a detailed description The Chapel stands in a small oblong piece of ground on the left hand side of a lane leading to the north from the crois-roads at Weatheroak Hill and on the turnpike from Birmingham to Alcester. It is a small brick building, tiled, with a wooden Bell turrctt at the West End. Its dimensions internally are 51’ 10” x 22’ 8”. The Walls are neatly coloured. The ceiling flat with an Ornament for chandeliers and the floor paved with quarries. The East win- dow has a circular lead and the six side ones pointed—the centre one on the north side blank. Over the East window and at the West end are circular blank windows to give some tight to the gallery. The entrance by a plain door with a circular lead on the south. The West has also a semi-circular one to give some light. There are 29 oak pews. Three on each side of the Communion Table. a large pew f or the Mynors family at Weatheroak House. on the south. The Communion Table and rails are old oak—one step to the rails. The pulpit is panelled oak bet~veen the first and second windows south—no sounding board. The hangings of the pulpit and Reading Desk crimson cloth with yellow face. that of the pulpit with *. The Pla~.e? if any, at the clerks at Ueadley Heath. Font at the West End, an octagon wooden bason on very short pillar resting on a brick base curbed with wood, the cover is old. Gallery for singers and school children supported by two iron pillars painted blue. There is only a small bell with WG— MB 1689. In the upper part of the first South window is scratched with a diamond on the glass “this chapel glazed; Win. Samson and John Burton glazed this chapel Sept. 3rd 1777—Win. Samson of Birmingham”. One seat is marked Mr. Wakefield—he has an estate at Barnhill in the chapelry— his son does not reside here, another for Mr. Collins—he has an estate here. There is a school for 20 children by subscription, also a Sunday School. The desks and forms are in place in the~ aisle and removed for Divine Service. In the church enclosure is a Scotch fir tree and in the hedge toward the lane several old yew trees. There is a Methodist meeting house hear the chapel not so well at- tended as it used to be, also a Presbyterian meeting house. The congrega- tion at the chapel is greater than it can afford comfortable room for. There is about half an acre of meadow on the south sue of the church, a house at Birchy Cross has lately been repaired -another at Drakes Cross is repairing—some little land attached to them. Withal Chapel House Farm about 114 acres lies near the chapel. Mr. Fitter sold it between 32 or 33 years ago to Mr. Millington his nephew, a grazier at Birmingham is the present possessor. (Mr. Taylor the tenant). The Vicar of Kings Norton appoints the curate, who is licenced and holds his cure for life. One hundred pounds were given by Mr. Whately—the interest paid by Mr. Carter (i~5). The rents of the cottages were given by Mr. Collins of Worcester, amounting to £5. The benefactions collected were £15, so that in the year 1699 the curates maintenance for Withall was £25.” A small school for about 45 children was erected near Wythall Chapel in 1839 and was enlarged in 1892 to accommodate 14 extra children. It is interesting to learn from the diaries of Richard Pountney (l804~l891):~ something of the building and construction of the school. Pountney worked for his uncle at Goodrest Farm and his diaries show that as well as farm- ing he did odd jobs as a surveyor for farmers, collected taxes and did the census for the district. During the “hungry 40’s’ he helped organise and distribute the dole. lie began teaching school at Wythall in February 1841 as the farm at Goodrest was not paying, one of the reasons for this was the absence of marketing transport to meet the railway competition in the areas. The following extracts are from his diaries: “The school at Wythall began June 1839 and comtileted Apart from minor alterations St. Mary’s School has remained unchanged. In 1963 a new school was built at Meadow Green and the pupils transferred to there. The Old School then came into use as the Old School Hall—where meetings of various organisations connected with the church take place. The Wythall Pre-School Playgroup use the building for their activities and have made many valuable additions to the inside of the Hall. as have also the Young Wives’ and the Women’s Fellowship. Towards the middle of the nineteenth century the consolidated chapelry of Wythall was considered important enough to become a parish in its own right, and an Order of Council on the 8th August, 1853 set up the Parish of Wythall, defined its boundaries and ordered “that the right of presenta- tion and appointments of an incumbent or perpetual curate to serve the said church of St. Mary at Wythall aforesaid should be vested in belonging to and whenever the occasion may arise be exercised by the incumbent for the time being of the Parish Church of Kings Norton. The value of the living, with a residence, was £130 and was mainly
derived from land and a proportion of tithes of the three parishes
of Kings Norton, Alvechurch and Solihull. including Forshaw Heath. Although the school was closed at Easter, l965~ regular church
services are still held in the building. In 1859. Thomas Cook Yarranton. M.A.. became Vicar of Wythall. A typical country gentleman of his day, he rode with the Warwickshire I-founds on his well-known cream-coloured mare. He was a bachelor and one of the best chess players in the Midlands. During the next six years of his incumbency the Vicarage was built, and in 1860 the Church yard opened. Before that date, all burials were at Kings Norton. Coffins were carried there by bearers, and youths used small stools on which to support the coffins whilst the bearers rested. The next step was to provide a new Church. On 21st May, 1860 a
further meeting of the householders was called to consider the means
of raising funds for this purpose. The circular describing the project
was printed and distributed to all householders in the parish .
