St Thomas More

Introduction

The church was built in 1968-9. The foundation stone inside the church was laid on 9 July 1969 by the Right Reverend AJ Emery, Auxiliary Bishop of Birmingham.

History

The baptistery has a drum-shaped font in polished aggregate with a marble cone-shaped lid. Richard Gilbert Scott (born 1923), who joined his father's practice in 1953, confirmed in 2012 that he designed the church and that he inherited the commission from his uncle Adrian Gilbert Scott, who died in 1962. The architectural drawings for The Church of St Thomas More are held by the RIBA/V&A, who hold the archive of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, Son and Partner.

Architecture and furnishings

The church has a reinforced concrete frame with stained glass to the auditorium, and red brick chapel, sacristy, confessionals and baptistery. The church has a hexagonal plan with a raised sanctuary and fan-shaped auditorium. The exterior is characterised by the thick concrete frame to the auditorium, which forms buttresses to the corners, and encloses two chunky water spouts to the front. The buttresses meet at the higher, rear, end of a shallow stepped concrete roof, where they rise into a tall concrete steeple.

The walls consist of full-height abstract stained glass set between vertical concrete fins. To the front, concrete steps lead to a large projecting entrance set in a concrete box frame with original lettering reading 'Church of St Thomas More'. The entrance is covered by a freestanding canopy: a thick and heavy concrete chamfered slab, resting on two centrally positioned rectangular shaped concrete piers. To the side and rear of the church the lower red brick confessionals, baptistery sacristy and chapel project outwards, with the baptistery marked by a tall semi-circular inner wall which encloses the font inside.

The auditorium has timber benched seating and frontals throughout, incorporating a small organ to the east side. The marble sanctuary and altar is enclosed by timber altar rails, and screened from behind by a wall of horizontal concrete panels, painted blue, set at an angle. Hanging from the ribs to the ceiling above is a timber crucifix, lit by the opening in the roof, situated under the spire. Under the crucifix, the Reserved Sacrament is set into a curved alcove in the angle of the wall.

On a plinth in the tall curved brick wall stands a carved wood sculpture of Christ, by an unknown artist. The plain rectangular Lady Chapel has a carved wood sculpture of St Mary, probably by the same artist (who probably also carved the bust of St Thomas More on the wall outside the chapel), and is again lit from above.

Parish life

The parish runs a Ladies Group, Children's Liturgy, Bereavement Group, Legion of Mary, Visiting Group, Youth Group, Social Group for the Elderly, Hospital Visiting, and SVP. The parish livestreams its Masses to YouTube using a webcam, enabling those who cannot attend in person to watch live and participate.

The parish has a Facebook page and a YouTube Channel. The parish is part of the Archdiocese of Birmingham and is a registered charity. Penitential Services are held in the parish twice each year, with one in Advent and one in Lent.

Sacraments and pastoral care

Children at Catholic schools are prepared for Confirmation in their final year at primary school. Pre-marriage courses are available for couples who want to marry. For anyone too sick to attend Mass, the presbytery or parish priest can be contacted to arrange for the Blessed Eucharist to be brought to them. For someone who is sick and would like to be anointed, the hospital chaplain can be contacted or the priest can be informed. The clergy should be informed of those in hospital so the hospital chaplain can visit them.