St Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham

The Cathedral from the rear
The Cathedral from the rear

St Philip's Cathedral is a Church of England cathedral, in Colmore Row, Birmingham, England, dedicated to St Philip.

It was completed in 1715 as a parish church when St Martin's was insufficient for Birmingham's growing population, designed in the then-fashionable Baroque style by architect Thomas Archer. It was enlarged in the late 19th century by J.A. Chatwin. It gained cathedral status in 1905, when the diocese of Birmingham was created (Birmingham was made a city in 1889). The first bishop was Charles Gore, Bishop of Worcester.

Built of brick and faced with stone, it has stained glass windows by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, and is claimed to be the smallest English cathedral.

During the Second World War The Birmingham Civic Society were responsible for saving the Burne-Jones stained glass windows of the Cathedral from exposure to bomb damage, by having them removed and later reinstalled. In the interim, most of the other windows were blown out by heavy bombing and so it may be said that the continued existence of these fine windows is due to the foresight and prompt action of the Society.

It is a Grade I listed building, with six other listed monuments in the churchyard. Memorials in the grounds include one to the victims of the Birmingham pub bombings.


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