Firstly, St. Francis church in Bournville is quite simply a beautiful church, both inside and out…read more I can't really comment on the general work or services of the church, but I had the good fortune to attend a friend's wedding there recently and was impressed by how beautiful, bright and welcoming the building is - as well as the clergy there. It is a big church, but simple and elegant, tastefully decorated inside in light blue and cream - which was, conveniently, the colour scheme of the wedding. I have no idea whether this was intentional on the bride's behalf, or just plain co-incidence. I do know that they were an extremely accommodating lot at St. Francis, so who knows? Maybe they re-painted just for her... The wedding party rocked up with their own vicar, musicians, decorations and what have you; all of which were readily welcomed and accommodated by the vicar - Peter Babington - and his staff. According to my (now married) friend, they were great at keeping in touch and making sure everything ran smoothly as well. So, as I said, I can't tell you about Sunday services or other day-to-day church activities, but for a wedding, this place seemed perfect.

This is actually quite a fantastic looking church. It's one of those churches I've been to for a…read morewedding that I attended a couple of months back. It's pretty large inside and offers traditional features which I always adore when walking into a religious building. The colours they've used are colours I'd expect to see in a church. It's effective and presents an image of an important place. When I went there for this wedding I attended, the church looked great in the backdrop of all the wedding pictures. Due to the traditional look of the church from the outside, it worked well in regards to offering a scenery for the wedding party. The church congregation and vicar are very welcoming and it's nice to attend a church where you are not badgered about attending their church. This left me with a positive feeling about the religious establishment that I may visit the place again.

Despites the natural built of this construction from 12th and 13th century style, I would never…read morethink that my visit to the Coleshill Parish Church, St.Peter and St. Paul would be an unique experience in life. Visiting the area in my trip back from Jubilee's Holiday, I have stopped in the church for taking some photos but surprisingly, because the festivities in the country, its tower was open for visitors for only £1.50. My husband didn't think twice and accepted the challenger for both of us. Not before buying a cake to eat in the top of it. Meaning, 46 degrees of stairs later! Cakes and stairs are not a good combination. I thought the whole experience surreal but I didn't have too much time to think about it and there I was in a very narrow (and very stip) spiral staircase that would lead me to one of the most beautiful views from Birmingham. That was a truly claustrophobic experience to say the least and I probably won't repeat in life, but the view I got from the top of this church worth several times more than the price I have paid to be there! By the way, I didn't eat the cake. I was too shaking and sweating in the end of my stairs marathon to think about it, but when we got the stairs down to the ground again we still have a stop in the middle of it to learn a bit more about the bells of this wonderful landmark. The tower of Coleshill Parish Church was open just for the Jubilee celebrations but you can always check with the nice people from this community if there is another change of visiting it.

Close to Bishop Challoner's Catholic school lies the church where the Catholics go to prey to the…read moremother of the lord, Mary. The modern building that houses the church has often split opinion within the community. Some see it as a modern concrete mess; others think it is a beautiful place to worship. I like to go with the latter half. The swooping roof is quite eye catching in my opinion and the size of the building is quite big compared to the older Church of England's churches. The atmosphere inside is very holy, I felt guilty that I was an Atheist by just coming here. I guess that is the influence the church has on most people. I have chosen not to convert as a result of the guilt I feel, I just get on with my life. There are many believers out there and I think that they would be proud of this church. They sell rosary beads at a little shop at the entrance of the building, some of the beads are very nice to look at, just like the church itself.

Similar to the Catholic Cathedral in Liverpool, but on a much, much, much smaller scale, this is a…read morefine example of 1960s architecture that pulls off the neat trick of being yards from the Kings Heath High Street but somehow remains out of sight. I'd lived in Kings Heath for nearly a year and had walked passed it many, many times before I noticed it. The only time I've been inside was for a funeral, so it wasn't a happy occasion. The interior matches the functional exterior. Not being a religious man, I can't comment further than that. My friend's family were well looked after, however, and made use of the function room and bar adjacent to the church for the wake. 4 stars for the building, however, as I think it's lovely.

One of the smallest cathedrals in the country apparently. Still quite big actually. It's called St…read morePhillips cathedral. It's a barque church. Queen Elizabeth has been here. It has a lot of greenery and benches around it, right in the city centre. Nice place to relax, but always remember going to church doesn't make you religious any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

Birmingham Cathedral is an impressive Cathedral in the Snowhill area of Birmingham, it is fairly…read moreclose to the train station on Colmore Row. Also referred to as St Philip's Cathedral, it was built over 15 years starting in 1710 and is also surrounded by some nice gardens where there are benches, although the benches could have been better maintained in terms of appearance (paint, cleanliness etc) I was surprised to hear this is the third smallest cathedral in England - with only Derby and Chelmsford being smaller, but it still carries about that charm and grand structure so it does look good within the city and it's surrounding gardens, with even some information about the Cathedral too. It did suffer bombings during the second world war but was restored its current condition shortly after. A small but stunning church in the city centre of Birmingham, and one of my favourite Cathedrals in the UK despite it being one of the smallest. 4*

Wow!! The Coventry Cathedral ruins are spectacular. In a way, the bombing highlighted the splendor…read moreof 13th century architecture and when walking around, I kept getting reminded of the Cologne Cathedral, which was built in the same century. I'm so glad the cathedral wasn't torn down, like a lot of destroyed buildings after the war were, but instead this area was left alone, to stand testament to the horrors suffered by this city and its people during WWII. Compared to the old Cathedral, I am not a massive fan of the modernist architecture building of the new cathedral but it sure is much more comfy! I was super lucky to be in town while the "Knife Angel" sculpture was on display in front of the Cathedral in April 2019. I was with a very witty colleague, Adam, and his comment on the sculpture was, "Anyone have a fork?" :-) :-) :-) Similarly when he saw the Archangel Michael & the Devil sculpture in the front of the Cathedral, Adam turned to our group and with his quick wit said, "Smell my foot. No, I insist! I really want you to smell my feet!!" :-) :-) :-) The cathedral is really an interesting place to come and check out, and for me, more than any other landmark, it really personifies Coventry City. Yelp 151/ 2019