. . a statement was issued “The present church ... now affords very inadequate accom-modation , . . it is. moreover, in a very dilapidated condition and altogether is a building utterly unworthy for the worship and service of God. It is intended to reconstruct upon the old site, a new Church . . . at an estimated cost of £1,500.. The committee appointed to oversee the building was the Rev. T. Yarranton. R. Mynors. Esq. (Robert) and Mr. Richard Burman. The history of St. N4arys had begun I Unfortunately with the exception of the architects plan and specification, no details of the building of the church are available. The architect was Mr. Frederick Preedy of London. who had designed a number of other churches and had also made a design for Montreal Cathedral. The builder was Mr. Isaac Clulee of Kings Norton. The cost of the church was to be £2.000 and was to seat 352 persons. It was to be financed by wealthy land owners plus grants from the Church Building Society and the Church Extension Society. It is recorded in the Court Rolls of Bromsgrove in 1861 that a Bazaar was held at the Lckey for the re-building of St. Marys Church. Wythall —by kind permission of Baroness Windsor. £200 was raised.” Sir Nikolaus Pevsner in his book ‘Worcestershire” published in 1968, writes’ of St. Mary’s Church it is in an aggressive style in- spired by Butterfield. Red brick with black brick and stone pattern. The brick is exposed inside as well. The jambs of windows and arches inside are emphasized by saw tooth cutting. The pier canals inside have Early French Gothic Foliage. Flate E. end. 1. transept. S. aisle. In August 1862, the new church was complete, and on Monday 11th August, the Consecration Service was held, commencing at 11 am. And continuing until 2.0 p.m. The Birmingham Daily Gazette of Tuesday. 12th August. 1862 reported that “The Church was quite filled by decently I dressed a~nd well behaved villagers and their w~althier neighbours. The Lord Bishop of Worcester preached~ on I Kings 9; 3 c under- stand that the Bishop with clergy and visitors afterwards par- took of a luncheon at the school, but as our representative was unable to obtain any information from Rev. Mr. Yarranton on the usual corttplimentary invitation ItO the luncheon. we are not in a position to state what transpired there. ”An afternoon service was held on the same day. The congregation was not nearly so large as in the morning but “an excellent sermon was preached by the Rev. H. Clarke, Rector of Northfield. who took for his text. Jeremiah 51; 5.” The c~llectioti at the morning service was £49.9.2d. and at thel evening service £7.l5.~7d. Probably due to some mis-calculation on the part of the architect. St. Mary’s has always been dark and the following extract from “Rambles and Researches amongst Worcestershire Churches’ by G. K. Stanton tells of the impression that the building—not to mention certain of the staff—made upon the visitor... ‘As a rambler and searcher after old churches, manor houses and interesting ruins it has been my (mis)fortufle to travel in strange weather. I have, for the purpose of furthering my re- searches, walked in the heat and cold—in the light and in the dark, but my journey to Wythatl on Sunday morning 2nd Novem- her. 1884. crowned, in the sense, all my previous perambulattons. The break in the clouds towards the south at 8.45 am, led one to hope that the rain, which had been falling, would speedily pass over, and so, hopefully, I left my home, but was doomed to disappointment. When 1 arrived at Kings Norton Station. aboUt fOur miles from Wythall, it was still raining and con- tinued~ a steady downpour during the whole of the day. How- ever. onwards I went, and arrived at the Church. entering the building during the reading of the psalms~ for the day. The service —like the weather—was dull and heavy~ the building was over- heated and so dark that the pulpit candles had to be lit to enable the clergyman to deliver his serrtton. The responses were led by a clerk who is over 80 years of age and has held the ap- pointment for upwards of 30 years. The sexton, entering the pLllpit with his box of lucifers for the purpose of lighting the candles and failing in the first~ attempt. reminded me of an old Church in Herefordshire. The incumbency of the Rev. 1. Yarranton was terminated amidst considerable publicity given by the Redditch Indicator in the edition of Saturday. 19th November. l8~7 “The series of scares which have recently occurred in the
quiet neighbourhood of Wythall reached a climax on Monday morning
