St Anne's Church, Duddeston

St Anne’s Church stands in Ashted, Birmingham, as a former Church of England parish church. William J Briley of Birmingham built it in 1869 after the foundation stone was laid in June 1868. The church served the Duddeston and Nechells area until the parish was merged back into St Matthew’s in 1951. During the Second World War it was destroyed in the Birmingham Blitz. The organ, installed by Whittaker of Ashton-under-Lyne, was opened by Stephen Samuel Stratton in 1872. The church is worth the journey for its place in Birmingham’s 19th-century church-building history. William J Briley’s work gave the area a landmark designed for worship and community. The organ’s opening recital by Stratton drew attention to the instrument’s quality. Later, a Sheffield builder replaced the organ before it was moved to St Boniface’s Church in Quinton after closure. Its story reflects the changes in local church life over nearly a century. Visitors find a former place of worship now closed to regular services. The building’s exterior remains as a reminder of its past role in Ashted. The organ’s move left the church without its most notable feature. The site stands near St Matthew’s, linking it to the wider Duddeston and Nechells parish. The church’s history is recorded in local church archives and the National Pipe Organ Register.