St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge
51°30′05″N 0°09′21″W / 51.5015°N 0.1557°W / 51.5015; -0.1557
Location	32a Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 8SH
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Anglo-Catholic
Website	stpaulsknightsbridge.org
History
Dedication	Saint Paul
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	24-Feb-1958
Architect(s)	Thomas Cundy the younger
Style	Victorian Gothic
Years built	1843
Administration
Parish	St Paul, Wilton Place
Deanery	Westminster (St Margaret)
Archdeaconry	Charing Cross
Diocese	London
Province	Canterbury

St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge is a beautiful old church in Knightsbridge, London, England. It is a Church of England church with a special style called Anglo-Catholic. This church is so important that it is a Grade II* listed building. This means it has special protection because of its history and design.

History and Design

St Paul's Church was built in 1843. It was one of the first churches in London to follow the ideas of the Oxford Movement. This was a group that wanted to bring back older traditions to the Church of England. The church was designed by an architect named Thomas Cundy the younger.

Later, in 1892, a famous church architect named George Frederick Bodley added more parts to the church. He designed the chancel, which is the area around the altar. He also added a special screen called a rood screen and a decorated wall behind the altar called a reredos. Bodley also decorated St Luke's chapel, which is a smaller prayer area inside the church.

The walls of the main part of the church, called the nave, have cool tiled pictures. These pictures were made in the 1870s by Daniel Bell. They show different scenes from the life of Jesus. Between these tiled pictures, you can see paintings from the early 1920s by Gerald Moira. These paintings show the stations of the cross, which tell the story of Jesus's crucifixion.

The church also has an old font from 1842. A font is a basin used for baptisms. This one has carvings of stories from the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. You can also see statues inside the church. There's a statue of the Virgin Mary and Child from 1896 and a statue of Saint Paul from 1902.

Inside the church, there is a special memorial. It remembers 52 brave women from the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY). These women served during World War II. They helped by driving vehicles and even did secret intelligence work in countries that were taken over by the enemy. Three of these women were awarded the George Cross, which is a very high award for bravery.

St Paul's Church also has a "sister parish" church. This means they are like partner churches. Their sister church is St. Paul's, K street in Washington, D.C. in the United States.

Special Events

St Paul's Church has been the location for many important events over the years, including weddings and memorial services for famous people.

Weddings

Many notable people have chosen St Paul's Church for their weddings. Here are a few:

• 1900: George Cornwallis-West married Jennie Churchill. Jennie was the mother of Winston Churchill, who later became a famous Prime Minister.
• 1946: Bruce Shand married Rosalind Cubitt. They are the parents of Queen Camilla, who is now the Queen of the United Kingdom.
• 2015: Famous footballer Frank Lampard married Christine Bleakley, a well-known TV presenter.

Funerals and Memorial Services

The church has also held memorial services for important figures:

• 1937: J. Bruce Ismay, who was a businessman involved with the Titanic.
• 2017: Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II.

Images for kids

• 

  Inside the church

• 

  Beautiful stained glass window

• 

  A tiled picture by Daniel Bell

• 

  The altar in the chapel

• 

  The decorated wall behind the altar

• 

  The rood cross

• 

  Memorial for the brave women of World War II

• 

  Memorial to Old Boys of St Paul's School