The church of St James, Brinsley is the featured church for September 2023. The village of Brinsley is 15 km (9 miles) north-west of Nottingham.
It consists of a nave with two turrets on the west gable wall, chancel, north vestry and south porch.
The church was designed by Robert Barber and opened in 1838 to serve as a chapel-of-ease in the large parish of Greasley. It was a small stone building, consisting of a nave with two polygonal turrets flanking the west gable wall, one of which housed a bell.
However, by 1860 the expansion of the coal industry in the area led to an increase in population and in the following year a new ecclesiastical parish for Brinsley was created.
In 1877 the church was enlarged by the addition of a chancel and organ chamber by F. J. Robinson in a similar style to the original building.
There is a fine reredos in the chancel in memory of Thomas Barber dating from 1894.
The ironwork chancel screen was erected as a war memorial in memory of the 12 men from Brinsley who were killed in the First World War.
Several of the graves in the churchyard testify to the dangers of working in the local collieries. There are also graves belonging to members of D H Lawrence’s family, including those of his grandparents.
Further information is available on the Southwell and Nottingham Church History Project.