Description

WEYMOUTH

SY6779SW ABBOTSBURY ROAD 873-1/19/3 (North side) 14/06/74 Church of St Paul

II

Anglican parish church. Dated 1894 (foundation stone). By GH Fellowes-Prynne, at a cost of »5,267; chapel extension dated 1903. Squared and snecked rock-faced masonry with limestone dressings, on a continuous plinth, bright red tile roofs. PLAN: nave with W baptistery, aisles under swept-down main roof, S porch, double-gabled S transept, apsidal S chapel, chancel, organ gallery and vestries; the main ridge has a twin-gabled bellcote. EXTERIOR: the detail is Decorated or Perpendicular, but with Art Nouveau overtones, particularly in the tracery and cusping. The coped W gable with terminal cross and kneelers has a 4-light window above the apsidal baptistery, with hipped roof behind a high coped parapet, and 7 cusped lancets. There are square buttresses to the nave and diagonals to the aisles, with 3-light W windows. The aisles have 1 and 2-light windows to square heads; the S side has a gabled porch with paired plank gates to grillage upper panels, and small quatrefoil side lights, to the left a single light, and to the right 2+2+1-lights. The transept has coped gables above 4-light windows, and a plank door on the W side; to the right is the lower apsidal chapel with 5 cusped lancets; there is a flush foundation stone panel dated 29 April 1903, at the E end. At the junction between nave and chancel is the bellcote, and a raised coped gable with heavy haunched gablets, on S and N sides. The chancel has 3 lights set high, and the lofty E gable, with coping and terminal cross, over a 5-light window with label and stops; below the glazed section is stone panelling with 5 plain shields. Diagonal corner buttresses, and a central squat buttress with commemorative stone, on which the inscription includes: 'Laid May 9th 1984 by Alice Countess Hoyes/ Rev Sydney Lambert, Priest/ HG Fellowes-Prynne, Architect/ Cephas Foad, Builder .....'. To the right are 2 later flat-roofed extensions, and the high gabled organ loft and vestry. The N aisle has 7 bays, with square buttresses. INTERIOR: plain plastered and painted walls. The 4-bay nave has broad pointed moulded arches on octagonal piers with high bases and crenellated caps, with a small extra pointed opening each side at the W end. The trussed rafter roof with

embellished plate has light arch-bracing to the bays, on attached shafts and corbels. The aisles have lean-to roofs, hipped at the W end, and windows in deep embrasures to flat segmental rere-arches. The inner porch doors are plain plank, under a segmental head. Floors are in plain clay tiles, with wood block in the seating areas. At the nave W end is a broad flat 4-centred arch on splayed and stopped jambs opening to the baptistery with joist ceiling and mosaic floor; the single lancets are in deep embrasures. At the E end of the N aisle is a 'flying' half arch to the organ chamber, and a similar arch gives to the S transept, which has a deep valley beam, continued across to one of the nave piers with a traceried section. The chapel has a rafter roof with flat central section and short canted sides. The chancel, on 4+2 steps, has a low stone screen with wrought-iron gates and cresting, and 'Minton' tiled floors. The roof structure is as in the nave. There are 3 lights set high each side of the sanctuary, which is on a further 3 steps, with a fine carved and gilded reredos flanked by panelling. To the S are 3 narrow arches, on paired round columns, to the chapel, and to the N is a wide segmental arch over the organ. FITTINGS: carved wood pulpit on a stone base, brass eagle lectern, simple turned baluster altar rail, limestone octagonal font on quatri-lobed base; the bowl has sunk panels with figures or leaves in Art Nouveau style. STAINED GLASS: the E window is a 'King of Kings', and the W depicts the Ascension. The S chapel and baptistery have a series of saints, and the S aisle windows contain coloured glass, but not the transept of N aisle, where the glazing has Art Nouveau leading. An idiosyncratic but convincing design, well maintained, built for an area being rapidly expanded at the turn of the century. (Buildings of England: Newman J & Pevsner N: Dorset: London: 1972-: 452).





Listing NGR: SY6720379239

External Links

• Church of St Paul at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q26599841

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)