St Phillip's Cathedral, Birmingham

St Philip's Cathedral, Birmingham, Birmingham Overview

The St Phillip's Cathedral is the Church of England cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of Birmingham located at the Colmore Row of Birmingham. Also known as Cathedral Church of Saint Philip, it is the third smallest one across England. Its stained glass windows designed by Edward Burne-Jones remains a feature that evokes wonder to date.

The Cathedral of St Phillip remains open to the public on all 365 days a year with the practicing Christians along with the ordinary folk of the city and tourists passing through the region being welcome to join in exhibitions, guided tours or participate in talks and view the interesting publications and other displays pertaining to the historical significance and architectural glory of the ancient church. Many of the locals, however, visit the church to enjoy a moment of peace and quiet wile praying to the Lord.

Cathedral Services

Monday to Fridays
8:00 AM - Morning Prayer and Holy Communion (CW)
A short Communion service of 30 minutes to start the day
12:00 PM - Midday Prayers i.e. A break for prayer in the middle of the day
1:10 PM - Wednesday Holy Communion (BCP). It is a traditional communion service with music and sermon
1:10 PM - Thursday Healing Service (takes place normally on the 3rd Thursday of each month)
5:45 PM Evening Prayer (CW) or Choral Evensong (BCP)- It is a reflective service to end the day, sung from the Book of Common Prayer on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Saturday
9:00 AM- Morning Prayer and Holy Communion
12:00 (Noon)- Midday Prayers
3:30 PM - Evening Prayer

Sunday
9:00 AM- Holy Communion (BCP)
11:00 AM- Choral Eucharist (CW) with healing ministry on the 4th Sunday of each month)
This happens to be the cathedral’s principal Sunday service with choir, sermon and Sunday Clubs for children
3:30 PM - Choral Evensong (BCP)- It includes a traditional sung service with hymns and a sermon (said during school holidays)

Guided Tours of the St Philip's Cathedral

Brief taster tours of the entire cathedral are held at 12:30 on Mondays and 11:30 on Wednesdays.
History West Midlands has also produced an excellent virtual tour of the Cathedral of Birmingham.
The guided tour is provided for free. However, people aspiring to book the cathedral for various events can use the online form to post the details and submit it to the authorities

Music and Bells

The cathedral contains 12 distinct bells that peal at different times. The ringing of the bells can be heard every Suday before the 9:00 AM service
The sound can also be heard between 10.15 AM to 10.55 AM on the second and fourth Sunday of each month.
Peal ringing takes place every Monday between 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM

St Phillip's Cathedral Birmingham — The Cathedral illuminated at night (Source)

Architecture

St Phillip's Cathedral in Birmingham was initially designed by Thomas Archer and constructed sometime between 1711 to 1715. The main tower was built by 1725 with the urns added slowly until 1766. Archer favored the Baroque style of architecture and was inspired by the design of Borromini churches. The design of the completed cathedral showcases several aisles that are separated from the nave by means of fluted pillars. Wooden galleries can be found spread across the pillar, a design that is typical of the Baroque churches of England.

Inside St Phillip's Cathedral Birmingham — East end of St Phillip's Cathedral (Source)

How To Reach St Philip's Cathedral Birmingham

People keen to travel by private transportation take the train services to a light at the Snow Hill train and metro station. Almost all the city buses operating in Birmingham stop by the cathedral. Visitors driving to the site can park their vehicles at Colmore Row, Temple Row and Waterloo Street car parks while those using the coach services are dropped off at Coach bay on Church Street.