Church of the Ascension, Stirchley

The Church of the Ascension once stood on Hazelwell Street in Stirchley, Birmingham. Built between 1898 and 1901, it was the first church in Stirchley and served as a chapel-of-ease to St Mary’s Church in nearby Moseley. Designed by William Hale, the church opened in October 1901 after consecration by the Bishop of Coventry. A parish was created for it in 1912, carved from the parishes of St Mary’s and St Nicolas’ Church in Kings Norton. In 1927, a smaller church dedicated to St Hugh of Lincoln opened on Pineapple Grove to serve the Dads Lane Estate. The original church was destroyed by fire on 29 October 1965 and later demolished. A new church was built next to St Hugh’s and consecrated in July 1973, designed by Romilly Craze. Some features from the old church survived, including stained glass, Stations of the Cross, altar silver, processional crosses and vestments, which were reused in the new building. St Hugh’s became the church hall for the replacement Church of the Ascension. Black-and-white news footage of the fire survives in the Media Archive for Central England. Visitors today find a modern church on Hazelwell Street, with elements from the original building still in use. The interior includes the surviving stained glass and Stations of the Cross, along with the altar silver and crosses. The church hall, once St Hugh’s, remains part of the site. The area around Hazelwell Street retains its residential character, with the church standing as a quiet landmark in Stirchley.