St Mary's Convent, Handsworth

52°29′53″N 1°54′54″W / 52.4980°N 1.9150°W / 52.4980; -1.9150Grid referenceSP0586488903Public accessYes

St Mary's Convent is a house for the community of the local Sisters of Mercy in Birmingham. Although it is situated between the Lozells and Hockley parts of the city, the community also serves the parish in Handsworth. It was founded in 1840 and was designed by Augustus Pugin. On 25 April 1952 it was designated as a Grade II* listed building by English Heritage.^[1]

History

Foundation

In 1840, the Sisters of Mercy came to Birmingham at the invitation of Nicholas Wiseman. At the time he was coadjutor bishop of Thomas Walsh, the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District.

They set up a convent with the help of many interested parties. John Hardman of Hardman & Co. who lived opposite donated the land for them. The cost of building the convent was met by Hardman and the Earl of Shrewsbury who donated £2000. They then commissioned Augustus Pugin to design the building for them.

The chapel of the convent, dedicated to Saint Mary served as the parish church until 1847.^[1]^[2]

St Mary's Church

In 1845, with the local Catholic population increasing, the convent chapel was no longer large enough to accommodate the congregation. So they decided to build a larger church next to the convent.^[3]

In July 1847, St Mary's Church was opened and consecrated by Bishop William Wareing. After St Francis of Assisi Church was built opposite the convent in 1894, St Mary's Church became the convent chapel.^[2]

However, St Mary's Church was destroyed during World War II and not rebuilt. The site of the church is now occupied by St Francis Catholic Primary School. The school has a close relationship with the convent next door who have a representative on the school's board of governors.^[4]

Exterior

View along Hunters Road
Side of the convent

References

^ ^a ^b British Listed Buildings retrieved 13 April 2013
^ ^a ^b Slevin, Malachy St Francis Church Handsworth (Birmingham, 1994), pp.1-17
^ Lozells from William Dargue - A History of Birmingham retrieved 13 April 2013
^ Governors from St Francis Catholic School, retrieved 14 April 2013

External links

St. Mary's Centre

Buildings and structures in Birmingham, England

Highrise
(in height order)

Civic

Main railway stations

Moor Street
New Street
Snow Hill
Other stations

Universities

Hospitals

Current	Children's City Good Hope Orthopaedic Queen Elizabeth Women's
Defunct	Accident General Old Queen Elizabeth Selly Oak Witton Isolation

Religious

Christian	Ascension, Hall Green St Agatha, Sparkbrook St Agnes, Moseley St Alban, Highgate St Andrew, Handsworth St Anne, Moseley St Anne, Digbeth St Augustine, Edgbaston St Barnabas, Erdington St Bartholomew, Edgbaston St Benedict's, Bordesley Bishop Latimer, Winson Green St Catherine, Bristol Street St Chad's Cathedral St Cyprian, Hay Mills St David, Shenley Green St Edburgha, Yardley St Edward, Selly Park Erdington Abbey SS Faith & Laurence, Harborne St Francis, Bournville St Francis, Handsworth St Gabriel, Weoley Castle St George, Edgbaston St Giles, Sheldon Handsworth Cemetery Chapel Holy Trinity, Birchfield Holy Trinity & St Luke Holy Trinity, Sutton Coldfield St James, Handsworth St John, Ladywood St John, Perry Barr St John, Sparkhill St Laurence, Northfield St Lazar, Bournville St Martin, Bull Ring St Mark, Washwood Heath St Mary, Acocks Green St Mary, Handsworth St Mary, Moseley St Mary, Selly Oak St Mary's Convent Methodist Central Hall St Michael & All Angels, Bartley Green St Michael, Handsworth St Michael, Moor Street St Nicolas, Kings Norton Oratory St Paul, Birmingham St Paul, Lozells St Peter, Harborne SS Peter & Paul, Aston St Philip's Cathedral St Silas, Lozells Stechford Baptist
Islamic	Central Mosque Darul Barakaat Ghamkol Shariff Green Lane Jami
Jewish	Central Synagogue Singers Hill
Sikh	Guru Nanak, Handsworth
Hindu	Shree Geeta Bhawan

