2-982-428 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

St. Martin's Church, Birmingham, 1858. 'This noble edifice, the parish church of Birmingham, was first erected in the eighth century. The building, however, as it at present stands, cannot, it is believed, claim a greater antiquity than a.d. 1291...It is probable that a portion of the church was built by Sir William de Bermingham...The style of the architecture is what is known as the Early Decorated. In the interior of the building there are several monuments of the Lords de Bermingham. The most ancient of these is...the effigy of a knight cross-legged and recumbent, lying on a coffin-shaped slab, and supposed to represent Sir William de Bermingham, who died in the reign of Henry I. In the south aisle is a high-altar tomb of alabaster, divided into compartments, on which is the effigy of a knight in plate armour, believed to represent John de Bermingham, who in the year 1379 was Sheriff of the counties of Warwick and Leicester, and one of the Knights of the Shire in the Parliament held at Westminster, a.d. 1382. The church is capable of accommodating 2000 persons. Within the last three years the edifice has been restored, as indicated by the above Engraving, the original design having been preserved as much as possible'. From "Illustrated London News", 1858.