Icawa
St Stephen’s Church
uyi 1umntu wasekuhlaleni oyincomayo,
Indawo
Church Green West
Redditch, England
Amacebiso asuka kubantu basekuhlaleni
Allison
August 24, 2019
In the centre of the town lies the Church Green Conservation Area. It is home to the Gothic style St Stephen's Church, an original Victorian bandstand (with events throughout the year) and the fully restored ornate Bartleet Fountain in the grounds of the church. Much of the original Victorian architecture has been preserved and, at the turn of the new millennium, the area became a traffic-free zone, giving pedestrian only access to the array of shops, restaurants and nightlife located around the green. St Stephen's Church was built on the site of a former chapel. By 1851 it was decided to demolish the Chapel on the Green and to build a more substantial parish church in the Gothic style. From that date Chapel Green became known as Church Green, and the area was further improved by the planting of more trees. The new church was consecrated in July 1855. The centenary edition of the local newspaper, The Redditch Indicator, recalls the church as it was in 1859, set in a small green and enclosed by a wall some six feet in height. In the 1880s there was a move for further improvements to the appearance of the focal point of the town. The wall was removed and replaced with a lower one surmounted by iron railings, and at the same time to enclose the "waste land" known as the Upper and Lower Greens. The enclosure scheme also included the planting of memorial trees, improvements to kerbing and pavements, and the provision of the fountain.
In the centre of the town lies the Church Green Conservation Area. It is home to the Gothic style St Stephen's Church, an original Victorian bandstand (with events throughout the year) and the fully restored ornate Bartleet Fountain in the grounds of the church. Much of the original Victorian archit…
