Friday Photo: The Birmingham Oratory Church

Today’s Friday photo is the view down the nave towards the high altar of the beautifully ornate Birmingham Oratory Church.

Birmingham Oratory moved to its current location on the Hagley road in 1852, though the original building was a simple barn-like church with a roof transferred from an abandoned factory. After Cardinal John Henry Newman’s death in 1890, Architect Edward Doran Webb was commissioned to design a more fitting and permanent church to honor him. The building as it is was officially opened in 1909; this view down the nave showcases the impressive, monolithic Corinthian marble columns and tunnel vaulted ceiling which was decorated in 1959.

I took the photo during the heritage open day weekend in September, as it was one of the many wonderful places that opened their doors to the public.