Description:St. John's Church can be found on any map since 1854, sandwiched between the old Inner Ring Road (Monument Road) and the temporary Inner Ring Road (Alston Street). Before its building, it was generally recognised that the district was incorporated in the parish of St. Martin's and whatever mission halls existed were served by its clergy. The first recorded name to be mentioned in this connection was that of the Rev. James Eagles who was placed at Ladywood about 1850 as Rector.
While the mission hall fulfilled certain requirements it was immediately obvious that something better was needed for the area to supply the growing spiritual needs of the area. On February 17th 1851, a meeting was held at the house of Mr. Henry Rotton. The Rev. G. Lea, who was later Vicar of St. George's Edgbaston, intimated that he would donate £1,000 to the erection and endowment of a church in Ladywood. The Governors of the King Edward Schools had also agreed to allow a site on their property, and the Rector of St. Martin's was also willing to bestow an amount of glebe land. It was decided at this meeting that a church with a capacity of 1400 place-holders would be built and called the Church of St. John the Evangelist.
The Governors of the Schools selected a more suitable site, in Icknield Street West rather than Ledsam Street, and also magnanimously added enough land to build a vicarage. The site was on what was then known as Ladywood Green, the original site later being used for the building of the sister church of St. Margaret's. Lord Calthorpe laid the foundation stone on September 28th 1852, and the church was consecrated by the Bishop of Worcester on March 15th 1854. The cost of the building is recorded at £6,000.
(Caption taken from: "Ladywood, a Historical Reconnaissance" by A.J. Ratcliffe)