St Benedict Biscop Wombourne

The Church of St Benedict Biscop has stood at the heart of our village of Wombourne for over a thousand years. No one is quite sure about the origins of our first church
but it has been suggested that our church was founded as a chapel to pray for the souls of those who had been killed at the battle of Tettenhall towards the end of the dark ages. On the 5th of August 910 the English king Edward the Elder defeated the invading Danes near Tettenhall. This was an important battle as it stopped Viking kingdoms expanding south . Our first Saxon church would have been very simple, it may not even have been built of stone. Sadly no trace of that church now remains.

During medieval times Wombourne remained a small community of no more than a couple of dozen families, but gradually the church evolved, the wood or wattle and daub of Saxon times was replaced local sandstone. Georgian prints of the church from the beginning of the Nineteenth century show a typical small country church of nave, aisle, chancel, tower and spire.

The Nineteenth century was a time of great change. The Industrial Revolution changed many local villages into small towns and although this did not happen to our village the growth in populations meant that the medieval church was too small for local Christians and in 1840 nearly all the medieval church was swept away in favour of a splendid new edifice in the then fashionable Strawberry Hill gothic style. The 14th century tower with its recessed stone spire and three tiers of lucarns was retained and has now watched over our village for just under 700 years.

The early Victorians did not build well and only twenty years later a new Vicar of Wombourne, the Reverend William Heale. came to the parish A graduate of Wadham College Oxford he had been influenced by the catholic revival led by John Keble, John Henry Newman and Edward Pusey. He was determined to restore and renew St Benedicts's according to ancient principals and engaged the Oxford architect George Street to rebuild a larger Church. George Street recommended that most of the church built in the 1840's be demolished and in its place he built a fine town church. Usually for Street the church is not in one particular style. Rather elements from different periods combine to give the impression of a church that has evolved across the centuries. So St Benedict's boasts a South aisle complete with lancet windows in the early English style, a chancel whose windows remind us of the thirteenth century and a south aisle with perpendicular windows that were popular on the eve of the reformation !

Our new church was consecrated by the Bishop of Rochester in August 1867,

It has been difficult to improve on Street's design for our Church, over the last 150
years a Lady Chapel has been created in the north chapel, the vestry extended and the amount of fixed seating has been reduced. Not much change for 150 years !

The Church Council try hard to be good stewards of what they have inherited and are at present considering plans to improve the floor, disabled access and provide some toilets all things that are necessary for a 21st century church which tries to serve a vibrant and active Christian Community.

The Venerable Bede

As the village of Wombourne grew in the first part of the 20th century it became clear that a second church was needed for the community that had grown grown up around Blakley.

In April 1955 Miss E Shaw-Hellier whose family had long been benefactors of our Church gave £1,000 to start off the building fund. It was a substantial sum but much more was needed and the then Vicar the Revd Bethway and the Church Council devised a scheme whereby a thousand subscribers were asked to contribute 6d a week to the St Benedict’s Church Fund.

Fund raising went so well that towards the end of 1956 work had begun on the chosen site at the bottom of Giggety Lane. On Saturday 16th March Miss Shaw Hellier and the Archdeacon of Stafford were present for a very grand ceremony to mark the laying of the foundation stone. It can still be seen towards the bottom of the west gable of the Church.

The new church was designed by a well known local architect Bernard Miller who had recently completed a similar project at Christ the King Aldersley in the neighbouring parish of Tettenhall Regis. The new church was designed to be a community centre as well as a place of worship and so the chancel was divided from the nave by large wooden screens. When closed the screens enabled the nave to be used as a Church Hall. A much needed facility in Wombourne.

The Church was dedicated on the 26th October 1957 by the Rt Revd Arthur Stretton Reeves Bishop of Lichfield.