St Chrysostom’s Church, Hockley

St Chrysostom’s Church stands in Park Road, Hockley, a former Church of England building now removed from its site. The church opened in 1888, designed by John Cotton and built in a single year. Its nave had low aisles and double transepts, with a baptistery at one end. A tower was planned but never completed. William Bidlake carried out renovations in 1891. The church’s history reflects Birmingham’s growth in the 19th century. It began as a mission from All Saints’, Hockley, and gained its own parish quickly. In 1904 part of the parish was taken for a new church in Winson Green. By 1972 the building was merged with two others and then demolished two years later. Inside, an organ by Eustace Ingram was installed in 1897. Its carved case dated from before 1749 and was once in St John the Baptist’s, Barnet. After the church closed, the case moved to St Philip’s Cathedral, where it remains today. The organ itself has a complicated journey through several buildings before reaching Birmingham.