The Second Church of St Alban
This page is part of our project "Revealing St Alban's Hidden Heritage" supported by a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to players of The National Lottery.
The new church was designed by local Architect John Davis with space for 480. Digging the foundations began on the 17th of October 1870 and the church opened on the 7th of March 1871. The new District of St Alban the Martyr was created by Order in Council on the 17th of August 1871, securing the future of St Alban's Mission.
The Second Church as Built
The Interior of the Second Church of St Alban.
After the opening of the present Church of St Alban the Martyr on the corner of Conybere Street and Stanhope Street, this church on the corner of Dymoke Street and Leopold Street was rebranded as St Columba's Mission and served as St Alban's Boys School during the week. To make it more suitable for school use the windows were enlarged.
The Second Church Rebranded as St Columba's Mission with Enlarged Windows.
In December 1910 services at St Columba's ceased and it was then used only as a school for the next five years.
The Final Phase of the First 'Permanent' Church as a Boys' School
The Exterior of the Second Church as St Columba's Mission
(Image supplied by
Balsall Heath Local History Society)
In 1915 the building was demolished (together with the first 'temporary' church) and a new purpose-built building was erected on the site for St Alban's School.
St Alban's School in 1967 awaiting demolition (John Pomphrett)
In 1965 St Alban's School school moved to a new building on Angelina street and the site of the first two churches was sold, providing an endowment for Trustees of St Alban's School, a charity to promote for the public benefit the religious, educational and other charitable work of the Church of England in the ecclesiastical parish of St Alban the Martyr and St Patrick, Highgate.
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