Description

SK 39 SW SHEFFIELD WORDWORTH AVENUE

564/1/10004 Church of St Paul

II*

Church. 1958-59. Basil Spence. Red brick. Copper segmental barrel vaulted roof.
PLAN/EXTERIOR: tall rectangular aisleless space; covered way across front, extending west to tall tower comprising a pair of parallel brick walls linked by concrete beams and surmounted by a cross. Vestry to south of church, attached by glazed corridor. Solid north and south walls of brick. Both ends fully glazed in varnished timber frames, having six lights with a horizontal band of 12 smaller lights at single storey height and at the top of the window, the latter folding around the north and south sides as a recessed clerestory. Glazing to ends, beneath segmental barrel roof (10 lights), in varnished timber frames.
INTERIOR: internally exposed brick walls, with a shallow zig-zag to the internal surfaces. Segmental barrel roof is criss-crossed with tubular supports set diagonally. Sanctuary is raised by a step and the altar is placed against a background of a vertical slatted screen (added later). Altar rail and sanctuary seating by Spence. Mezzanine gallery to west end is reached by original staircase with open balustrade and thick timber handrail and contains the organ and choir stalls. Balcony front comprises two thick horizontal bands of timber, linked at wide intervals by light, painted metal supports. Font is placed in central aisle, beneath gallery. It is of textured concrete and flares outwards both above and below a narrow point just under half way down. Applique altar frontal by Beryl Dene. Pair of candlesticks on altar by Basil Spence. Pews of laminated timber by Spence.
St Paul's is an unusually transparent design and Spence's best small church.

Listing NGR: SK3535693063

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St Paul's Church, Wordsworth Avenue at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q7595151

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

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  Gloucestershire 1: The Cotswolds: Cotswolds Pt. 1 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
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  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
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  Liverpool: Pevsner City Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
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  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas