Mr. G.H. Fellowes Prynne was chosen as the architect and the foundation stone for the new church was laid on Saturday 9th October 1909. The stone was laid by Countess Beauchamp of Madresfield accompanied by The Bishop of Worcester, the Rector (Rev. C.H.Gough) and The Mayor and Corporation of Worcester.
Finance for the new church was raised by grants and public subscription. As building progressed it became obvious that there would not be sufficient funds to complete the whole building. The Building Committee reluctantly took the decision that the tower and baptistery would be omitted as would the Lady Chapel.
8th June 1911 saw the consecration of St. Martin’s by The Bishop of Worcester (Right Reverend H. Yeatman Biggs). In his sermon, the Bishop alluded to the arguments over the dedication of the church. The Bishop had wanted the dedication to be St. Wulstan but acceded to the wishes of the parish that it should be St. Martin!
The church was built by Messrs. J. and A. Brazier of Bromsgrove. The exterior stone was quarried at Alveley on the River Severn above Stourport and sent by barge to Diglis. The dressing around the windows is of Bath stone. Another local firm involved in the building was that of Ben Davis, stonemasons. The final cost of the building was £8,331 : 16s :11d. (£8,331.85 - decimalised).
The tower to the church was never completed. Only the first 24 feet was built and this forms the impressive south entrance to the present church. Above the door is a statuette of St Martin. The Lady Chapel was completed thanks to the generosity of the Barnitt family. This chapel contains the only stained glass in the church – 6 windows dedicated to the Barnitt and Webb families. The Baptistry was built and dedicated in 1962 to replace the ‘temporary’ corrugated iron structure which had stood for 50 years!
The cache is not at the above coordinates. Visit the church to find the following information. Find the bench dedicated to Donald. Substitute the dates to ABCD-EFGH: You can find the cache at: N 52° 11.[C-B][E][H-A] W 002° 12.[D-G+E][F-G][B-A]
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