Mortuary Chapel At Handsworth Cemetery

The Mortuary Chapel at Handsworth Cemetery, built between 1909 and 1910 by W H Bidlake, is a Grade I listed building designed in the Arts and Crafts style. Constructed from red brick in English bond with white stone dressings and a slate roof, the chapel features six bays, with the fourth bay being wider than the others, creating small transepts that have tall three-light windows instead of the tall two-light windows found elsewhere.

The building is marked by polygonal turrets that transition from the nave to the apsidal east end. It has two west towers topped with lanterns and spires, and between these towers is an octagonal space that is partially outside and partially inside the chapel, where it is glazed to form a west gallery. Inside, the chapel is finished with yellow stock brick and pink stone dressings, featuring a lierne vault adorned with richly carved bosses. A narrow ambulatory encircles the chapel, and the rainwater heads and benches are all of high quality in terms of design and craftsmanship. Notably, W H Bidlake is buried in the cemetery in an unmarked grave.