Erdington Abbey

Erdington Abbey Church stands on Sutton Road in Erdington, a suburb of Birmingham. It is a grade II listed Roman Catholic church dedicated to Saints Thomas and Edmund of Canterbury. The church was designed by Charles Hansom in the Gothic Revival style. Its 36-metre steeple matches the length of the building. The plate inside was designed by Augustus Pugin and made by Hardman. The abbey began as a chapel built in 1847 by Father Heneage. The foundation stone for the current church was laid in 1848 by the Rev. Daniel H. Haigh. Bishop Ullathorne consecrated the church in 1850. In 1876 Father Haigh gave the church, parish and four-acre estate to Benedictine monks exiled from Germany. The abbey next to the church is also grade II listed. The Redemptorists took charge of the parish in 1922. The attached cemetery holds war graves from both world wars. Four Redemptorist priests now serve the parish. Highclare School occupies the former abbey building. The church and abbey remain important landmarks in Erdington.