St Mary

Introduction

St Mary in Harvington, within the Archdiocese of Birmingham, was built in 1825, four years before Catholic Emancipation, making it the earliest Catholic church in the district.

Architecture and furnishings

Before the church was built, Mass was said at Harvington Hall. The church is built of sandstone ashlar with a tile roof, and has a three-bay nave and chancel in one, with a west gallery.

The stained-glass window above the altar was erected in 1893 in memory of Charles Austin Spink by his widow. The window above the altar was altered sixty years later in memory of Humphrey Watts, adding St Thomas More, St John Wall and St Humphrey Middlemore. The Stations of the Cross on the side walls are Austrian carvings. The Lady Altar at the rear of the church has been in various positions since the church was built, and the statue of Our Lady has remained throughout.

The bronze relief of the Shrine of St John Wall by the artist Faith Tolkien depicts the saint disguised as a layman in the seventeenth century. The stained-glass window on the side wall near the lectern honours the angels Raphael and Michael, and was donated by Mrs Mildred Watts of Sion House in 1920 in thanksgiving for her two sons having come safely through the First World War. The door of the tabernacle shows the Holy Trinity – the Dove between the Father and the Son, with Jesus holding the cross.

Parish life

The pilgrimage took place on Sunday 12th September 2021 after its cancellation due to Covid-19 restrictions in 2020. Volunteers from the parishes of St Mary, St Ambrose and St Wulstan and members of the local branch of The Catholic Men’s Society of GB organised the pilgrimage.

Visiting

A commemorative full colour booklet tells the history of St Mary’s church, with photographs from 1910 compared to 2025 and a photographic guided tour around the church building.