Bournville
St Francis Appeal: Overview of planned work
Patrons
Sir Adrian Cadbury
former chairman Cadbury Schweppes
Hon. Ald. Ian McArdle
former Lord Mayor of Birmingham
Ven. Hayward Osborn
Archdeacon of Birmingham
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Bournville Parish Church
St Francis of Assisi
and
The St Francis
Youth & Community Centre
Reg. Charity no. 503324 |
| In 2005 St Francis, Bournville, completed
92 years of service to the local community. The Church
Hall (now part of the Community Centre) was built in
1913, and the church building was consecrated in 1925.
Although the plant was very well built, after this many
years some things are beginning to wear out. There are
now several essential repairs and improvements to the
buildings which are needed in order to maintain them
in good condition and to make them more accessible and
available to the community. |
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The most important and serious
repair needed is the church and church hall roof. The
iron nails which secure the roof tiles are beginning
to perish and the tiles are slipping. Not only is this
potentially dangerous to those below, it puts the rest
of the fabric of the building at risk from water damage.
The clay tiles themselves will need replacing within
the next ten to twenty years. To conserve the whole building
we need to replace all the roof tiles. This also presents
the opportunity of improving the insulation which will
reduce heating costs. Replacing the roof also gives us
the opportunity to renew the cast-iron gutters and downspouts
which are heavily corroded. The estimated cost of this
urgent and vital work is £120,000.
Essential repairs
are needed to the heating system. We need to replace the
old cast-iron pipe work in the church, which
after 80 years has worn out and begun to leak (£8,000
- achieved). Similar work is required in the hall of the community
centre at a further cost of £8,000. |
| We are required to improve the ramped access
at the South entrance of the church for people in wheelchairs
or with pushchairs. This will enable us to conform to
the access requirements for public buildings in the Disability
Discrimination Act. The proposal includes raising the
platform area outside the church to the same level as
the church floor and then rebuilding the sloped path
from the pavement to the platform. Work will be done
to the doors to increase ease of opening, and inside
the porch the lighting will be improved and the uneven
floor repaired (estimated cost £12,000). |
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A new lighting scheme for the church will improve the facilities
for concerts, community performances, and church services.
The new scheme will be more flexible and will also enhance
the architectural beauty of the church. Some areas of the church
are poorly lit at present especially the entrances, the baptistery
and the East Apse. The proposed scheme will be more energy
efficient and require less maintenance (estimated cost £24,000).
The grounds surrounding the church and at the front of the
community centre have become worn and are looking unsightly.
This is of concern to the community of Bournville (and especially
to couples getting married at St Francis). Because the church
stands at the heart of a conservation area which attracts many
visitors each year it is important for the church grounds to
be in good order. A scheme has been drawn up in consultation
with Bournville Village Trust. This includes the planting of
a low hedge around the perimeter and terracing a grass bank
(which is very worn through misuse by BMX bikes). Also repairing
stone walls at the front of the centre and raising one wall
to protect the roots of a large tree. Replanting a flowerbed
at the west end of the church and re-turfing the grass lawn.
The paving slabs on main paths to the church need relaying
for safety reasons. The total cost of this re-landscaping the
grounds of the church is £20,000.
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Other works to be carried out through this
Appeal include the complete redecoration of the interior
of the church (£20,000). This is needed to repair
damage to some of the plasterwork, including cracks above
many arches and at the west end. We will also fit a new
carpet for the central Nave aisle and back of church
(£6,000 to pay for this has been given by church
members). Planned work to repair and clean the church’s
fine organ is estimated at £10,000. This will help
to uphold and strengthen the long-standing musical tradition
at St Francis Church. |
In the St Francis Youth and Community Centre we are also planning
significant refurbishment: new flooring (including non-slip
safety flooring in hallways and kitchen areas); redecoration
throughout; new carpets and restoring of wooden floors [this
work has been undertaken thanks to £10,000 NRF grant].
A new kitchen to conform with the highest health and safety
/ food hygiene regulations (important for the elderly lunch
club, community functions and the before school club (for breakfasts).
The ladies’ toilets also need urgent refurbishment. We
also plan a refurbishment of the coffee bar, which serves drinks
to the Youth Club and Adult education classes.
