Birmingham Attractions

St. Philip's Cathedral

In the heart of Birmingham is the baroque style cathedral known as The Cathedral Church of Saint Philip.  The cathedral is situated on raised ground, quite close to the Bull Ring, on Colmore Row and was designed by the architect Thomas Archer. Built in the years 1710 to 1725 and consecrated in 1715, this was originally a parish church for the Church of England, but due to the rise of parishes around the country, this wonderful church was upgraded to cathedral status around 1905.  Many wealthy parishioners and businessmen contributed to the construction and interior decoration of the cathedral.

A local land owner by the name of Robert Philips donated the land (originally The Barley Close) to the Church of England for its construction.  The church was subsequently dedicated to the Apostle Philip in honour of Robert Philips.  Starting in 1710 and taking 15 years to complete, the building eventually cost a quarter of the original expected cost due to large donations of materials and arts from wealthy local parishioners.

The design of the St. Philips has influences mostly from Rome and Central Italy and in particular the interior supports and capitals.  Stone quarried and donated by Thomas Archer from his estate at Umbeslade, covered the inner construction of the building presenting a magnificent exterior.  Grand pilasters, each supporting ornate urns surround the building and between these pilasters are great tall windows, spilling light into the wonderful interior from all angles. The stone exterior was later replaced by Mr J A Chatwin, a principal designer, in the late 1800’s, along with other internal alterations, as the stone proved too soft for the elements. 

At the eastern and western end of the cathedral there are the original, unique windows which were donated by a local parishioner, Edward Burne-Jones.  These windows were removed by the thoughtful Birmingham Civic Society during World War II for safekeeping.  The cathedral was bombed in World War II in 1940 and fully restored shortly after the war, with the magnificent Edward Burnes-Jones’s windows rein-stated at the same time. In the library rooms, erected by the parsonage house, by the Revd Spencer Madan, in 1792, is a theological library, which The Revd William Higgs bequeathed to the cathedral.  The library was named the Parochial Library.

The tower at the western end of the cathedral housed the bells.  The original eight bells, a gift from Joseph Smith of Edgbaston, in 1725, were increased to 10 bells, but eventually replaced 25 years later.  Hung within a huge wooden framework, the bells were recast by Thomas Lester of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London and made larger than the originals.  However, due to the decline of the wooden frame and the western tower, the bells were once again recast, this time by the Bell founders, Gillett and Johnston of Croydon, in 1937.  Today the bells, twelve in total, are situated by the bottom of large windows and supported and hung on a large cast iron frame.

The grand organ of the cathedral still has some original parts dating back as far as 1715, when it was first constructed for St Philips by Schwarbrick and stood in the Gallery.  It has long since been restored and altered many times with new parts replacing some of the old worn out ones and most recently restored by the firm, Nicholson’s, about 15 years ago.  The main organist is Marcus Huxley, who is also the director of music for the cathedral and manages the very successful choir.

The Cathedral Church of Saint Philips, although not a large building compared to the UK’s other cathedrals, is a vital part of the Diocese of Birmingham and seat to the Bishop of Birmingham.  Today, the cathedral is a Grade I listed Building and very much in use.