A brief history

The church of All Saints was consecrated in July 1860 as a daughter church of St Mary’s, Moseley. It was considerably smaller than the present building, but designed in such a way that it could be enlarged at a later date. The church accommodated 430 people and 150 of the places were rented. Some of the present pews are still numbered for that reason.

The services were administered by Revd R.J. Villiers, curate of St Mary’s, but in January 1863, Kings Heath became a parish in its own right and Revd R.J. Villiers was appointed as the first vicar. In 1866 a spire was added to the church as a gift from the Misses Anderton of Moseley and in 1870 a Vicarage was built.

In 1882 the north aisle and choir vestry were added so that the church could now accommodate 577 people. A further extension at the west end was considered but had to be delayed because of lack of funds.

John Cartland of the Priory, Vicarage Road, died in 1888. He had generously given both time and money to the church and a new reredos at the back of the altar was erected in his memory. When, four years later his wife Ann died, the family erected not only the wrought iron screen, but also an alabaster memorial in the couple’s memory.

In 1899 the west end of the church was added with two more vestries and the seating now numbered 907. Revd W.J. Roxburgh was appointed vicar in 1907 and he saw the need for a small chapel where regular weekday services could be held, so some of the pews in the south aisle were removed and an altar placed at the east end. The stained-glass window of the Annunciation in the Lady Chapel is dedicated to the Revd W. J. Roxburgh and his wife. Pew rents were finally abolished in December 1916. A memorial to those men killed in the first war was put in place in 1923 and contains the names of over 150 men, including two members of the Cartland family. At the same time a calvary was erected in the churchyard with the date of the second war added in 1947.

By 1948 the churchyard was closed for burials, so the gravestones were laid flat and a Garden of Remembrance created on the north side for ashes. A year later the font was removed from its rather cramped position by the south door and a new baptistry created at the west end of the church.

All Saints as a church started thinking about new developments under Rev John Wilkinson in 1997 and after widespread local consultation, planning permission for changes was approved in 2005. In 2007 work started on the first phase including demolishing the old Vicarage. In 2008 the All Saints Medical Centre was opened, alongside new rooms at the back of church, and work started on a Café and Welcome Space. In 2011 the new hall came into operation.

The Village Square design and consultation process took place in 2009. Changes made, which included creating a labyrinth and space for other events such as Farmers’ and craft markets, were completed in 2011. The 10th anniversary of the opening of the Village Square was celebrated in 2021.

There is further information on the historic buildings website about the listed parts of the building