St Paul's, Hammersmith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Paul's Church, Hammersmith |
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| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Evangelical |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Hammersmith and Fulham |
| Archdeaconry | Middlesex |
| Diocese | London |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Paul's Church in Hammersmith is an important historical building. It is a Christian church located on Queen Caroline Street in Hammersmith, London. You can find it near the Hammersmith flyover and close to the Hammersmith tube station.
Contents
A Look Back: The Church's Story
St Paul's Church has a long and interesting history, going back to the 1600s.
How It All Began: The First Church
The story of St Paul's started in the 17th century. In 1629, a noble called the 2nd Earl of Mulgrave bought the land. A wealthy merchant named Sir Nicholas Crispe gave a lot of money (about £700) to help build the church. He lived nearby in Hammersmith.
The very first stone for the church was placed on March 11, 1630. This first building was a "chapel of ease." This means it was a smaller church built for people who lived far from the main parish church. Archbishop Laud officially opened it on June 7, 1631.
Building the Church We See Today
Hammersmith grew very quickly, especially after the new Metropolitan Railway arrived. By 1880, the old church was not big enough for all the people. Everyone agreed it was time to build a new, larger church on the same spot. They felt the old building was "not worthy" of such an important area like Hammersmith had become.
In July 1882, the Duke of Albany placed the foundation stone for the new church. The main part of the new building, called the nave, was officially opened on October 13, 1883. The architects who designed this new church were J. P. Seddon and H. R. Gough.
Later, between 1957 and 1961, the Hammersmith Flyover and the Great West Road were built. Because of this, St Paul's Church lost some of its land, including parts of its old graveyard.
For a short time, from 1970 to 1975, the Hammersmith Chess Club used the Church Hall as their meeting place.
In 1983, the church changed its seating. The old wooden pews were taken out and replaced with chairs that could be moved around. This made the space more flexible.
In the 2000s, a new part was added to the west side of the church. This new section included a hall and a kitchen. At the same time, the church also went through a big repair and cleaning project. This work was finished by Bryen & Langley, and the new extension opened in 2011.
What the Church Looks Like: Outside and Inside
St Paul's Church has a very grand design, both on the outside and the inside.
The Church's Exterior Design
The outside of the church is built in a style called "Early English Gothic." This means it has tall, narrow windows called lancet windows. It also has strong buttresses (supports on the outside walls), a very high roof, and a tall, impressive tower.
Exploring the Interior
The inside of St Paul's Church is very large. It is about 190 feet (57.9 meters) long, 73 feet (22.25 meters) wide, and 63 feet (19.2 meters) high. It was designed to hold 1,400 people!
The walls inside are made of brown Ancaster stone. The tall, grouped columns and wall decorations are made from beautiful Belgian marble. The church has six sections, created by five main columns on each side. White and blue Bath stone was used for the arches and some of the carved decorations.
The pulpit, which is where the speaker stands, came from an older church in London called All-Hallows-the-Great.
The colorful stained glass windows in the church were made by a company called Clayton and Bell. The windows on the north side show scenes from the life of Saint Paul. The windows on the south side show scenes from the life of Saint Peter. Paul and Peter are two very important figures in Christian history.
In the front part of the church, called the chancel, there are two very large paintings by an artist named Charlie Mackesy. These paintings show the crucifixion of Jesus and the story of the Prodigal Son.
See Also
- HTB network
