Heritage designation Grade II* listed Completed 1967 Designated as world heritage site 18 February 1999 | Denomination Roman Catholic Groundbreaking 1966 Opened 1967 | |
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Similar Cathedral Basilica of the Imma, Royal Birmingham Society of, Highbury - Birmingham, Forest of Arden Hotel and, Digbeth Branch Canal | ||
Our Lady Help of Christians is a Grade II* listed catholic church in Tile Cross, Birmingham. Built in 1966-1967 and designed by Richard Gilbert Scott of Giles Scott, Son and Partner. The church is active with Sunday mass at 10:00 and 18:00. The nearby Our Lady's Catholic Primary School is associated with the church.
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Architecture
The church was designed by Richard Gilbert Scott, son of renowned architect Giles Gilbert Scott. It has a subtly polygonal T-shaped plan which allows a forward altar surrounded by the congregation. Above the altar the roof is partly formed by extraordinary curved serrated ribbed trusses of reinforced concrete, faced externally with copper cladding. Inside the stained glass is by John Chrestien.
The church demonstrates many of the ideas enshrined in De Sacra Liturgia of 1963 and the Catholic Church's pronouncements on forward altars and centralised planning made in 1964, but it is no mere auditorium of worship; every element is carefully conceived, demonstrating and integration of architecture, engineering and stained glass art.
The building featured in the book, 100 Buildings, 100 Years, published by the Twentieth Century Society in 2014.
Organ
The church has a Rowntree & Brennan II Box Organ dating from 1975. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.