One of the great architectural secrets of Birmingham is the number of modernist / brutalist churches that were built, mainly in the suburbs, during the 1950s and 1960s. Our visits this year will be to St Matthew’s Church of England Church in Weoley Castle and The Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady and St. Rose of Lima. 

Built between 1962 and 1964, St. Matthew’s was designed by Robert Maguire and Keith Murrray. It has an epic quality, from the austerity of its exterior to the awe-inspiring, cavernous interior, mitigated by several of the interesting features of the interior design. 

Completed in 1961, Our Lady and St. Rose of Lima was designed by Adrian Gilbert Scott, a member of the Gilbert Scott dynasty of architects. The church features Gilbert Scott’s signature entrance arch, all embracing in its height and depth.

We will visit each of the churches for slightly less than an hour, allowing for just over half an hour for the journey between the two. There is no obvious bus link so we will organise lifts between the two for those who don’t come by car. There is a small car park and street parking at St. Matthew and a car park at St. Rose.

How to get there:
This is a two-location event with considerable distance between the two sites. We will visit each of the churches for about an hour. We have allowed about half an hour for travel between them which we hope will be enough to make the journey by car. If you require a lift between churches, please let us know by email.

Organised by Brutiful Birmingham and Save Smallbrook