St Luke's Church, Blakenhall
St Luke's Church, Blakenhall
52°34′20.21″N 2°7′47.28″W / 52.5722806°N 2.1298000°W / 52.5722806; -2.1298000
LocationBlakenhall
CountryEngland
DenominationNone
Previous denominationChurch of England
ChurchmanshipConservative Evangelical
History
StatusDeconsecrated
DedicationSt Luke
Consecrated18 July 1861
Architecture
Functional statusParish church
Heritage designationGrade II* listed
Architect(s)George Thomas Robinson
Groundbreaking1860
Completed1861
Closed2017
Administration
DioceseDiocese of Lichfield
ArchdeaconryArchdeaconry of Walsall
DeaneryWolverhampton
ParishWolverhampton St Luke
Clergy
Bishop(s)The Rt Revd Rod Thomas (AEO)
Vicar(s)The Revd Richard Espin-Bradley

St Luke's Church, Blakenhall is a Grade II* listed[1] former parish church in the Church of England in Blakenhall, Wolverhampton.[2]

History

The foundation stone was laid on 26 June 1860 by Revd. W. Dalton, vicar of St Philip's Church, Penn.[3] It was designed by the architect G. T. Robinson of Leamington Spa, and was consecrated by the Bishop of Lichfield on 18 July 1861.[4] A set of eight bells were installed in 1897 by James Barwell of Birmingham,[5] and are the last complete ring of bells to be cast by that founder.[6]

Pevsner describes the church as furiously unruly.

Present use

In 2014 it was announced that parts of the tower and spire were unsafe and the roof and floor had dry rot. The Diocese of Lichfield was seeking formal closure of the church as the congregation was unable to raise funding to match that offered by English Heritage to repair the church.[7] In 2016 a petition to save the building from demolition gained over 1,500 signatures.[8][9] The church closed in 2017, and while several groups were interested in purchasing it, including a Sikh congregation, the building is now used as an antiques shop.[10][11][12] The former congregation now meets in St. Luke's School a short distance away.[13]

Also within the parish is a tin tabernacle on Pond Lane, used as a Mission hall.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "Church of St Luke, Wolverhampton". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  2. ↑ The Buildings of England. Staffordshire. Nikolaus Pevsner. Penguin Books. ISBN 0140710469 p.322
  3. ↑ "New Church at Wolverhampton". Staffordshire Advertiser. Stafford. 30 June 1860. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  4. ↑ "Blakenhall Church, St Luke's". Staffordshire Advertiser. Stafford. 13 July 1861. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "Tower details". dove.cccbr.org.uk. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  6. ↑ "Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers". dove.cccbr.org.uk. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  7. ↑ "Legal move to close disused Wolverhampton church as cost of repairs to building tops £1m". Express and Star. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  8. ↑ "We will not let church where Wolves were first formed be bulldozed, clergywoman vows". www.expressandstar.com. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  9. ↑ "Save St Lukes, Blakenhall, Wolverhampton | 38 Degrees". you.38degrees.org.uk. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  10. ↑ "St Luke, Blakenhall - Wolverhampton, City of | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  11. ↑ "Sikh group's plans for Wolves church to become community centre". www.expressandstar.com. 4 February 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  12. ↑ Bagdi, Annabal (16 June 2018). "Wolverhampton church saved from demolition set to open as antiques emporium". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  13. ↑ "Sunday". St Luke's Church Wolverhampton. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  14. ↑ "Pond Lane Mission Hall". www.achurchnearyou.com. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
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