St. Andrew’s Church, Netherton
Netherton – or “Lower-town” is now part of the Dudley Metropolitan Borough, lying some mile or so to the south of the centre. The wealth of the whole area depended initially on its vast mineral deposits and it is upon these that the industrial growth of the town from as early as 1291 was founded.
The 20th century has seen the decline of the vast array of mines, blast furnaces, wrought-iron works and other associated heavy industries that dominated the landscape. Now there is little or nothing left to remind us of what it was like, apart from memories and history books.
It was in this industrial environment that St. Andrew’s Church was built, as a Mission Church or Church-at-Ease to the church of St. Thomas in Dudley. It was built on land given for the purpose by the Earl of Dudley.
The foundation stone was laid on St. Andrew’s Day 1827, and the building consecrated for divine worship on 16 July 1830. The whole cost of construction – £8000 – was provided by His Majesty’s Ecclesiastical Commissioners. They used funds that had been granted to them by the House of Commons as a thank-offering to Almighty God for the country’s deliverance from the tyranny of Napoleon after the Napoleonic Wars. These funds were used to build a number of churches around the country and they are often collectively referred to as “Waterloo Churches”.
It is reputed that the bricks for the church were all hand-made in the adjoining fields, and the facing stone was quarried over the hill in Gornal.
The church stands in an impressive and commanding position to the north-west of the parish, and at an altitude of 650 feet above sea level. The main approach is up an avenue from the east, at the top centre of which is the Parish War Memorial Cross.
The main entrance is situated under the high-pinnacled tower and belfry at the west end of the building, and is reached by passing either to the north or to the south side of the church.
The building follows the early English style of construction and measures some 98 feet in length and 54 feet wide; it feels very spacious and is well lit. A large gallery extends almost the full length of the building on both sides and across the west end. There are a number of features that immediately attract one’s attention, the most notable being the width of the nave aisle, the wrought-iron chancel screen, the box pews, the immense alabaster pulpit, the reredos and lectern and, without doubt, the fine stained-glass windows.
In 1871 a peal of six bells was presented to the parish and this was augmented by another gift in 1897, of a further two bells, to commemorate the Queen’s Jubilee.
Netherton became an Ecclesiastical Parish in its own right on 1 December 1844 but it was not for some years that the church showed any signs of vigorous church life. It took the appointment of the Rev’d S J Marriott in 1878 to begin a seed change, and it was his devoted ministry for the next 45 years that enabled the church to develop and grow, providing a firm spiritual foundation for the future. Many of the interior furnishings of the church today are a testimony to the esteem in which the Church and Canon Marriott were held by local people.
The interior remained substantially the same until 1999, when a re-ordering scheme removed some of the pews at the back of nave to enable the provision of two meeting rooms that, by the moving of partition walls, can become one larger room.
St. Andrew’s stands proud in the community as
a sign and symbol of the presence of God’s love in our
lives. The church is there all the time; it is there when
it is wanted, it is there when our busy lives lead us sometimes to forget
it.
St. Andrew’s stands to serve us all.
| DAY | TIME | SERVICE |
| Sunday | 10.30 a.m. | Holy Communion & Junior Church |
| 2nd & 4th Sundays | 6.30 p.m. | Evensong (BCP) |
| 5th Sunday | As Announced |
