St Paul's Church, George Street, Nottingham
| St. Paul's Church, George Street, Nottingham | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 52°57′15″N 1°8′42″W / 52.95417°N 1.14500°W | |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Broad Church |
| History | |
| Dedication | St. Paul |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | William Wilkins |
| Style | Greek Revival architecture |
| Completed | 1822 |
| Construction cost | £17,000 |
| Closed | 1924 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 1,600 |
| Length | 104 feet (32 m) |
| Width | 62 feet (19 m) |
| Height | 34 feet (10 m) |
| Administration | |
| Province | York |
| Diocese | Diocese of Southwell |
| Parish | Nottingham |
St. Paul's Church, George Street, was a Church of England church built as a chapel of ease to St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. It was opened in 1822 and closed in 1924.
Background
It was consecrated by Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt the Archbishop of York on 24 October 1822, and the patron of the living was Charles Pierrepont, 2nd Earl Manvers. The architect was William Wilkins, the brother of the Vicar of St. Mary's, Revd. George Wilkins, and the cost was £14,026[1] (equivalent to £1,614,440 in 2023).[2]
It was a Commissioners' church. Revd. Wilkins formally applied for a grant in November 1818, but it was not until September 1821 that the money was approved and construction work started.
It was 104 ft long (32 m), 62 ft wide (19 m) and 34 ft high (10 m), with accommodation for 1853 worshippers. It had a fine Doric portico with a bell turret over it.[3] The roof of the church was supported by 14 Corinthian columns and pilasters at the angles.
At the time of the building of this 'St. Paul's Chapel of Ease', as it was then called, public opinion was running high against King George IV for he had refused to allow his wife Caroline to be crowned, notwithstanding this, the King's Coronation was celebrated in Nottingham by the firing of several volleys in the Market Place by the 7th Dragoon Guards, and the Yeomanry Cavalry. The Mayor then invited the officers to join him in drinking his Majesty's health and afterwards the foundation stone was laid by the Revd. George Wilkins, Vicar of St. Mary's Church.[4]
Originally opened as a Chapel of Ease, it became an independent parish in 1838.
Incumbents
- 1839 Charles Armstrong
- 1868 James Hill[5]
- 1880 James Farmer[6]
- 1892 Alfred Whymper[7] (formerly vicar of St James' Church, Standard Hill)
- 1896 George Bishop
- 1906 Henry Biddel (formerly vicar of St Christopher's Church, Sneinton)[8]
- 1918 Ernest Harold Perkins (formerly curate at St. John the Baptist's Church, Leenside, Nottingham)[9]
Organ
The church organ was built by Bevington and Sons of London in 1846 for a cost of £310 (equivalent to £37,920 in 2023).[2]
Organists
- John M. Wilson 1846 - 1848 (afterwards organist at St Barnabas Catholic Church, Nottingham)
- C.N. Wright ca. 1853 (afterwards organist of Holy Trinity Church, Trinity Square
- Mr. Myers 1862 - 1868[10] (formerly organist of St Mark's Church, Nottingham)
- G. H. Woodhouse 1878 - 1883[11] (afterwards organist of All Saints' Church, Nottingham)
Closure
With the population of Nottingham moving out into the suburbs at during the early part of the 20th century, the church became redundant and was closed in 1924. The proceeds from the sale of the site were given by the Diocese of Southwell to the construction of the new building at St. Cyprian's Church, Sneinton.
References
- ^ History and antiquities of Nottingham. James Orange. 1840
- ^ a b UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ Old and New Nottingham. William Howie Wylie. 1853
- ^ 'Nottingham Past and Present', 1926.
- ^ "Diocese of Lincoln. Preferments and Appointments". Nottingham Journal. England. 27 June 1868. Retrieved 28 November 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Diocese of Lincoln. Preferments and Appointments". Nottinghamshire Guardian. England. 30 July 1880. Retrieved 28 November 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Presentation to the Rev. Alfred Whymper". Nottinghamshire Guardian. England. 31 October 1896. Retrieved 28 November 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Items of Local Interest". Nottingham Evening Post. England. 5 April 1906. Retrieved 28 November 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "New Nottingham Vicar". Nottingham Journal. England. 2 November 1918. Retrieved 28 November 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Presentation to an Organist". Nottinghamshire Guardian. England. 14 February 1868. Retrieved 28 November 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "St Paul's". Nottinghamshire Guardian. England. 6 April 1883. Retrieved 28 November 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.