St. Paul's Church, Landour
Encyclopedia
St. Paul's is an Anglican church in Landour
, India
. The church was built in 1839 and first consecrated on May 1, 1840, by Bishop Daniel Wilson of Calcutta. From 1840 to 1947, the church was run by military chaplain
s and was the premier church for the cantonment
used primarily by the British residents of Landour and the British Military Hospital during the British Raj
.
. The church was another in a line of recently constructed buildings above Kilmarnock
, including the Christ Church Mussoorie— built four years previous in 1836— and the British Military Hospital, completed in 1838. Upon its opening, St. Paul's was government owned and could seat 250 people. It was created for the particular use of the British troops based at the Landour convalescent depot.
The church was extended and renovated in 1855 with the walls raised to their present level and the eastern section of the building enlarged to including an new choir, sanctuary
and vestry
. A second renovation was carried out in 1882, which saw the sheet metal
roof replaced with thatch and a new deodar wood plank ceiling and sal wood support beams. This, however, appeared to have little affect on the cold and damp of the church; Chaplain J.W. Shaw commented in 1883 and the year following, that the church walls became "saturated and damp in the rain", so much so that he felt it necessary to purchase three iron stoves to warm the church and vestery room.
The year 1857 marked the Indian Rebellion of 1857
, an event the church record refers to, from the British perspective, as the "insurrection" of 1857. Rev. W.J.Jay was the chaplain during this period (1856—1857) and regular services were held uninterrupted.
The church marriage records are available from 1927 to the present in complete form. Featuring among these are the names of many British citizens, including the parents of the British hunter Jim Corbett
, Christopher and Mary Jane Corbett who married on 13 October 1859 in St Paul's.
In recent years, St. Paul's has been administered by the Church of North India
(CNI).
In 2005, the Pastorate Committee proposed the restoration of the church roof, due to leaking. Some money to fund the repairs was raised by the congregation but it was not enough to pay for the restoration work. At this point, some former students of Woodstock School
stepped forward to help fund a complete restoration of the building. The works were completed in November 2008.
Landour
Landour , a small cantonment town contiguous with Mussoorie, is about from the city of Dehradun in the northern state of Uttarakhand in India. The twin towns of Mussoorie and Landour, together, are a well-known British Raj-era hill station in northern India. Mussoorie-Landour was widely known as...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The church was built in 1839 and first consecrated on May 1, 1840, by Bishop Daniel Wilson of Calcutta. From 1840 to 1947, the church was run by military chaplain
Military chaplain
A military chaplain is a chaplain who ministers to soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and other members of the military. In many countries, chaplains also minister to the family members of military personnel, to civilian noncombatants working for military organizations and to civilians within the...
s and was the premier church for the cantonment
Cantonment
A cantonment is a temporary or semi-permanent military or police quarters. The word cantonment is derived from the French word canton meaning corner or district, as is the name of the Cantons of Switzerland. In South Asia, the term cantonment also describes permanent military stations...
used primarily by the British residents of Landour and the British Military Hospital during the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
.
19th century
St. Paul's was built in 1840 by Bishop Daniel Wilson who saw the need for the construction of a church in Landour, which would become the main station of the Anglican church in the Dehradun districtDehradun district
There are five railway stations in Dehradun:* Raiwala* Rishikesh* Doiwala* Harrawala* DehradunAirport...
. The church was another in a line of recently constructed buildings above Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland, with a population of 44,734. It is the second largest town in Ayrshire. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section, and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'...
, including the Christ Church Mussoorie— built four years previous in 1836— and the British Military Hospital, completed in 1838. Upon its opening, St. Paul's was government owned and could seat 250 people. It was created for the particular use of the British troops based at the Landour convalescent depot.
The church was extended and renovated in 1855 with the walls raised to their present level and the eastern section of the building enlarged to including an new choir, sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
and vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
. A second renovation was carried out in 1882, which saw the sheet metal
Sheet metal
Sheet metal is simply metal formed into thin and flat pieces. It is one of the fundamental forms used in metalworking, and can be cut and bent into a variety of different shapes. Countless everyday objects are constructed of the material...
roof replaced with thatch and a new deodar wood plank ceiling and sal wood support beams. This, however, appeared to have little affect on the cold and damp of the church; Chaplain J.W. Shaw commented in 1883 and the year following, that the church walls became "saturated and damp in the rain", so much so that he felt it necessary to purchase three iron stoves to warm the church and vestery room.
The year 1857 marked the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
, an event the church record refers to, from the British perspective, as the "insurrection" of 1857. Rev. W.J.Jay was the chaplain during this period (1856—1857) and regular services were held uninterrupted.
20th century to present day
Further renovations were carried out in 1906, with the replacement of the old 1870's stained glass windows at the east end of the church with new ones that still remain to date.The church marriage records are available from 1927 to the present in complete form. Featuring among these are the names of many British citizens, including the parents of the British hunter Jim Corbett
Jim Corbett (hunter)
Edward James "Jim" Corbett was a British hunter, conservationist, author and naturalist, famous for slaying a large number of man-eating tigers and leopards in India....
, Christopher and Mary Jane Corbett who married on 13 October 1859 in St Paul's.
In recent years, St. Paul's has been administered by the Church of North India
Church of North India
The Church of North India , the dominant Protestant denomination in northern India, is a united church established on 29 November 1970 by bringing together the main Protestant churches working in northern India...
(CNI).
In 2005, the Pastorate Committee proposed the restoration of the church roof, due to leaking. Some money to fund the repairs was raised by the congregation but it was not enough to pay for the restoration work. At this point, some former students of Woodstock School
Woodstock School
Woodstock School is a Christian, international, co-educational, residential school located in Landour, a small hill station contiguous with the town of Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, India....
stepped forward to help fund a complete restoration of the building. The works were completed in November 2008.