St Paul's Church, Worthing facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Venue (formerly St Paul's Church) |
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| 50°48′49″N 0°22′17″W / 50.8137°N 0.3713°W | |
| Location | Chapel Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 1HA |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | https://the-venue.uk/ |
| History | |
| Founded | 1812 |
| Dedicated | 18 September 1812 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | John Rebecca |
| Style | Greek Revival |
| Years built | 1812 |
| Closed | 1996 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Worthing, Holy Trinity with Christ Church |
| Diocese | Diocese of Chichester |
The Venue in Worthing, England, is a cool place that hosts live music and other events. It used to be a church called St Paul's. It first opened in 1812 as the Worthing Chapel of Ease. It was built so that people living in or visiting the growing town of Worthing wouldn't have to travel far to the main church, St Mary in Broadwater. People felt that a local church was important for the town to do well.
The Chapel of Ease gave its name to Chapel Road, which is a main street in Worthing town centre. The first leader of the chapel was Reverend William Davison. He later used money from the church members to start schools for boys, girls, and even young children in the town. The girls' school he started eventually became the Davison High School we know today.
How the Church Was Built
The money to build the chapel came from selling and renting out pews (the long benches in a church). This made it a proprietary chapel, meaning it was privately owned. Because of this, poorer people were often left out, which caused some criticism. However, by 1893, enough money was raised to make the building bigger. The chapel then became a full parish church and was named after St Paul.
The building was designed by John Rebecca and built by Ambrose Cartwright. Cartwright also built the nearby Ambrose Place. The church has a grand entrance called a portico with four large columns facing Chapel Road. This style is called Doric. Behind the portico, there's a small tower with a bell, called a cupola.
The yellow bricks used for the building came from blue clay found in Worthing Common. This area, also known as the Saltgrass, was a green space in the 1800s that is now under the sea. Parts of the building are also covered in a smooth plaster finish called stucco.
Inside the Church
The inside of the church was decorated by Edward Hide, a local man from Worthing. Queen Charlotte gave the church a special gift: the royal coat of arms. She did this to thank the people of Worthing for being so kind to her daughters, Princesses Amelia and Charlotte, when they stayed in the town.
The church organ was a gift from Edward Ogle. People in Worthing called him "King Ogle" because he was known for being very bossy! Originally, the chancel (the area around the altar) was at the east end of the building. But when the church was made bigger in the 1890s, the chancel had to be moved to the west side. This is quite unusual for Anglican churches.
What It Is Now
The church building closed in 1996 because its roof was unsafe. It is a Grade II* listed building, which means it's a very important historical building in Worthing.
After being closed for a while, the building was given a new life. It became a cafe and a community place for events like weddings and concerts. There are also apartments next to it for people who need a bit of help.
In 2012, the building re-opened under the management of a group called "3 Pillars," led by Fleur Penny, Charlie Norden, and Steve Hamblin. It is now known as The Venue and is a popular cafe and art centre. Many people consider it a true "jewel" of Worthing.
