Church of St Laurence is a Grade I listed building in the Birmingham local planning authority area, England. First listed on 25 April 1952. A N/A Church. 3 related planning applications.
Church of St Laurence
- WRENN ID
- outer-barrel-ridge
- Grade
- I
- Local Planning Authority
- Birmingham
- Constituency
- Birmingham Northfield MP: Laurence Turner (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 25 April 1952
- Type
- Church
- Period
- N/A
- Address
- Church of St Laurence, Church Hill, Northfield B31
- OS grid reference
- SP 025 793
- Coordinates
- 52.4121, -1.96401
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Church of St Laurence is a sandstone church with origins in the 12th century, and subsequent alterations and additions through the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries. A north aisle was added in 1900, designed in the 14th century style by G F Bodley.
The church consists of aisles, a nave, a chancel, and a west tower, reflecting the 12th-century original construction. A round-arched doorway, dating to circa 1170, is set into the Bodley north aisle. This doorway features a double order, with zigzag decoration on the inner order and two break heads. The 12th-century tower has lights with carved animal heads on its north and south faces.
The most significant 13th-century feature is the chancel, which has a triple group of lancet windows forming the east window. These windows have moulded heads, double shafted jambs, and a moulded drip to the outer arch. Further groups of three lancets are found in the south chancel wall, and two in the north wall, all under segmental arches springing from shafts. A single lancet at the west end of the south wall originally linked to a building which has since been demolished, with traces evident on the outside. The 13th-century south aisle replaced an earlier aisle. The lower stage of the west tower also dates to the 13th century. A four-bay octagonal pier arcade separates the south aisle.
The upper stage of the tower was rebuilt in the 15th century, and a half-timbered porch was added upon a sandstone base. The north arcade and aisle are a notable addition, executed in matching 14th century style by Bodley in 1900. Unusually, instead of a chancel arch, the church possesses four separate but contiguous trusses, with a tympanum in situ in the second truss from the nave end. This tympanum is framed and wattle and daubed, likely originally painted with a depiction of the Last Judgement. This roof structure represents a late 15th-century alteration to the 13th-century chancel roof, concurrent with the replacement of the nave roof. The pulpit incorporates reused elements from a former screen. A set of Royal Arms, Hanoverian, is displayed above the tower arch.
Local climate
Church of St Laurence receives an average of 770 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 62% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 74% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 39 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 75% of listed buildings. Of these, 19 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
Sign in or create a free account to unlock:
- Full EPC report — heating system, energy costs, size, glazing, construction etc.
- Sale history — 9 transactions since 1996
- Related listed building consents — 3 applications
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
Matched applications, energy data and sale records are assembled automatically and may contain errors. Flag incorrect data.
Similar buildings
The closest matches to this building from all 493,000 UK listed buildings, by architecture, period and materials.
this building 1 similar nearby listed buildings
Nearby listed buildings
- The Great Stone Public House
- Village Pound
- Churchyard Wall to the Church of St Laurence
- 6, Church Hill B31
- Outhouse to the Rectory (Now Garages) Between the Rectory and the Pastoral Centre
- St Laurence Church of England Infant School
- Rose Cottage
- The Black Horse public house
- 5, Bell Lane B31
- 7, Bell Lane B31