Parish Church of St Paul.

Cadw's description

Location

On NE corner of Paget St and St Fagan's Street.

History

Designed 1888 by J P Seddon and J Coates Carter, architects, to replace iron church of 1879, on land donated by Lord Windsor who also gave £4000 towards cost of church. Nave and aisles built 1889-91; chancel 1901-2, at further expense to Lord Windsor of £3000. Projected tower and steeple never built. The church is interesting for the early use of concrete aggregate materials in its construction.

Exterior

Church in Geometrical Decorated style. Grey Pennant stone with dressings and banding of pink sandstone and Portland cement with pink pebble aggregate. Continuous tiled roof over nave and chancel. Nave, chancel, aisles, base of uncompleted tower. West front has 2 polygonal turrets with pyramidal roofs above arcading, niches for statues (not executed). Four-light Decorated window above gabled tripartite doorway with grey shafts to arches (gable flanked by flushwork). Side elevations of 5 cross-gabled bays with tall 2-light windows with quatrefoils, oculi in gables, lancets to E and W aisle returns. East window of 5 lights (mandorla above in gable apex). Chancel elevations of 3 bays, three 3-light windows to N, to S, two 3-light windows, and stump of uncompleted tower with has battered angle buttresses and tall arcaded panel. Vestry to S of chancel.

Interior

Lofty five bay nave with tall slender piers, 3-bay chancel at same height. Boarded roofs to nave and chancel of trefoil section, tie-beams and arch-braces on pointed corbels, boarded ceilings to aisles. Panelled wood fittings to chancel. Wooden pulpit with sculpted figures, and choir stalls by Coates Carter. Stained glass in E (war memorial) window; main theme is crucifixion, with, at base of window, panels of trench scene, artillery, seaplane, merchant ship; by Burlison & Grylls, 1920.

Reason for designation

Listed as well-designed church by well-known local architect.