St Paul's Church is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

in Commercial Street in the city centre of

Newport, South Wales Newport ( cy, Casnewydd; ) is a city and county borough in Wales, situated on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, northeast of Cardiff. With a population of 145,700 at the 2011 census, Newport is the third-largest au ...

, built in Victorian gothic style in 1835–36. It was a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

of the

Church in Wales The Church in Wales ( cy, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru) is an Anglicanism, Anglican church in Wales, composed of six dioceses. The Archbishop of Wales does not have a fixed archiepiscopal see, but serves concurrently as one of the six diocesan bishop ...

in the

Diocese of Monmouth The Diocese of Monmouth is a diocese of the Church in Wales. Despite the name, its cathedral is located not in Monmouth but in Newport — the Cathedral Church of St Woolos. Reasons for not choosing the title of Newport included the existence of ...

until 2016, when the congregation moved leaving the building vacant. It was sold in 2018.

History

The church was built in 1835–36 at a cost of £5,000, with fittings bringing the total to more than £7,000. The land was donated by

Sir Charles Morgan, 2nd Baronet Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Charles Gould Morgan, 2nd Baronet (4 February 1760 – 5 December 1846), was a Welsh soldier and politician, the MP for Brecon and County of Monmouth. Early career The 2nd baronet was the son of Sir Charles Morgan, 1st ...

, whose family continued as pew-holders and benefactors of the church and parish. Also a
Imaging the Bible in Wales Database
Built to seat 1000 people, it was the first church in the town, and became a parish church in the

Diocese of Llandaff The Diocese of Llandaff is an Anglican (Church in Wales) diocese that traces its roots to pre-Reformation times as heir of a Catholic bishopric. It is headed by the Bishop of Llandaff, whose seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Saint Pet ...

in 1839. A vicarage hall was added on the grounds of the vicarage in 1879; the church closed in 1991, but after reopening and modern renovations, the hall was combinable with the worship area to make a hall with a capacity of 300. St Paul's was designated a Grade II listed building on 2 May 1980. In 2016, the congregation moved to a leased building on Bridge Street; it later merged with St Stephen's in

Pillgwenlly Pillgwenlly ( cy, Pilgwenlli), usually known as Pill, is a community (civil parish) and coterminous electoral district (ward) in the city of Newport, South Wales. Etymology The name is an elision of " Pîl Gwynllyw" (or "Gwynllyw's Pîl" in ...

, in the latter's building. St Paul's church was left vacant and was sold in 2018. In December 2021, an application was submitted to divide the interior into 20 flats; this was rejected in February 2022 after objections from the

Georgian Group The Georgian Group is a British Charitable organization, charity, and the national authority on Georgian architecture built between 1700 and 1837 in England and Wales. As one of the Amenity society, National Amenity Societies, The Georgian G ...

and the

Victorian Society The Victorian Society is a UK amenity society and membership organisation that campaigns to preserve and promote interest in Victorian and Edwardian architecture and heritage built between 1837 and 1914 in England and Wales. It is a registered ...

Building

The church is attributed to

Thomas Henry Wyatt Thomas Henry Wyatt (9 May 1807 – 5 August 1880) was an Anglo-Irish architect. He had a prolific and distinguished career, being elected President of the Royal Institute of British Architects 1870–73 and being awarded its Royal Gold Medal for A ...

, but the newspaper account of the consecration refers only to "Mr Wyatt" being present, and Pryce's history of the church states that the architect was Sir

Matthew Digby Wyatt Sir Matthew Digby Wyatt (28 July 1820 – 21 May 1877) was a British architect and art historian who became Secretary of the Great Exhibition, Surveyor of the East India Company and the first Slade Professor of Fine Art at the University of Ca ...

. Constructed of rock-faced coursed stone with ashlar dressings, the church is in Georgian Early English Gothic style, a rare example in Wales of the "Gothick" period that pre-dated the Victorian Gothic revival. At the East end facing Commercial Street is an octagonal clock tower with spire. The ceiling was added in 1842 and the church was refurbished in 1859 by G. Clarke of Newport, then redecorated with new porches by Habershon and Fawckner in 1888.

Stained glass

* Christ the Good Shepherd, the Good Samaritan and Christ Blessing Children (lancets, East end)

References

External links

*
St Paul's Church website
archived on 29 November 2015
St Paul's and St Stephen's
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newport, St. Paul 19th-century Church in Wales church buildings Newport Grade II listed churches in Newport, Wales