St Saviour'S Church, Branston

"The love of Jesus, transforming lives"

A Short History of St. Saviour's Church, Branston, Burton-upon-Trent

Services were held in Branston from 1844 in a schoolchurch, converted from a stable and cowshed and licensed at the request of the newly-appointed incumbent of Christ Church, in Burton. It stood to the south of the present church, on a site now occupied by the vicarage house. There was an evening congregation of 28 adults on Census Sunday 1851, besides Sunday school children.
In 1863 a committee was formed to supervise the erection of a new school-church, which was opened in 1864 on the south side of Main Street. It was replaced in 1870 by the present church on the same site, paid for by voluntary subscriptions and dedicated to St. Saviour. A vicarage house was built east of the church in 1871.
The church served a district chapelry for Branston township within Christ Church ecclesiastical parish. After part of Branston was added to Burton borough in 1878 St. Matthew's mission church in St. Matthew's Street was opened from St. Saviour's in 1886. In 1889 it was transferred to the newly-created Burton parish of All Saints'.
St. Saviour's church, built of red brick, was originally a single-celled building with a west bell-turret. A north-east vestry and organ chamber and a northwest porch were added in 1891.
There was a small burial ground beside the church, and in 1914 a site in Clays Lane (opposite front of church) was consecrated as an additional ground.

On 2nd May 1958 the Church Commissioners duly prepared and laid before Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II an instruction to grant St. Saviour's it's own Parish, having previously been a District Chapelry from 29th November, 1870.

The porch was rebuilt in 1981, when a meeting room with cross-gabled windows was inserted along the exterior north wall between the porch and the vestry. Toilets were added too. In 1985, the vicar and his family moved into a new house at the bottom of his garden and the old vicarage became a select eating-house, aptly named 'The Old Vicarage'.

An article taken from http://www. resource-arm.net/news. html in respect of a more up to date St. Saviour's.
Re-source News. Leadership and prayer; the ways in which God works - From Autumn 2011:
A weekend with the little parish of Branston (where the pickle comes from), near Burton upon Trent, reminded us that where there are faithful, praying believers
and courageous leadership, God works in the most wonderful ways. Two years ago, with just three people in the Sunday morning congregation, the church was facing closure; but that remnant was praying.
God’s answer was to bring the Revd Mick Ellor and his wife Jan to lead the willing faithful towards the promised land. The result has been growth, largely through new conversions and teaching in proper 30 minute sermons in Word and Spirit, so that the morning and evening congregations now average 35 each; and a burgeoning children’s work, with a fine summer Holiday Club. £45, 000 has been raised by the church members to allow the removal of the decrepit organ and the building of a kitchen and lavatory, and a large Upper Room for Youth work, in the space; the appointment of willing Children’s and Youth workers; the installation of a new PA and worship music system; and good connections with the community, with Mick on the Parish Council and serving as the Mayor’s Chaplain. All in just two years. It can always be done, under God and through fervent prayer.
Two years on, Sunday services are attracting over a hundred people each week. As a result plans are now afoot to extend the church building, so . . . . . . . . . . . . watch this space!