St Paul's Church, Dover facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Paul's Church |
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Front entrance
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| OS grid reference | TR 319 418 |
| Location | Dover, Kent |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | ParishoftheGoodShepherd.co.uk |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | Saint Paul |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | E. W. Pugin |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1867 |
| Completed | 15 May 1868 |
| Construction cost | £2300 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Good Shepherd |
| Deanery | Dover |
| Archdiocese | Southwark |
| Province | Southwark |
St Paul's Church is a Roman Catholic church located in Dover, Kent, England. It was built a long time ago, between 1867 and 1868. You can find it on Maison Dieu Road, right in the middle of Dover. This church has a special look called Gothic Revival style, and it was designed by an architect named E.W. Pugin.
Contents
History of St Paul's Church
Early Beginnings
In 1822, a small Christian group started in Dover. They helped the Catholic people living there. At first, they held their church services, called Mass, in a house on Snargate Street.
By 1834, more people wanted to attend Mass. The place they were using, a loft in a house, was too small. So, they decided to buy a new building. They bought an old Wesleyan chapel on Elizabeth Street for £425. It cost another £400 to fix it up. They also bought a house next door for the priest to live in, which cost £350. In May 1835, their new chapel opened its doors.
Building the New Church
Less than 30 years later, the number of Catholics in Dover grew even more. The chapel was too small again! A bigger place was needed for the growing congregation.
In 1864, they bought the land where the church stands today, on Maison Dieu Road. This land cost £450. Building work on the new church began in 1867. The whole project cost £2300. A lot of the money came from a gift left by Mary Winifred St Martin, Countess de Front. She was a countess who had passed away in 1830. On May 15, 1868, Bishop Thomas Grant officially opened the new church.
In 1872, a school was built right next to the church. The very next year, in 1873, a rounded part called an apse was added to the church building.
Changes Over Time
In 1959, the church got some repairs. The area where the altar is, called the chancel, was made lower. The altar itself was moved closer to the main seating area, called the nave. In 1964, the nave was updated. New seats were put in, and the pulpit (where the priest gives sermons) was taken out.
On October 23, 1987, something terrible happened. Someone set fire to the church on purpose. The fire badly damaged the church roof and the organ. After starting the fire, the person went to Canterbury to try and rob another church there. The police caught him a few days later.
Repairs to St Paul's Church began on June 1, 1988. The church was reopened on October 28 of the same year. Archbishop Michael Bowen led the Mass that day to celebrate the reopening.
The Parish of St Paul's
Very close to St Paul's Church is St Edmund's Chapel. This chapel was built way back in 1262. However, it was closed down in 1544 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. In the 1960s, people worked hard to fix it up and bring it back to life. Father Terrence Tanner, who was the priest at St Paul's from 1958 to 1970, helped a lot with this. The St Edmund of Abingdon Memorial Trust now owns the chapel.
In 2015, St Paul's Church joined with St Finbarr's Church in Aylesham. Together, they became part of the parish of the Good Shepherd.
St Paul's Church holds two Sunday Masses each week. One is on Saturday evening at 6:00 pm, and the other is on Sunday morning at 9:15 am.
See also
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Southwark
