Description:Interior of the original St Catherine's Church on the Horsefair.
View towards the East window and Altar. The stained glass was installed by John Hardman Studios of Newhall Hill.
St Catherine Of Siena had it’s origins in 1872 when Father Fenn acquired seven properties in Windmill Street with a deposit of £35 on the total price of £350. These properties covered an area of 440 sq. yds. He spent the following two years finalising plans for the church and organising fund raising activities. The foundation stone was eventually laid in 1874 and the church finally opened on 28th September 1875.
The church was designed in a Gothic Revival style of red brick and stone by Dunn and Hanson. The nave of five bays was separated from the wide aisles by red sandstone arches and the rest of the interior was of yellow brick. The Chancel, Ambulatory, and South Chapel were added in 1893 from designs by Cossins and Peacock. The North West Tower had an octagonal belfry and a squat stone spire dating from 1909.
Birmingham Corporation’s plans for a new inner ring road included widening the road in the Horse Fair. This would mean the demolition of St Catherines but the Second World War postponed the plans. In 1949 the Corporation acquired the building by compulsory purchase. By 1961 though the church was still awaiting demolition as a new site had yet to be found and the compensation figure was still to be agreed upon. The foundation stone of the new church was laid on 6th May 1963. The de-consecration of the old church took place on June 1st 1964 and Mass celebrated in the new St Catherines on 20th December 1964.
Photo by T.Taylor