when it was reported that the vicar of the ecclesiastical parish
the Rev. T. Yarranton. M.A. had been found dead in bed. Mr. Yarranton
was, until quite recently. a hale and hearty old gentleman of upwards
of seventy years of age, but during the past six months his friends
have noticed a decided change for the worse in his appearance, as
though he was gradually breaking up. His illness has been aggravated
to a great extent by the recent robbery from a cottage nearby the
Vicarage by one of his own female servants, Mary Jones. who is now
in Worcester Gaol for the crime. This girl has been in the Viears
employ for seVeral years and was considered a most trust- worthy
servant, so that when she was convicted of house- breakiti~. the
shock to Mr. Yarranton was so great as to seriously affect his health—he
being a sufferer from heart disease. The deceased had been under
medical treatment from Dr. J. P. Gaunt of Alvechurch for a considerable
time and although he was in Church twice on Sunday last, it was
known that his condtion was very serious. When the reverend gentlemen
did not come down at his usual time on Monday morning and no response
was received to calls, the bedroom door which was locked- was burst
open and the reverend gentleman was found to be quite dead. apparently
having died some three hours pre- viously, Dr. Gaunt certified that
death was caused by heart disease, there was, therefore, no inquest.
The Rev. T. C. Yarranton had been Vicar for upwards of 30 years.
having come there from Beoley. and was unvcrsally respected by his
congregation and everyone with whom he came in contact. Great regret
is expressed in the neighbourhood by his death”. In 1889 Wythall Institute was erected by public subscription, for entertainments and concerts. It was endowed by the Mynors family with £1,800 consols producing £45 yearly, stock being in name of the administrative trustees. In 1892 a new incumbent arrived the Rev, Ambrose Morris. who was the son of Sir Samuel Morris of Bally Bregan Castle. Tralee. and who had previously held incumbencies in Guernsey and Old Charlton. He was a married man with definite family interests. his presence was impressive for he wore a full beard. heightening his aesthetic appearance. Mr. Morris was evidently a good admnistrator. for he immediately set about putting the affairs of the parish in order. On Easter Tuesday. 1892 he convened the first publicly announced meeting of the parishioners since 1860. This meeting was held at 12 noon on 19th April. for the purpose of electing churchwardens for the ensuing year—and for auditing the church accounts. At this meeting the election of churchwardens and other officers was carried through without comment, but when the church- wardens accounts were examined it was found “that on the expenses of the previous year there was a deficiency of £6.1 .3 together with two out- standing bills (unpaid) of £16.l.8d.. making altogether £222.1 Id.” At the next Vestry Meeting on 17th April, 1893, the churchwardens resigned apparently without giving notice to the Vicar, The meeting was therefore adjourned until 24th April when the Vicar nominated Sir James Johnstone as his Warden and the Rev. R. H. Mynors (of Weatheroak) was unani- mously elected Peoples Warden—The Church Accounts were examined. audited and passed. the outgoing churchwardens clearing off all debts; Sir James Johnstone and Rev. R. H. Mynors subscribing £1 each towards expenses of the ensuing year.” After this initial storm the parish settled down under its new Vicar. In 1895 it was decided to improve and enlarge the church organ. which work seems to have been executed and the second manual being added On 13th June. 1895. the Vicars Warden. Sir James Johnstone died sud- denly. haxing been thrown from his horse near Fulford Hall. A stone commemorating this event is to be seen today near the site of the accident. Mr. 1. Burman was appointed in his place. but at the next Vestry meeting the Vicar had once again to refer to the sudden death of his Warden. There seems to have been some difficulty in getting anyone to serve as Vicars Warden over the period of the next few years. and an appointment to this oflice was not made until the last year of Mr. Morris’s incumbency. At the last Vestry meeting with the Vicar in the chair, regret was expressed at the death of the Rev. R. H. Mynors (Churchwardefl for thirteen years) and also of the death of MrS. My furs. The offi~c of ehurchwarden was, however, kept within their family, for Miss Florence Mynors was elected Peoples Warden in succession to her father. It was also announced at this meeting that the Sunday morning offertory was to be discontinued and replaced with a monthly collection morning and evening. On 13th January. 