St Paul’s Church, including forecourt walls and railings

Cadw's description

Location

On corner with Palmyra Place.

History

By T H Wyatt, 1835. Ceiling 1842, by Wyatt. Refurbished 1859 by G Clarke of Newport. Redecoration and new porches by Habershon and Fawckner 1888. The church was consecrated in 1836, and was then the only church within the town of Newport. Cost £5000, raised by public subscription. Closed for worship 1991.

Exterior

Early English style. Rock-faced coursed stone with ashlar dressings; slate roofs. Commercial Street elevation has central octagonal tower and spire; stepped buttresses run up as pinnacles; lancets to bell stage of tower. Lower part of tower is open porch with tall Gothic arches; vaulted ceiling to porch with ribs and floral bosses. Gothic entrance doorways; stepped lancet to rear. Tower flanked by 2-light windows. Side elevation of 9 bays; end bays have steep gable with blind window. Tall 2-light window to each bay; low porch in second and last bays. West elevation of 5 bays has tall 2-light windows in outer bays, central polygonal apse.

Interior

Aligned with chancel at E (Commercial Road) end of church. Broad, spacious undivided interior. Flat ribbed and boarded ceiling with wall brackets. Gallery to W end on iron columns has pierced wooden frontal. Apse below was bapstitery. Shallow chancel beneath tall arch flanked by lower arches; 5-light stepped lancet window with stained glass; single lancet in outer bays. Doors to flanking vestries at E end. Seating and organ removed.

Reason for designation

Rare example of church in Wales from late Georgian period, embodying architectural arrangements from time before Pugin and Camden movement dominated.