St Paul's Church is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

in Commercial Street in the city centre of Newport, South Wales, built in Victorian gothic style in 1835–36. It was a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

of the

Church in Wales The Church in Wales () is an 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 bishops. The position is currently held b ...

in the Diocese of Monmouth 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, 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 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 (), usually referred to as Pill, is a community and electoral ward in the city of Newport, South Wales. It is the centre of the historic docks industry in south east Wales and contains a number of landmarks that remain from that era ...

, 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 and the

Victorian Society The Victorian Society is a UK charity and amenity society that campaigns to preserve and promote interest in Victorian and Edwardian architecture and heritage built between 1837 and 1914 in England and Wales. As a statutory consultee, by l ...

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 for 1870–1873 and being awarded its Royal Gold Me ...

, 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 Camb ...

. 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