1905 the Diocese of Birmingham was founded. Its hrst Bishop. the Right Rev. Charles Gore. M.A., was enthroned in the Cathedral on 2nd March, 1905. Bishop Gore was a well-known theologian. The new Diocese of Birmingham was comprised of the Rural Dcaneries of Birntiitgham City. Solihull, Edgbaston. Handsworth. Moseley, Smeth- wick, Aston. Bordesley, Coleshill. Polesworth, Sutton Coldfield, Yardley and Kings Norton. the latter which included the parish of St. ~4ary, Wythall. The Rev. Arthur Phclips M.A. (OXon) became Vicar in 1907- Ambrose Morris having resigned the living in 1906. Mr. Phelips had previously held curacies in Balsall Heath and Kings Norton and scrved as a minor Canon of Worcester Cathedral. Also, in the same year, Miss Burman gave a stained glass window to be placed in the north wall in memory of her parents. St. Marys Church was still without a to~ver but in 1908 the Misses Mynors proposed to give a tower to the church as a memorial to their parents, It was agreed that ‘this msgnificent and generous offer be cordially and gratefully accepted Thc. tower was to be in harmony with the church and to be finishLd with a gable roof and timber flôche, as seen in village chttrch~s in northLrn md eastern France. It xvas to be ~S foot square and 115 feet to thu top of the flâche. consisting of two stages rising above the nave roof-a ringing chamber and an open belfry containing a peal of eight tubular bells. The plans were prepared by Mr. W. H. Bidlalke. MA.. of 37 Waterloo Sinreet. Birmingham. and the contractor for the work was Mr. Harvey Gibbs of Kings Heath. The bells were hung by Messrs. Harrington Latham and Co. and the stone work was executed by Mr. David French of Kings Heath. Here again we quote from Sir Nikolaus Pevsners Worcestcrshire’X “The splendid central tower of 1908 .,. it is very high. of darker brick and its tipper parts all open zSO that one can see through ii. On each s~de are two very high two-light openings. richly shafted. The top is a saddlcback roof with an odd flêche in the middle and an equally odd polygon stair4urret running up one corner. The inspiration comes from C.l3 in Normandy. The design is of a high quality~and is indeed W. II. Bidlake.” The building of a new vestry was also considered and a stained glass window commemorating the ministry of Rev. Ambrose Morris. At a Vestry Meeting in 191)9 th~ Vicar stated “that this past year has been a remarkable one in the history of Wythall Church. in that it had seen the completion of the church by the addition of la tower and the addition of new’ vestries”. unfortunately, extensive dry~ rot1 had been discovered in the organ. and it was decided that the existing instrU- ment would have to be removed and ai new one installed, the cost of which was to be covered by public subscription. There was little delay in raising the money and a new organ was erected during the winter of 1909. The Morris memorial window, suggested earlier, was also completed in 1910 and installed in the south aisle. St. Francis’ Church. Hollywood. was opened in 1910 as a result of a Church Army Mission in lthe area and thrived under the~ leadership of a number of Church Army captains for the next thirty years. In 1913 a church room was built at Batemans Green. Hollywood on land given by Miss Florence Mynors. The owners were the Birmingham Diocesan Trustees. the Vicar of Wythall being the administrative Trustee. In this same year Mr. Phelips discovered in the living room of the Head Teachers house at FOrshaw Ueath School. a valuable Jacobean Holy Table, which in or about 1847 was removed from Solihull Parish Church and presented by the Rector of SolihulI to Forshaw Mission rooms. It was reported several years later that this Table has now been restored to its proper place in the church rooms’, and it has been in regular use at Holy Communion since that date. During the seven years of Mr. Phehps ministry at Wythall the social life of the parish was developed considerably. and one of the highlights of this period were the garden parties held at Weatheroak Hall. In 1915 the living was taken over by the Rev. Thomas Faulkner. who appears to have been something of a perfectionist. His special breakfasts at the Vicarage after Ascension Day Holy Communion are still remembered by some of the older inhabitants of the