PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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CHURCH OF SAINT PAUL
The Anglican Church of Saint Paul was situated on the east side of Morice Square in Devonport.
The ecclesiastical parish was formed on August 27th 1846* from the parish of Stoke Damerel. The congregation met in a temporary chapel in Navy Row**, Morice Town. The foundation stone was laid by the Mayor of Devonport, Mr John Beer Junior, on Wednesday July 25th 1849 after a similar ceremony at the Church of Saint James the Great. The Reverend J Adams officiated. [1] Designed by Mr J Piers Saint Aubyn in the decorated pointed style of architecture, the Church was to have a nave and north and south aisles, the interior length coming to 63 feet 6 inches and the breadth, including the aisles, 62 feet. The windows were to have Bath stone dressings and at the western end was to be a tower surmounted by a spire 104 feet in height. The walls were to be mainly of rubble limestone. Accommodation was provided for 401 adults and 315 children. The contractors were Messrs Goodyear and Roberts, of East Stonehouse. [1] Saint Paul's was consecrated on April 22nd 1851. The original cost of the structure was £3,000. The church was destroyed by enemy action in 1941 and services were held in the Church of Saint Aubyn during the 1950s. A mission hall was erected in Cornwall Street, Devonport, and opened on Thursday October 11th 1883. Known as the Town Mission Hall it was designed in the plain Gothic style by Mr Luff and erected by Mr John Martin, of Devonport. The commodious and lofty building measured 50 feet in length by 30 feet in width and was some 15 feet high. It was entered through a 7 foot square porch and the Hall was heated by two large fireplaces. Accommodation in the form of pitch pine benches was provided for 300 people and there was a small raised platform at the end opposite the entrance. At 6.30pm a public tea was held and nearly 300 people attended. By the 1950s the Hall was being used as a Sunday School. [2] The parish had been merged with that of Saint Aubyn's and the Church demolished by February 1958. * Kelly's directories quote
September 22nd 1846. Sources (incomplete):
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