Houses

Hotels

Pubs

Complexes

Art and theatres

Museums

Sports venues

Other

Demolished

v t e Archdiocese of Birmingham
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham
Archbishops and bishops of Birmingham I: William Bernard Ullathorne II: Edward Ilsley III: John McIntyre IV: Thomas Leighton Williams V: Joseph Masterson VI: Francis Grimshaw VII: George Dwyer VIII: Maurice Couve de Murville IX: Vincent Nichols X: Bernard Longley
Churches St Chad's Cathedral - Metropolitan Cathedral Church and Basilica of St Chad St John the Evangelist Church, Banbury St Francis of Assisi Church, Bedworth Birmingham Oratory Erdington Abbey, Birmingham Our Lady Help of Christians, Tile Cross, Birmingham Our Lady and St Brigid, Northfield, Birmingham Our Lady and St Rose of Lima, Weoley Castle, Birmingham St Anne's Church, Birmingham St Catherine of Siena Church, Birmingham St Edward's Church, Selly Park, Birmingham St Francis of Assisi Church, Handsworth, Birmingham St Mary's Church, Harborne, Birmingham St Michael's Church, Birmingham St Mary and St Modwen Church, Burton-on-Trent St Giles' Church, Cheadle Holy Trinity Church, Chipping Norton St Osburg's Church, Coventry St Peter and St Paul and St Elizabeth Church, Coughton Church of the Sacred Heart and St Catherine, Droitwich Spa St Peter's Church, Leamington Spa Holy Trinity Church, Newcastle-under-Lyme Our Lady of the Angels Church, Nuneaton St Anne's Church, Nuneaton Oxford Oratory St Edmund and St Frideswide Church, Oxford‎ Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Redditch St Marie's Church, Rugby St Austin's Church, Stafford Our Lady of the Angels and St Peter in Chains Church, Stoke-on-Trent St Mary's Church, Uttoxeter St Mary's Church, Walsall Church of Our Lady and St Hubert, Warley St Mary Immaculate Church, Warwick St Mary and St John Church, Wolverhampton St Peter and St Paul's Church, Wolverhampton St George's Church, Worcester
Patronal Feasts of the Diocese Saint Chad (2 March) Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (8 December)
Schools Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School Bishop Challoner Catholic College Bishop Milner Catholic College Bishop Ullathorne Roman Catholic School Bishop Walsh Catholic School Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College Blessed George Napier Roman Catholic School Blessed William Howard Catholic School Cardinal Griffin Catholic College Cardinal Newman Catholic School and Community College Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School, Coventry Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School, Birmingham Greyfriars Catholic School Hagley Roman Catholic High School Holy Trinity Catholic Academy of Stafford and Stone Holy Trinity Catholic School, Birmingham John Henry Newman Catholic College The Oratory Preparatory School The Oratory School Our Lady and St Chad Catholic Academy Painsley Catholic College Princethorpe College Rye St Antony School St Augustine's High School, Redditch St Benedict's Catholic High School, Alcester St Dominic's Grammar School St Dominic's Priory School, Stone St Edmund Campion Catholic School St Edmund's Catholic Academy St Francis of Assisi Catholic College St John Fisher Catholic College St John Wall Catholic School St Joseph's College, Stoke-on-Trent St Margaret Ward Catholic Academy St Mary Immaculate Catholic Primary School St Paul's School for Girls, Birmingham St Peter's Catholic School, Solihull St Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, Birmingham St Thomas More Catholic Academy St Thomas More Catholic School, Nuneaton St Thomas More Catholic School, Willenhall Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School Trinity Catholic School
See also: Newman University St Mary's College, Oscott Maryvale Institute Cotton College Harvington Hall Philip Pargeter St Mary's Abbey, Colwich St Mary's Convent, Handsworth Carmelite Monastery, Wolverhampton Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy The Friary, Oxford Apostolic Vicariate of the Midland District
Catholicism portal England portal Staffordshire portal Oxfordshire portal