parish. When- ever he went visiting he was always accompanied by his large dog. With the coming of aerial warfare, some concern was felt for the preservation of the church tower against low-flying aircraft, and the churchwarden. Miss I-. Mynors. took out an insurance to cover this. At this time a gift of a piece of land for the erection of a Church School at Batentans Green. Hollywood was made by Mr. Howard Shuttleworth of Gravelly Hill, Erdington. Building has never taken place on this site, but income from its letting is retained by the Vicar and Church- wardens for church purposes. A special meeting of the Vestry held on Monday 15th D~zember 1919 decided upon the design of a war memorial. which was placed on the south wall during 1920. Throughout the whole Church at this time therc was a growing movement towards placing great responsibility upon the shoulders of the l’ty-pcoplc and so. in the Church of England. representation by the laity was brought about by the provision of the Enabling Act, which ordered that each parish should have a Parochial Church Council elected by the parishioners. The first election of the Parochial Church Council of St. Marys took place at Wy[hall Institute on Tuesday 13th April. 1920 at 7 p.m. Twenty-four parishioners were present and the Vicar presided. The follo~ving people were elected to the first Parochial Church Council Mrs. Archer Mr. Lycett In 1933 the Rev. I. G. Faulkner retired from active ministry, although he continued to live in the parish, and was succeeded by the Rev. J. S. Miller. BA.. a graduate of Trinity College. Dublin. who was instituted in the same year. after a curacy in Kings Norton preceded by many years as a missionary and teacher in China. Up to this date St. Marys had been lit with paraffin lamps necessitating a great deal of regular maintenance, but in 1934. through the generosity of Major Hadley and his wife. a system of electric lighting was installed. The hot water system was replaced in 1935 by a new system of hot air heating {which was later found to be inadequate) and a new hot water system was installed in 1956. In January 1939 the Royal Air Force Station at Wythall was opened. This began as a balloon barrage centre and later became a training school for interpreters and wireless operators. It was built on the site of Yew Tree Farm. which was demolished to make way for the station. St. Marys had a parish magazine dating from the middle of the nineteenth century. but in December 1940. because of War conditions it was found necessary to discontinue this publication. The question of resuming this ~as discussed in 1949 but it was decided to be too costly. Church fabric maintenance had caused the Parochial Church Council considerable concern for many years, so in 1949 a restoration fund was launched and during nine years raised over £1,000. On the occasion of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth 11. 2nd June. 1953, the whole of the community subscribed to a pair of oaken gates-which were dedicated by the Rev. F. 6. Ashford, Vicar of Kings Norton. After holding the incumhcncy of Wythall for twenty-four years, the Rev. J. S. Miller died in October 1957 and was succeeded by the Rev. C. F. Sharpe, the present incumbent. Before coming to Wythall, Mr. Shaipe had served as a curate in Falkirk. Scotland and at Kings Norton and had studied for the ministry at Ednburgh Theological College. He was also appointed Chaplain to the R.A.F. until the closing of the station in October 1959. At his institution by the Lord Bishop of Birmingham, the Rt. Rev. John Leonard Wilson, C.M.G.. M.A.. l).D., on Sunday 8th February, 1958. the sermon was preached by the Suffragan Bishop of Aston, the Rt. Rev. Clement St. Michael Parker. MA. Two Rural Deans were present and the Vicar was presented by the Vicar of Kings Norton, the Rev. F. G. Ashford, M.A.. who was patron of St. Mary’s. The Vicarage was obviously in need of drastic renovation and modern- isation before it could be occupied. Negotiations were immediately begun with the Diocesan Authorities together with the Church Commissioners and a scheme was drawn up. The work ~ not completed until November 1958, the Vicar and his family living in a caravan in the vicarage garden. and using the garage as a study. during the interim period. Within the first five years of his arrival the Vicar began plans for the Centenary of St. Marys Church in 1962. The Restoration Committee was disbanded and the St. Mary’s Centenary Appeal Committee formed. The more ambitious plans for the parish