Staff photo.
Canterbury United Methodist Church in Mountain Brook offers both traditional and contemporary services to its congregation.
As the oldest institution in Mountain Brook, Canterbury United Methodist Church has truly stood the test of time — growing, evolving and weaving itself into the community’s history.
Its story begins in 1867, when a group of settlers near the Irondale Furnace came together to form Irondale Methodist. Just a few years later, in 1874, the church took on a new name — Union Hill Methodist Episcopal Church — when the North Alabama Conference held a meeting in the Birmingham District. With a generous land donation from Pleasant Hickman Watkins, delegates decided to erect the first church building along what is now Hollywood Boulevard, just west of Mountain Brook Village.
Fast forward to 1928, when Mountain Brook visionary Robert Jemison gave the church a facelift, rechristening it as Canterbury Methodist Episcopal Church. The transformation was so stunning that it earned the title of the “prettiest country church in the United States.”
Meanwhile, another congregation was taking root. In 1912, Crestline Community Church was founded, and within a year, a sanctuary stood proudly on Church Street in Crestline Heights. By 1942, after a major renovation, the church adopted a new name — Mountain Brook Methodist. Today, that historic building is known as Steeple Arts.
The two churches joined forces in 1948, uniting under one name and settling on a site that once served as a cow pasture for Bearden Dairy. On Oct. 12, 1952, the brand-new Canterbury United Methodist Church opened its doors to 900 members. Now, with a thriving congregation of more than 4,300, Canterbury continues to be a cornerstone of the community, blending rich history with a vibrant future.
