PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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Duly authorised by a private Act of Parliament, the foundation stone was laid on Friday September 29th 1843. A procession headed by the superintendent of police and two constables set off from the Town Hall at just after 3.30pm and proceeded through Ker Street, Cumberland Street, St Aubyn Street, and Fore Street. After passing through the barrier gate it slowly wended its way to the Mayor's residence in Stoke, where the Bishop of Exeter joined the procession. At the site in what was then Navy Row, Bishop Henry laid the foundation stone, then placed a bottle of coins of the realm in a cavity made for the purpose and finally placed a brass plate over the top. The Rector of Stoke Damerel, the Reverend W J St Aubyn, was also present offered a prayer before the gathering returned to the Mayor's house, where it dispersed. In the evening 28 people sat down to a dinner at the Royal Hotel ion Devonport but the Mayor and the Bishop were not present. The Church was designed by Mr Benjamin Ferrey (1810-1880) of London and built by Mr Thomas Clift of Plymouth. It was built of limestone in the Gothic style and consisted of nave, aisles, north porch, and a turret containing one bell. It cost about £5,000 to build and could accommodate 1,200 persons. The Government granted the stone necessary for the building from the quarry at Richmond Walk. St Michael's Church was consecrated in 1845. The ecclesiastical parish was formed on June 27th 1873. Unfortunately it would appear that Mr Clift's building expertise left something to be desired. It was claimed that bad workmanship allowed water to penetrate the walls and this soon gave the interior a dilapidated appearance. It is understood that this was because of the poor quality of the mortar used. In 1873 work started to re-point the entire building and the opportunity was taken to varnish the wood in the roof and erect a wooden pulpit on a plinth of Portland stone. A new heating system was also installed. The Church was re-opened for worship on Sunday October 31st 1875. Two exotic altars were installed in about 1913. On the north side was a stained window in memory of the Reverend H Rathbone but this was destroyed in the Blitz. The current Priest-in-Charge, the Reverend Tim Buckley, tells me that parts of the original Church were blown down on to the Great Western Railway main line in the air raid of April 21st/22nd 1941. Services were then held in the memorial hall, which sat 380 persons. With a fanfare of trumpets by the Royal Marine Bandsmen in full ceremonial dress, the Bishop of Exeter, Doctor R C Mortimer, re-opened and re-consecrated St Michael's Church on Saturday June 13th 1953. Restoration work cost some £20,000 but it did not entirely obliterate the ravages of the War, with the pillars of the arcade in the nave still bearing the sign of the fire which eat into the stonework. The altar, altar tables and font were all new. The organ came from the Church of St John the Baptist, in Duke Street, Devonport, which had been closed. Also present at the reconsecration were the Bishop of Plymouth, the Right Reverend Norman H Clarke, and the Lord Mayor of Plymouth, Alderman Sir Clifford Tozer. The vicar was the Reverend M D Heath. In 1987 it was realised and accepted that faulty workmanship when the Church was rebuilt after the Second World War made the building unfit to serve the needs of the community and plans were made for its redevelopment. The last service took place at St Michael's Church on April 22nd 2007, after which the congregation moved to its temporary home at Morice Town School. St Michael's Church was demolished during June 2007. A new Church capable of holding 100 worshippers is to be erected on the site of the old vicarage and 42 new affordable homes will be built on the site of the old building. This project is financed by the Aster Group, the Housing Corporation and Plymouth City Council, while the contractors will be Messrs Midas Homes. The Reverend Buckley informs me that the monuments to the Reverend H Rathbone, the Reverend C R Teape and Mr Joseph May JP have been preserved and will be hopefully incorporated in to the new Church.
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