required financial backing and a scheme of planned giving was inaugurated in November 1958. A Youth Group (the Younger Generation Group) was begun under the leadership of the Reader, Mr. P. Hudson. and the womens activities were re-organised under the name of the Women’s Fellowship (which superseded the Mothers’ Union) with its Founder-President, Mrs. N. Parker. Later, a further wornens group for Young Wives was formed and a branch of the Church of England Mens Society inaugurated, also 2 band of people specially interested in the history and improvement of the church were formed into the Guild of St. Mary, Wythall. It was discovered that the Mission Church at Hollywood (St. Francis) was in such disrepair that its use for worship was impossible. Accordingly the Parochial Church Council recommended that this church be closed down and the Bishop cancelled the Licence on 13th February, 1959. In September 1959 a new Parish Magazine appeared-the Wythall Mes- setiger-which served its purpose until Christmas 1960 when St. Marys Journal came into being. There had been no confirmation services for twenty-nine years at St. Marys and much joy was felt when the Bishop of Birmingham. the Rt. Rev. J. L. Wilson, officiated on the 15th December, 1959. confirming some forty people. The first architects report on the condition of the church was received in March 1960 and revealed that at least £5000 was required to put the building in order. The remaining building at Hollywood. St. Francis Church Hall. was also found to be in bad repair. As it was mainly used by the Younger Generation Group the Parochial Church Council decided that it should be regarded as a Youth Centre. In consequence, the young people themselves immediately began a programme of repair. renovation and modernizing of the building. On Sunday 5th February. 1961. the Bishop of Birmingham celebrated Holy Communion at St. Marys. This was the first episcopal administration for seventy-five years. Application for a Faculty to make alterations and improvements to the interior and exterior of the church were made and received in 1961 and the work commenced accordingly. The Vicar inaugurated a Birthday Gift Fund~ and £550 was raised by the end of the year. During the Centenary celebrations in 1962. many special services were held. Most outstanding was the Centenary Re-Dedication Service at II a.m. on Sunday. 30th September. when the Bishop of Birmingham. the Rt. Rev. J. L. Wilson. blessed the Baptistry, the newly-arranged Mynors Chapel and the Sanctuary. The Vicar preached at a Festival Evensong and during the following week there was a Youth Service and Party- an Organ Recital and a children’s Parity at Silver Street School. An Exhibition of the History of Wythall and St. Marys Church was opened in Woodrush School on Saturday 6th October by Charles Parrish, Esq. of the Birmingham Library. and this proved to be of great interest to people from far and wide. The local newspapers carried reports and photographs of the exhibits. A 13 foot high scroll showing all~ Ehe dates of Importance relevant to Wythal] from as far back as 849 AD. was supported by maps and documents sketches-photographs, etc. There were many other fine exhibits including a Missionary display-old news- paper cuttings-old photographs-paintings by local schoolchildren, and visitors were able to watch the special edition of St. Marys Journal being duplicated and assembled. All organisations in the parish were represented and it was with much regret that the Exhibition closed down on Sunday evening. 7th October. The Bishop of ~ston (Rt. Rev. D. B. Porter) preached at a s~,ecial Harvest Festival Service on Sunday evening and in the ensuing week there was a Womens Fellowship Servicc (at which the preacher was the Rev. John Morris. Vicar of Longbridge) and a Community Service when all denominations in the district joined in worship at St. Marys. The choir at this service was composed of the Wythall Singers. and Canon Bryan Green (Rector of Birmingham) preached a memorable sermon. Towards the end of the month the Celebrations were concluded with a Car Treasure-Hunt----which was rotinded off with a hot supper in Wythall Institute. The Rev. 1. S. Miller had stated in 1945 that churchyard space would only be sufiicient for about another 12.18 months and the Parish Cmmncil accepted the responsibility fOr providing a further burial ground. Even- tually, after many disappointments regarding sites and costs. etc.. a piece of land at the corner of Middle Lane and Chapel Làné was