St Paul's Church, Truro is a

Grade II listed 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, H ...

former

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 ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

Diocese of Truro and in

Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

History

The church was built in 1845 at a cost of £2,840 (equivalent to £ in ). The church was paid for by William Tweedy who advanced the money interest free. It opened for worship on 23 November 1845. As the church was in debt, the bishop refused to consecrate it and it took 20 years for the congregation to clear the debt and endow the living. Finally the parish raised £1,100, to which the church commissioners added £1,000, which was invested to provide a stipend for the vicar of £66 15s 4d per annum (equivalent to £ in ). The church was consecrated in on 26 November 1864 by the

Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The current bishop is Mike Harrison (bishop), Mike Harrison, since 2024. From the first bishop until the sixteent ...

Henry Phillpotts Henry Phillpotts (6 May 177818 September 1869), often called "Henry of Exeter", was the Anglican Bishop of Exeter from 1830 to 1869. He was one of England's longest serving bishops since the 14th century. Life Early life Henry Phillpotts ...

, and given its own parish. By 1880 the church was insufficient in size for its growing congregation, and a committee was formed to enlarge it with the addition of a chancel, north and south aisles. The congregation employed the architect

John Dando Sedding John Dando Sedding (13 April 1838 – 7 April 1891) was an English church architect, working on new buildings and repair work, with an interest in a "crafted Gothic" style. He was an influential figure in the Arts and Crafts movement, many of wh ...

. A consecration service took place for the new chancel on 7 January 1884, which had been built by Mr. W Bone of Liskeard for £3,000 (equivalent to £ in ). The north aisle was added in 1889 and the church reopened on 27 June 1889. The tower was completed by Edmund Harold Sedding in 1910. The church is noted for its stained glass scheme by

Lavers, Barraud and Westlake Lavers, Barraud and Westlake were an English firm that produced stained glass windows from 1855 until 1921. They were part of the 19th-century Gothic Revival movement that had a significant influence on English civic, ecclesiastical and domestic a ...

Closure and planned demolition

The church closed in 2007 after significant structural problems were identified in the quinquennial survey. With an estimated repair bill of £1,000,000, the congregation decided to move to alternative premises. In 2018, the

announced that the church was too expensive to repair. In October 2024, it was reported that the church would be demolished. A public consultation will take place over the proposals, with work possibly starting in 2025.

Organ

The church contained an organ by Hele and Co. A specification of the organ can be found on the

National Pipe Organ Register The British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS) is a British organisation and registered charity which aims to promote study and appreciation of all aspects of the pipe organ. Further, it acts as a lobbying body to raise awareness of organ issue ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Truro

Churches completed in 1845 Anglo-Catholic church buildings in Cornwall Truro

History

Closure and planned demolition

Organ

See also

References