St Paul's Church, Stockingford facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Paul's, Stockingford
St Paul's Church, seen from Church Road
52°31′10″N 1°30′33″W / 52.519404°N 1.509245°W / 52.519404; -1.509245
OS grid reference	SP 33349 91403
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Website	www.stpaulsstockingford.org.uk
History
Dedication	St Paul
Administration
Parish	Stockingford
Diocese	Coventry
Province	Canterbury

St Paul's Church, Stockingford, is a Church of England church located in Stockingford, a part of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. It belongs to the Diocese of Coventry. This church has a rich history and has been an important part of the local community for many years.

Where is St Paul's Church?

The church is located on the west side of Church Road. It is close to where Church Road meets St Paul's Road. The church has a large churchyard around it, which is about 1.3 acres in size.

A Look at the Church's History

St Paul's Church was built after a time of unrest in Stockingford. Around 1819, people who worked from home in the local hosiery industry were told their wages would be cut. This led to protests in the streets.

To help bring peace and order, the main church in Nuneaton, St Nicholas, decided a new church should be built in Stockingford. This new church was called a "chapel of ease," which means it was a smaller church built to make it easier for people in a certain area to attend services.

Work on St Paul's Church began in 1822, and it was officially opened and dedicated in 1824.

The Church Building

St Paul's Church is a very special building. It is listed as a Grade II building in the National Heritage List for England. This means it is an important historical building that needs to be protected. The church was first built in 1822, designed by John Russell from Leamington Spa. Over the years, more parts have been added to it.

The Original Church (1822)

The first stone for the church was laid in 1822. The oldest parts of the church are the main hall, called the nave, and the tower. These were built in a neo-classical style, which was popular at the time.

The roofs are made of slate and lead. The walls are built with dark red bricks, and the windows are large with a diamond pattern. Inside, the nave has a flat ceiling. When it first opened, the church had 520 free seats and 88 other seats. Building the original church cost about £2000.

The church was officially opened on April 22, 1824, by Bishop Henry Ryder.

The Chancel Addition (1897)

A new section called the chancel was added to the church in 1897. This part was designed by G.B. Vialls in a Gothic revival style, which looks like older medieval churches. This addition cost £1200.

The chancel has an open wooden ceiling. The floor is made of stone slabs, with some wooden blocks around the choir stalls. There is also a beautiful mosaic made from glass tiles on the platform where the altar stands. This mosaic was covered by carpet for many years and was only rediscovered in 2008!

At the same time the chancel was built, the church was rearranged, and the old seats in the nave were replaced with pews.

The Parish Centre (1995)

The church interior in 2002, before the big changes

In 1995, St Paul's Church added a new part called the Parish Centre. This extension was built on the south side of the church. Money for this project was raised by the people of Stockingford and also came from a grant from the European Union.

A new south porch was added to connect the church to the new centre. Some of the pews inside the church had to be removed to create this new entrance. The centre was officially opened on January 15, 1995.

Big Changes in 2008

The church interior after the 2008 changes

In September 2008, the church building went through a major makeover. The old pews were removed, and the inside of the church was restyled. A new Church Hall was created for local community groups to use.

The old pipe organ, which had been installed in 1909, was carefully taken apart and moved to a Catholic church in Dijon, France. In its place, a digital organ was installed at St Paul's.

The old floor was replaced with new oak boards that have underfloor heating. Some parts of the church, especially the chancel area, had problems with the ground sinking, which were fixed during this work.

A group called WREN gave a grant of £50,000 to help pay for these changes, especially for the parts that would benefit the community. The re-ordering work took about ten weeks. During this time, the beautiful glass mosaic from 1897, which had been hidden under a carpet, was found, cleaned, and left in place for everyone to see.

Church Leaders (Clergy)

The current vicar at St Paul's is the Rev Kate Massey. Many vicars have served at St Paul's Church since it opened. Here is a list of some of them:

The Church Clock

The bell in the tower, with its hammer

When the church tower was built in 1822–1823, it had a clock and a bell. In 1867, a new clock was put in. Sadly, this clock stopped working in the 1970s and wasn't fixed for a long time.

In the 1990s, the bell was found to be unsafe, so it was fixed in place and its rope was removed. Then, in 1999, clockmakers Smith of Derby Group restored both the clock and the bell. For the first time in 30 years, the clock chimed at midnight on January 1, 2000, to celebrate the new millennium!

Because the bell is now fixed, the new clock mechanism uses a hammer to strike the bell. The new clock has three faces. Two faces (north and south) are run by the clock's mechanical parts, while the west face is run electronically.

Memorials to Remember

St Paul's Church has special memorials to remember people from the area who lost their lives in wars.

First World War Memorial

In 1922, a beautiful stained glass window was installed in the church. It cost £500 and was a memorial to the 201 people from the area who died in the First World War.

To complete the memorial, wooden panels were put up under the window. A brass tablet listing the names of the soldiers who died was also put in place. The churchyard also has the war grave of a soldier who died in 1918.

Second World War Memorial

In 1946, a plaque was put up to remember the 17 men from the church's area who died in the Second World War. This plaque is located underneath the First World War memorial.

The 1st Battalion Cambridge Regiment was stationed nearby in 1941. These soldiers worshipped at St Paul's. Sadly, 343 of them died between 1942 and 1945 while fighting in the Far East. A special plaque remembering these men was placed next to the war memorial.

Connection to George Eliot

The famous writer George Eliot (whose real name was Mary Ann Evans) mentioned Stockingford in her book "Scenes of Clerical Life". She called Stockingford "Paddiford Common" and referred to St Paul's Church as the "chapel of ease."

One of the characters in her book, Revd. Tryan, was based on Revd. John Edmund Jones, who was the vicar at St Paul's from 1828 to 1831. Another character, Mr Landor, was based on Mr Craddock, who laid the foundation stone of the church in 1822.

Images for kids

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  Church interior in 2002

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  Church interior after 2008 re-ordering

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  The bell in the tower, with hammer

See also

• List of Commissioners' churches in the English Midlands