Included in the Appeal, but funded by subscription, is new
stained glass window to commemorate a life of service to the
local community. This is in memory of Pat Fulford, who served
the church and the Youth and Community Centre as administrator
for 31 years. The cost will be £4,000. The window has
been designed and will be made by a local artist.
Sir Adrian Cadbury writes:
The Church of St Francis was consecrated in 1925 on ground
which had been set aside for an Anglican Church. It was designed
by Alexander Harvey, the gifted architect responsible for
the development of Bournville, and completed my Grandfather’s
plan for the Green. From then on, the Church and its Community
Centre have stood at the heart of Bournville. After eighty
years of dedication to meeting the needs of the community,
we must ensure that they continue to meet those needs in
a changing world. They are part of the Bournville inheritance
and it is up to us to maintain that inheritance. Please join
us in the vital task of renewing the fabric of the Church
and Community Centre and all that they stand for.
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History
Welcome to Bournville Parish Church, which is dedicated
to Saint Francis of Assisi. It is a place of calm and beauty
and a place of prayer beloved by those who worship here. We hope
you will experience its peace and leave refreshed.
George Cadbury always intended there to be an Anglican church as part of
his ‘garden village’. Land was set aside for a Church and Church
Hall by Bournville Village Trust in 1905. The Hall was built in 1913 and
the completed Church was consecrated in 1925. The architect, William Alexander
Harvey, designed the church on the early Christian basilica style. He created
an open space, filled with light, which is simple but not plain. |
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The Baptistry is within the apse at the back
of the church (the west end). The font is not the original,
but one given as a memorial in 1984. It is of Portland stone
and was designed and made by John Poole. Carved on the font
are the words, ‘For by one Spirit are we all baptized
into one body’, from 1 Corinthians 12:13.
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| Turn from the Baptistry and look down the main
aisle to the Altar. Behind the Altar is the Reredos curtain which
was designed and worked by Anne Hemming at the Bournville College
of Art. The design is a depiction of St. Francis' Canticle of
the Sun.
"All praise
be yours, my Lord,
through all that you have made,
And first my lord Brother Sun,
Who brings the day; and light
you gave to us through him."
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Walk down the aisle to the Lectern. Although
the design of an eagle perched on a globe is familiar, this
particular one is special because it was made in 1920 by one
of the earliest members of the congregation. Francis Thomas
Ames of Sycamore Road, Bournville, a very able metal worker,
cast it at the end of his garden. The cost of the Lectern, £100.00,
was met by the teachers and children of the Sunday School.
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Go up the step towards the altar into the Chancel.
On your left is the Organ, built by Messrs Nicholson & Co.
of Worcester. It was given to the Church by Cadbury Brothers
and had originally been situated in The Girls' Dining Room
in the Bournville Works.
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Here in the Chancel the Reredos can be seen
more clearly as can the Cross and Candlesticks on the Altar.
These were given in memory of Roland Cartland, M.P. who was
killed at Dunkirk. They were designed by W. Alexander Harvey.
The Standard of the Dunkirk Veterans' Association is laid up
in the Church and is situated beside the memorial to those
who fell in the 1939-1945 conflict.
Turn to the right to enter the Chapel which was designed by Selby Clewer
and built in 1966. The Chapel was given by Laurence and Joyce Cadbury
in memory of three of their children. The commemorative tablet is to
be found at the main entrance to the Chapel. The Aumbry and Light and
the Dove Corbel are further examples of John Poole's work.
Just outside the Chapel on the south
wall there is a Memorial Window. It was given in memory
of Lt. Christopher Barclay, R.N. who was killed on
duty in March 1953. The window was designed and made
by two local artists, Nora Yoxall and Elsie Whitford.
Quae sursum sunt quaerite.
Seek those things which are above.
Colossians 3:1
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The Scottish granite pillars of the Church are
capped by beautifully carved Capitals. The outer four were carved
by William Bloye when the Church was built. The remaining six
are the work of John Poole.
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On leaving the Church and reaching the top of
the steps, it is worth turning to look back. This is the best
place from which to see the carved wooden Tympanum above the
door. This was carved by William Bloye and shows the famous
scene of St. Francis preaching to the birds.
Walk round to the other side of the Church to the south
door where there is a second Tympanum. This depicts St. Francis,
Builder of the Church, carved by John Poole.
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