Where is St Anne's Church?

St Anne's Church is at 96 Bradford Street, Deritend, Digbeth, Birmingham, B12 0PB. Also located on Alcester Street.

 

In brief

St Anne's is a Roman Catholic Church built from 1883 to 1884 by Albert Vicars in the Early English style in red brick with blue brick and stone dressings. J. R. R. Tolkien worshiped here when he lived in Moseley. It has links to Cardinal John Henry Newman, who founded a chapel on Alcester Street nearby in 1849. The church has been associated with the Birmingham Irish community for many years. It has been Grade II listed since 2021.

St Anne's (RC) Church from Alcester Street, Digbeth (March 2013). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

St Anne's RC Church - history

Cardinal John Henry Newman founded a chapel on Alcester Street in Digbeth (Deritend) in 1849, which was an old distillery.

Newman relocated to Edgbaston in 1852, but a plot of land at the corner of Bradford Street and Alcester Street was available.

A new church was built by Albert Vicars, and constructed by Barker and Son of Handsworth between 1883 and 1884, with the former distillery demolished.

St Anne's (RC) Church from Alcester Street, Digbeth (March 2013). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

There was changes to the church in the middle of the 20th century.

The gothic high alter was replaced within the sanctuary, and the screens between the sanctuary and the side chapels.

Later in the 20th century saw further alterations, including the removal of the stone pulpit.

St Anne's (RC) Church from Alcester Street, Digbeth (March 2013). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

The church had been associated with a presbytery located at the north corner of Alcester Street and Bradford Street, which was built in the 1950s.

The original prestbytery was demolished in the late 20th century and the land was used for car parking.

St Anne's (RC) Church from Alcester Street, Digbeth (April 2015). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Further renovations took place around the year 2000 with a new decorative stencilled paint scheme applied to the sanctuary and side chapels.

The nave piers were also painted at the time and a new entrance porch built on the north elevation of the church.

St Anne's (RC) Church from Alcester Street, Digbeth (April 2015). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Derelict land next to the church towards Lombard Street was to be St Anne's Court, work to build this began around 2017, but it got stalled when the developer went bust.

By 2020 to 2021 this got replaced by Digbeth One 2.

St Anne's (RC) Church from Alcester Street, Digbeth (April 2015). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Lost views of St Anne's Church

With the completion of Digbeth One 2, it is no longer possible to see St Anne's Church from certain views.

 

View over the hoardings on Lombard Street towards St Anne's Church in 2013

St Anne's (RC) Church from Lombard Street, Digbeth (September 2013). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

In 2014, a view from the Bradford Street and Lombard Street corner towards St Anne's Church over the hoardings of the site.

St Anne's (RC) Church from Lombard Street, Digbeth (July 2014). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

In 2016, you could see St Anne's Church from the no 50 bus on Bradford Street, over the site of St Anne's Court.

St Anne's (RC) Church from Bradford Street, Digbeth (April 2016). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

By 2017, St Anne's Court was under construction, and you could still see St Anne's Church from this Bradford Street view. But this development was never completed and got replaced by Digbeth One 2 in 2020.

St Anne's (RC) Church from Bradford Street, Digbeth (August 2017). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

St Anne's seen with all the new modern apartment buildings that have been going up around the Bradford Street area.

St Anne's (RC) Church from the Library of Birmingham Skyline Viewpoint (July 2023). Photography by Elliott Brown

 

Contact details

St Anne's Catholic Church

Rev Fr Robert Murphy

St. Anne's Office

96 Bradford Street

Digbeth

Birmingham

B12 0PB

Or:

English Martyrs Presbytery

Evelyn Road

Sparkhill

Birmingham

B11 3JN

Tel: 0121 753 4457 / 0121 772 2780

Email addresses: stannedigbeth.bham@rcaob.org.uk or ​englishmartyrs.bham@rcaob.org.uk