St Paul's, Burton upon Trent facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Paul’s Church, Burton upon Trent |
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St Paul’s Church, Burton upon Trent
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| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Anglo Catholic |
| Website | St Paul's webpage |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Lichfield |
| Province | Province of Canterbury |
St Paul's Church is a special Church of England parish church located in Burton upon Trent, a town in Staffordshire, England. You can find it on St Paul's Square, very close to the Town Hall. The church first opened its doors in 1874. It was designed by two architects, James M. Teale and Edmund Beckett Denison. Later on, more parts were added by another famous architect, G. F. Bodley.
This church is considered a very important historical building. It is listed as Grade II*, which means it's a building of more than special interest. St Paul's Church belongs to the diocese of Lichfield. Since 2005, it has been part of a larger church area that used to include St Aidan's in Shobnall (which is now closed). St Paul's also works closely with St John the Divine, Horninglow. They might even share a vicar, who is the main priest for both churches.
You can visit St Paul's Church for regular Sunday services at 9:30 AM. There are also weekday services on Fridays at 12 noon. The church is usually open to visitors most days from 10:30 AM to 4:00 PM, besides its service times.
Contents
The Story of St Paul's Church
The idea for St Paul's Church started in 1865. A small church group, called a mission, was opened in Borough Road, Burton. This happened because Michael Thomas Bass, a well-known local person, suggested it. By 1872, this mission was known as St Paul's.
In 1873, the area around St Paul's was officially made into its own church district. This new district was created from parts of three other church areas: Christ Church, Holy Trinity, and St Modwen's. The new St Paul's Church was then built and opened in 1874. It was built on a spot that soon became known as St Paul's Square. Michael Thomas Bass paid for the entire church and its vicarage (the house for the vicar). This cost him a huge amount of money, about £50,000 back then! The church was officially blessed and opened on April 7, 1874, by the Bishop of Lichfield, George Augustus Selwyn.
Exploring the Church Building
St Paul's Church was designed by J. M. Teale and Sir Edmund Beckett Denison. It was built using special stones from Coxbench and Ancaster. The church has a cruciform shape, which means it looks like a cross from above. It has a main area called the nave, a special part for the altar called the chancel, and two side sections called transepts.
The church also has a tall, square tower that is 123 feet high. Inside the tower are ten bells! The first eight bells were remade in 1912, and two more were added in 1922.
Special Details and Art in the Church
Look closely at the church's columns. The tops of the columns, called capitals, and the ends of the window frames, called label stops, were carved by S. Tinkler of Derby. They show amazing details of plants, fruits, and animals. The carvings in the nave even show scenes representing the twelve months of the year!
All the windows have beautiful stone patterns called tracery. The windows in the chancel have round decorations known as ballflowers. The upper windows in the nave and transepts are made of three tall, narrow windows called lancets. The roof of the nave has decorative wooden supports.
There are also six special windows designed in the Arts and Crafts style by Archibald John Davies. These windows, made between 1919 and 1934, are located in the south aisle and the entrance area (narthex).
Changes and Additions Over Time
Between 1889 and 1901, parts of the church were changed quite a bit by George Frederick Bodley. These changes were paid for by Michael Bass, 1st Baron Burton, who was Michael Thomas Bass's son.
In 1889, a part of the church was turned into a small chapel for daily services. Two years later, a new room for the priests' robes, called a sacristy, was added outside. Inside, a porch was added to the south transept door.
The roof of the chancel and the altar area (sanctuary) were painted. A special cover was added to the stone pulpit, which is where the priest gives sermons. The church also got new organ cases, one in the chancel and one high up in the south transept, both designed by Bodley. The floor of the chancel was also redone with red and white marble.
The reredos, which is a decorated screen behind the altar, was replaced. The new one was designed by Robert Bridgeman and showed the Crucifixion (Jesus on the cross) surrounded by saints. The old reredos was moved to another church.
Many other changes were made in the 20th century, mostly paid for by the church members.
- In 1910, a new entrance area (western narthex) was added to remember Baron Burton, who had passed away.
- A war memorial was put up in the churchyard in 1920 to remember those who died in wars.
- A stone bishop's chair was built into the sanctuary wall in 1931.
- In 1979, two parts of the nave and the narthex were changed into a church hall. At this time, several items from another closed chapel, St Margaret's, were brought to St Paul's. These included a wooden lectern (a stand for reading) by Morris and Co., a painting of the Crucifixion, statues of Alpha and Omega, a banner, and statues of St Margaret of Antioch and St Michael.
A writer named Arthur Mee once said that the decorations in St Paul's were "nobly rich and beautiful." In 1950, the church was officially recognized as a Grade II* listed building, showing its importance.
The Church Organ
In 1894-1895, the original organ in St Paul's Church was replaced. The new organ was special because it was the first one built entirely by the Hope-Jones Electric Organ Company Ltd. This organ had four manuals, which are the keyboards an organist plays.
However, this Hope-Jones organ was also replaced in 1985. Parts of it, including the console (the main control panel), were moved to a special museum in Eccles, Greater Manchester. The very first organ from St Paul's was moved to another church in 1896, and then to a church in Berlin in 2012.
Today, the church has an organ that used to be in a church in Chesterfield. You can find it in the north chancel aisle. The large organ case in the south transept is now empty, except for a few big pipes from the older instruments.
People Who Played the Organ
Here are some of the organists who have played at St Paul's Church:
- Dr Arthur Blurton Plant: He was the organist and choirmaster from when the church opened in 1874 until he passed away in 1914. He only missed one Sunday in 40 years!
- Arthur William Keith Plant: He was Dr. Plant's son and played from 1914 to 1940.
- Dennis Townhill: He played from 1942 to 1943.
- Walter Cox: He played from 1945 to 1968.
- Terence W. Bennett: He played from 1977 to 1984 before moving to St Modwen's.
The Vicars of St Paul's
The vicar is the main priest in charge of the church. Here are some of the vicars who have served St Paul's Church:
- James Henry Fish: From 1874 until he died in 1887.
- Frederic Hicks Beaven: From 1887 to 1901. He later became a bishop.
- Joseph John Gabbett Stockley: From 1901 to 1918-1919. He later became a Canon of Lichfield Cathedral.
- Sydney George William Maitland: From 1919 to 1927.
- John Goodacre: From 1927 to 1933.
- Basil Henry Winterbotham: From 1933 to 1944.
- W. Willis Price: From 1944 to 1959.
- W. B. Woolley: From 1958 to 1974.
- Rev Ronald N. Whittingham: From 1975 to 1980.
- David Morris: From 1981 to 1999.
- Paul Andrew Farthing: From 2005 to 2013.
- William Stanley Monkhouse: From 2014 to 2019. He was also the Vicar of St Modwen's Church.
Images for kids
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St Paul's from the south east
