Church of St Laurence, Northfield (4711359789)

This is the Church of St Laurence in Northfield.

I've been meaning to come over here for a while now.

It was hard to find, without a map to hand.

Getting here, I got off the bus on Bristol Road South (Northfield Town Centre), then walked down Chatham Road (seemed like the wrong way), so then went back to Bristol Road South and onto Great Stone Road. Saw a Church Road and turned left, but that was also the wrong way. Turned back and went into Victoria Common Recreation Ground, and headed towards Heath Road South, then onto Bunbury Road, when I finally saw a sign towards the church.

The church is Grade I listed and dates as far back as the 12th century.

This area seems quite issolated, and must have been a village in the distant past, long before the city of Birmingham swallowed up the area.

C12, C13, C14 and C15 with north aisle of 1900 in a C14 style by G F Bodley. Sandstone built church. Aisles, nave, chancel and west tower of the C12 build the round arched doorway of circa 1170 reset in the Bodley north aisle with double order, the inner zigzag,and with 2 break heads - also C12 the lights with carved animal heads in the north and south faces of the tower. The major Cl3 feature is the chancel with a triple group of lancets forming the east window, moulded heads, double shafted jambs, moulded drip to outer arch. Three groups of tripled lancets to south chancel wall and 2 to north wall, under segmental arches springing from shafts. At west end of south wall is a single lancet originally communicating with a since domolished building traces of which remains on the outside. The C13 south aisle therefore replaced an earlier aisle. Also of the C13 the lower stage of the west tower. The 4 bay octagonal pier arcade to the south aisle is C14. In the C15 the upper stage of the tower was rebuilt and the half timbered porch on its sandstone base added. The north arcade and aisle are a fine addition in matching C14 style by Bodley in 1900. Instead of a chancel arch there is the unusual feature of 4 separate but contiguous trusses with a tympanum still in situ in the second tower from the nave end, framed and wattle and daubed, probably in origin painted with a Last Judgement. This roof structure is probably a late C15 alteration of the Cl3 chancel roof contemporary with the replacement of the nave roof. The pulpit has reused C15 elements from the former screen. Royal Arms, Hanoverian, above the tower arch.

<a href="http://www.heritagegateway.org.uk/Gateway/Results_Single.aspx?uid=216905&resourceID=5" rel="noreferrer nofollow">Church of St Laurence, Northfield - Heritage Gateway</a>

The church with Rectory Road, lovely, peaceful and quiet. Bliss!