St Nicolas' Church, Kings Norton, is the Anglican parish church of Kings Norton, in the Diocese of Birmingham, West Midlands, England.
A church has been located on this site as early as the 11th century when the Normans built a small, rectangular chapel. It is not known if this was the result of a rebuild of a previous church.[1] A church on this site has been recorded in documents since 1213.[2] The current St Nicolas's Church dates from the early 13th century,[3] and the spire was constructed between 1446 and 1475.[2] The Norman building was demolished in the 14th century when a new nave, both aisles and the chancel arch were constructed.[clarification needed] In the 17th century, almost the whole of the south aisle was re-built, the chancel was re-roofed and the low pitched roof that covered the nave from the 15th century was replaced by a much steeper version. Both north aisle and south aisle were given four separate, high pitched roofs set side by side.[1] A parish was assigned to the church in 1846.[1]
The church was restored in 1863 by Ewan Christian and again in 1871 by W. J. Hopkins.[4] It is a Grade I listed building.[5]
In 1898 the church started a mission in Cotteridge which later became St Agnes' Church, Cotteridge.
The Revd W. V. Awdry, author of The Railway Series including Thomas the Tank Engine was a curate from 1940 to 1946. The church stands next to the historic buildings of Saracen's Head, recently restored and named Saint Nicolas Place. On 11 October 2021 a plaque was unveiled inside the church bearing an engraving of Thomas.[6]
The churchyard, which has been extended to the west and (across a private road) to the north, contains war graves of eleven service personnel of World War I and seven of World War II.[7]
The church has ten bells with a tenor weight of 17 long cwt 1 qr 6 lb (1,938 lb or 879 kg). The ringing chamber is accessed via a wooden staircase of 54 steps.[8]
The ringing practice takes place every Tuesday from 19:45 to 21:00, and Sunday service ringing is from 09:50 to 10:30
There is a poem "The New Bell Wake" about these bells.[9]
Parts of the organ date from 1857 by J. Halmshaw, but it has been expanded and restored several times since. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.
general
This is the start of the #general chat. #general is a chat channel to discuss anything related to the hub.
