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      CANWELL  CHURCH

   St Mary, St Giles and All Saints


      Church of England








History

 It was about 1142 when a Priory was founded at Canwell. The priory was dedicated to St Mary, St Giles and all Saints, the dedication that survives until the present day. The priory observed the Benedictine Order, and with various gifts of land and property prospered for many years.

There then followed a period of decline until by the time of the reign of Henry Viii only one monk remained. In 1526 the Manor of Canwell was granted to Cardinal Wolsey, and there was at this time a full description of the Church including a ruined Lady Chapel. The Priory was disolved in 1527 and a chronicler of the time related that "...........A small religious house called Canwell was purchased or otherwise obtained by John Harman, alias Vesey, Bishop of Exon."

The wording " otherwise obtained," is interesting and is against the background that John Harman or Bishop Vesey was on very good terms with King Henry VIII and Cardinal Wolsey.

The Estate passed through a number of hands including a Sir Francis Lawley who built Canwell Hall, the stables of which were built on the ruins of the originan priory. By this time the only remaining trace of the earlier community was the site of St Modwen's Well. An early description states that the well,
 
            "was aluminous and famous for unaccountable cures of divers ailes and weaknesses."

In 1872 the hall and estate came into the ownership of Mr Abram Briggs Foster. Abram Briggs Foster was the owner of the Foster Company of Black Dyke Mills in Bradford , the company also being the owners of Fosters Fifty Shilling Tailors.

In 1904 Abram Foster died the estate now passing to his son Philip Staveley Foster. Philip was educated at Eton and Magdalene College Oxford. He travelled wideley overseas studying at first colonial problems, and served in the 6th West Yorks Militia and also the Staffordshire Yeomanry. At the General Election of 1900 he was returned as MP for Stratford-on-Avon.

Philip Foster enlarged and supported the local school which became known as the Philip Foster School. He also built the present Church as an estate church in memory of his father, and for use by the Foster family and the families living on the estate. The Church was designed by the well architect Temple Moore, and the furnishings include many gifts from various relations and neighbours.

After the 1914 - 1918 War the estate was sold by the family to the City of Birmingham to make smallholdings for returning ex-servicemen, and to use the Hall as a convalescent home.

In 1921 the Church became available for worship by the general public as a district church and the Hall has since been demolished and a modern residence stands in its place.

Finally in 1983 the Canwell Parish was created by Act of Parliament taking areas from neighbouring parishes. However the population of these rural areas is small and a high proportion of the current congregation live outside the parish boundaries.

This factor taken together with the original design of the church being for family and estate use contributes to the intimate and friendly atmosphere of the worship and social activities of this congregation.