In 1907, construction began on Edgbaston’s Baroque-style Oratory to rival the Italian capital’s great churches; over a century later, ‘Birmingham’s Little Rome’ holds a free museum and deep ties to J. R. R. Tolkien

Discover the breathtaking interior of this Grade II* listed church where a young literary legend spent his formative years, now offering daily liturgical services and the preserved manuscripts of Saint John Henry Newman.

Charlie Case

· November 4, 2026

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Having just got home from holiday in Rome, I’ve been missing The Eternal City badly. While good Italian food isn’t hard to come by in Birmingham, little here matches the Italian capital’s awe-inspiring architecture (unless you count Birmingham Town Hall, which was modelled on the Roman Temple of Castor and Pollux).

But I’ve just discovered that there’s also a Catholic church in Edgbaston that inspires the basilica of beauty of Rome’s standout churches—earning the nickname ‘Birmingham’s Little Rome’—while it also played a major part in the childhood life of J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings.

Birmingham Oratory

When John Henry Newman (who was made a Saint in 2019) went to Rome in 1845 to become a Catholic priest, he was authorised by Pope Pius IX to establish a community of the Oratory in England. He returned just two years later and founded the Oratory of St. Philip Neri in Birmingham.

It wasn’t until 1907, seventeen years after Newman’s death, that construction began on the current church. Designed by the architect Edward Doran Webb in the Baroque style to rival Rome’s great churches, the Grade II* listed church still hosts everything from Mass and marriages to confessions and holy communions today.

Birmingham Oratory also acts as a national shrine to Newman. Following his canonisation, the Museum of Saint John Henry Cardinal Newman opened in October 2019. Inside, you will find his possessions, manuscripts, and liturgical objects available to view for free.

J. R. R. Tolkien

Anyone who knows J. R. R. Tolkien understands the influence Catholicism had on this great author. Having relocated from South Africa to Birmingham in his childhood, Tolkien was a parishioner at the Oratory for about nine years, while the church’s Father Morgan even became his legal guardian after the passing of his mother.

Visiting times

The Birmingham Oratory is open to the public daily for prayer, quiet contemplation, and liturgical services:

Weekdays: 7am to 9am, 12pm to 2pm and 5pm to 6:30pm (Masses at 7:30am, 12:30pm, and 5:45pm)
Saturday: 8am to 1pm and 4pm to 6:30pm (Masses at 9am, 11am, and 5:30pm)
Sunday: 7am to 1:30pm and 3pm to 6:30pm (Masses at 7:30am, 8:30am, 10:30am(High Mass), 12:15pm, 4:30pm (Sung Vespers & Benediction) and 5:30pm)

To learn more, head to The Birmingham Oratory website.