Coventry Cathedral, the bombed-out church that fell prey to the first carpet bombing of WWII, is an…read moreimpressive and sobering reminder of the futility of war. As such, it's a mandatory place to visit [I hesitate to call it an "attraction"] in Coventry for a brief time of quiet introspection. The remains have been beautifully preserved, augmented with several works of art that pay tribute to the bombing, but also to the spirit of reconciliation after the war. It's moot to weigh this early carpet bombing against the ones committed by the Allies in the aftermath, them being much more destructive - "He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind." The house, in this case, being Europe. And we did learn the lesson - or did we? Anyway, it's a must for any visit to this city.

When I first came to Birmingham, I didn't know who St Martin was or that this was a church, all I…read moreknew was there was certainly a magnificent church facing me as I drank my coffee at Starbucks, across the way with glass windows with great views of this church, as a building it is spectacular and really livens up Birmingham and makes the "City core" nicer as a whole, and it is amazing to see just a thing within meters of The Bullring, Birmingham's rather large shopping center. I class myself as Roman Catholic, yet I wouldn't class myself as extremely religious but still this Church is a really nice place to spend some time around while in Birmingham, with it being a nice, old building to the point where it actually is a Grade II listed building and has 16 bells. The current church has been there since 1873, since the old one was demolished, however 143 years on, it is ironic to be still calling this the "New" church, but still history goes back into the 1500's, where it still stood with 4 bells in 1552. They isn't much to say other than this is a really nice building and makes Birmingham city center as a whole, due to this great church and piece of history being on the door-step of Birmingham city center, which helps make Birmingham stand out, and to me is one of the things that makes Birmingham what it is today, an answer to London's Buckingham Palace perhaps? UPDATE: When I visited Birmingham, I run out of superlatives to describe this church but still I can't help but feel I only gave it such a high rating because of location, and in my opinion I feel I was too generous and location focused in my rating, I don't think this church has done enough to deserve 4 stars yet and I feel St Martin's in the Bullring deserves a high three star rating.

This place is pretty beautiful...if you are a tourist in Birmingham I would definitely say its…read moreworth a look. Located right by the Bullring this almost gothic looking building has been amazingly restored as the new buildings have been built around it. For any locals check the church website as there is sometimes vintage sales and other events in the main hall. Obviously worth a look.

Aston Parish church (St. Peter and San Paul) is a superb Gothic cathedral with a wonderful Tudor…read morespire that can be seen for some points of the Aston area, including the M38 and even from the M6. This historic medieval construction is dated from 1480 and in 1990 it was necessary to repair the whole building that was in a very poor state. It's also a Grade II listed building. Inside, Aston Parish Church is a true masterpiece, with its tombs, windows, monuments and architecture that well represents several centuries of history and all importance of Aston to the Birmingham heritage. Its impressive Gothic structure is an invitation to have some minutes of contemplation and I think everyone should visit this church. If you want to know more about the history of Aston Parish church, there is an illustrated guide to be purchased in the website.

Seeing as this week seems to be all about the historical buildings, I suddenly remembered about the…read moreamazing St. Peter and Paul in Aston. For those of you that have ever driven into Birmingham from the M6, this is the impressive looking spire that you can see on the right hand side on the approach to the Aston Expressway. It's an amazing, Gothic construction - cathedral-sized (though not, technically, a cathedral) and containing some parts that date back to the 14th century. The stunning steeple was built in the 15th century. Inside is equally impressive, with stone arched porticos lining the central aisle and immense space in the high ceiling. Obviously, this is simply a review of this church as a building - I'm sure that as a parish church it also organises and hosts many worthy community activities and events, but I only have experience of snooping around this amazing structure.

I don't often write reviews but I have to express what a amazing, friendly and exciting church this…read moreis. I grew up in a traditional church setting, and often churches struggle to relate to older children, teens and 20's, but this church has something for EVERY age, and it's teaching of the bible is amazing. I have a 14, 11 and 3 year old, and they love church. And no matter what problems or difficulties I face in my life this church and it's members are so supportive, and they really live what they believe. My life wouldn't be the same without my family being involved in this church. Whatever your taste in music, or church style, you will never find more welcoming and friendly church. I highly recommended to give Harvest City Church a visit and see for yourselves!

This one of the most lively churches in Leicester City centre…read more Since arriving I have visited a few, but Harvest City Church is a place that feel like home as soon as you walk into the door you are greeted by friendly people who welcome you no matter what nation or creed you are from. It is a church for people who care about people and this reflects in all they do. During the service you will experience good worship music with a bit of a Hillsong London feel to it and the message spoken by Pastor Chip or Elder Lee is always one of value that you can apply to you day to day life situation. After the service you are invited to join everyone for tea and coffee and to socialize with the people who attend. They also have a really good Christian bookshop with many titles by John Bevhare and Joyce Mayer. What ever day you chose to attend whether a Tuesday night live meeting or a Sunday morning, you will be spirally fed and feel at home. They also have lots of activities during the week like keep fit, football and the Young Profeshinals on at Saturday night, most recently I attended the new to church dinner and I can tell you these guys really pushed the boat out, this was real home cooked African food. I guarantee what ever you go to at Harvest City Church you will leave with a big smile on your face and a huger to return.