St James the Less' Church, Ashted
St James the Less’ Church, Ashted, in Birmingham, England, was a Church of England parish church. It began as the family home of Dr. Ash, built in 1780, a 56 by 56 foot house. It became Ashted Chapel, a chapel of ease to Aston Parish Church, on 9 October 1791. In 1809 it was bought by George Simcox and J.L. Green for £1,200 and they spent about £1,500 rebuilding it. It was consecrated in 1810.
The church had a nave and chancel, choir vestry, clergy vestry, a western vestibule, northwest and southwest porches, and a western circular baptistry. The tower was a circular cupola with eight of Harrington’s tubular bells. In 1853 land was taken from Aston Parish Church to form St James’ parish.
It was repaired in 1829 when a new vicar, Josiah Allport, found it closed and roofless, with work overseen by Thomas Rickman and Henry Hutchinson at a cost of £860. It was repaired again in 1887–88, when the roof was again in danger of collapse. The interior was rearranged, part of the east end rebuilt, the western vestibule formed, and the organ removed from the western gallery, at a cost of about £2,500.
The church was damaged in a Second World War air raid and demolished in 1956. An organ by Banfield had been installed; details can be found in the National Pipe Organ Register.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:02 (CET).