All Saints' Church, Small Heath

All Saints’ Church stands in Small Heath, a district of Birmingham. It began in 1875 as an iron mission building before a permanent brick church was erected on Cooksey Road. The foundation stone was laid in 1882 and the nave, north transept and north aisle opened the following year. A.E. Dempster designed the church and Barnsley and Sons of Birmingham carried out the work. In 1924 part of its parish was used to create a new parish for St Gregory the Great’s Church. The building suffered serious damage during a Second World War air raid and was later demolished. The name All Saints’ returned to Small Heath in the 1990s when four parishes merged. St Aidan’s, St Gregory’s, St Andrew’s and St Oswald’s were combined into one parish. The new parish chose to keep only the St Aidan’s building and in 1998 it was renamed All Saints. The church continues to serve the local community under this title. The original All Saints’ site on Cooksey Road is now a car park. Visitors can still find the present All Saints’ Church on St Aidan’s Road. The building retains its role as a place of worship and community gathering. The surrounding area of Small Heath shows signs of its industrial past and later regeneration. A short walk leads to Small Heath Park, a green space with playgrounds and sports facilities. The church’s name links the present to the district’s earlier history.