purchased after a public meeting had approved the site, scheme and e~enditure. Further delays arose, but at last in October 1962 planning permission was granted and in April 1963 a tender for laying out was accepted. The first phase of development was over 2~ acres, with space for 646 single graves and the rest of the ground to be retained for use in future years. Wvthall House and estate-comprising 374 acres of grounds in Silver Street and beyond. was purchased by Wythall Community Associa- tion in 1965 and opened in August 1966 as a club for local residents. It has many very valuable amenities and there are plans to build a Community Hall in the near future. In 1967 a movement called lnterchurch was founded in Wythall- at the urgent insistence of a number of people who felt that they must seek areas of agreement between themselves, and whilst recognising differences, examine them rather than merely reiterate them. Much of the first year was taken up with an act of charity and service and 1967 saw the strengthening of the previous arrangements for the interdenomina- tional effort of Christian Aid Week. In January 1969. Interchurch organ- ganised its first service in conjunction with the Week of Prayer for Unity. Following years have seen many developments and a number of services have been held in churches Of variOus denominations, which many members of lnterchurch have attended. The Parochial Church Council inaugurated a policy of Churchyard Maintenance in 1969 and this involved the levelling of many graves and removal of damaged kerbs etc. A Diocesan policy regardittg Vicarages of over 100 years old, noss affected St. Marys Vicarage and in 1970 the Chapel Lane Vicarage was sold and the Vicar and his family moved to a house at 27 Lea Green Lane which had been purchased for the new Vicarage. Weatheroak Hall and its estate-near the top of Weatheroak Hill -was purchased by Kings Norton Golf Club in 1970, as they had sold their old course (or building land. The Hall was extended-a Bar and restaurant built and a great deal of work done on the estate to make a very splendid Golf Course up to Thternational Standards. This was opened in 1971 when many well known professional golfers and stars of entertainment took part in a tournament to mark the event. A vergers Staff, made of brass and believed to be more than 100 years old, was found behind the organ at St. Mary's Church in 1971. When discovered, it was black with dirt and appeared to he merely a stick. After intensive cleaning it was shown to have the letters SM. on its head and it is most probable that this was the original verge of the church-carried in ecclesiastical processions and used as the vergers staff of office. It is now used at Festival times and special occasions. There are four good schools in Wythall and the oldest one in the records was Silvermead. This began its life in 1883 as. Silverr Street School and before that it was housed elsewhere as Kingswood (Board) School. Prior to 1911 the school was administered by Kings Norton and Northfield U.D.C. and after that date came under the Worcestershire County Council. Originally the school catered for children of all ages. but when the Woodrush School opened in 1957. the older children were transferred there and Silvermead School now caters for the 7-Il year age group. of which there are about S5() on its roll Woodrush County Secondary School was httilt in Shawhurst Lane and was opened in 1957. The school has its own swimming pool and many special rooms for the study of individual subjects. It is administered by the Worcestershire County Council and in 1972 it became Woodrush High School. When Meadow Green School opened in 1963 it took over all the pupils from the old St. Mary's School. but as time progressed the numbers swelled alarmingly and it was then decided to build a ness Primary School. A site was found in Shawhurst Lane and the school - called Shawhurst Primary School - was eventually opened in 1968. A parish history deals, of necessity. with outstanding events. h must not be forgotten, however, that behind the events recorded thcre is the constant, faithful Witness of the people of the parish. Without them there would be no history. This book is more than -a record of the beginnings of the Church history in Wythall and its development. It is intended to inspire the people of this and ftiture generations who worship at St. Marys to strive for greater things in the years to come. C F Sharpe and H V F Goodger |
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