St Paul's Church, Colwyn Bay
Encyclopedia
St Paul's Church, Colwyn Bay is the parish church
of the town of Colwyn Bay
, in Conwy County Borough, Wales
. It is an active Anglican
church in the deanery of Rhos, the archdeaconry of St Asaph, and the Diocese of St Asaph
. It is a Grade II* listed building.
The present church was designed by the Chester
firm of Douglas & Fordham and built in stages. The nave was built in 1887–88 and the chancel was added between 1894 and 1895. The tower was started in 1910 and completed the following year. It was the last major project to be undertaken by John Douglas but he died before it was completed. In 1920 a narthex
with a west door, designed by W. D. Caroe, was added as a war memorial.
, built in coursed rubble
limestone
with Runcorn
red sandstone
dressings and bands. The nave of five bays is broad with low arcades
and a tall clerestory
. The windows are lancets
, with a rose window
in the south transept
. The tower is "bold, craggy and heavily buttress
ed".
Internally there is a sedilia
in the chancel, designed by Douglas. The stalls are carved with detail which is in "typical Douglas" style. The reredos
and riddle posts, dating from 1934–35, were designed by Caroe and are elaborately carved. Depicted on the reredos are representations of the Supper at Emmaus and the Annunciation
together with figures of Saint Kentigern
, Saint Asaph
, St Aidan
and the Venerable Bede
. In the west window and in the two narthex windows is stained glass designed by Horace Wilkinson in 1920–21. The first stage of the organ was built by Peter Connacher and Son in 1888. It was completed when the nave was built in 1891 and rebuilt by John Cowin in 1960.
Hubbard
describes the church as "an extraordinary building" and suggests that it might be Douglas' "prodigy church of its decade".
is celebrated in the church on Sundays and Thursdays and the church runs a Sunday school
for children.
There is a long standing choir with committed members. This is the largest choir in the parish by far and one of the largest in the diocese. Young members are encouraged to attend and take part in practice and services and other events. At the present time, the choir is flourishing and has been successful in it's bid for funding, requested by the Association.
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of the town of Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay
- Demography :Prior to local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974 Colwyn Bay was a municipal borough with a population of c.25,000, but in 1974 this designation disappeared leaving five separate parishes, known as communities in Wales, of which the one bearing the name Colwyn Bay encompassed...
, in Conwy County Borough, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. It is an active Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the deanery of Rhos, the archdeaconry of St Asaph, and the Diocese of St Asaph
Diocese of St Asaph
The Diocese of Saint Asaph is a diocese in north-east Wales, named after Saint Asaph, its second bishop.-Geography:The Anglican Diocese of St Asaph in the north-east corner of Wales stretches from the borders of Chester in the east, to the Conwy valley in the west, to Bala in the south-west, and...
. It is a Grade II* listed building.
History
The first religious building on the site was a mission room in 1872 which was replaced by an iron and timber church in 1880. This building was burnt down in 1886.The present church was designed by the Chester
Chester
Chester is a city in Cheshire, England. Lying on the River Dee, close to the border with Wales, it is home to 77,040 inhabitants, and is the largest and most populous settlement of the wider unitary authority area of Cheshire West and Chester, which had a population of 328,100 according to the...
firm of Douglas & Fordham and built in stages. The nave was built in 1887–88 and the chancel was added between 1894 and 1895. The tower was started in 1910 and completed the following year. It was the last major project to be undertaken by John Douglas but he died before it was completed. In 1920 a narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
with a west door, designed by W. D. Caroe, was added as a war memorial.
Architecture and contents
The church is large and cruciformCruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
, built in coursed rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
with Runcorn
Runcorn
Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In 2009, its population was estimated to be 61,500. The town is on the southern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form Runcorn Gap. Directly to the north...
red sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
dressings and bands. The nave of five bays is broad with low arcades
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
and a tall clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
. The windows are lancets
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
, with a rose window
Rose window
A Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in churches of the Gothic architectural style and being divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery...
in the south transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
. The tower is "bold, craggy and heavily buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
ed".
Internally there is a sedilia
Sedilia
Sedilia , in ecclesiastical architecture, is the term used to describe stone seats, usually to be found on the south side of an altar, often in the chancel, for the use of the officiating priests...
in the chancel, designed by Douglas. The stalls are carved with detail which is in "typical Douglas" style. The reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
and riddle posts, dating from 1934–35, were designed by Caroe and are elaborately carved. Depicted on the reredos are representations of the Supper at Emmaus and the Annunciation
Annunciation
The Annunciation, also referred to as the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary or Annunciation of the Lord, is the Christian celebration of the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary, that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus the Son of God. Gabriel told Mary to name her...
together with figures of Saint Kentigern
Saint Mungo
Saint Mungo is the commonly used name for Saint Kentigern . He was the late 6th century apostle of the Brythonic Kingdom of Strathclyde in modern Scotland, and patron saint and founder of the city of Glasgow.-Name:In Wales and England, this saint is known by his birth and baptismal name Kentigern...
, Saint Asaph
Saint Asaph
Saint Asaph was, in the second half of the 6th century, the first or second Bishop of St Asaph, i.e. bishop of the diocese of Saint Asaph, the Welsh See now of that name.-Biography:...
, St Aidan
Aidan of Lindisfarne
Known as Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne, Aidan the Apostle of Northumbria , was the founder and first bishop of the monastery on the island of Lindisfarne in England. A Christian missionary, he is credited with restoring Christianity to Northumbria. Aidan is the Anglicised form of the original Old...
and the Venerable Bede
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
. In the west window and in the two narthex windows is stained glass designed by Horace Wilkinson in 1920–21. The first stage of the organ was built by Peter Connacher and Son in 1888. It was completed when the nave was built in 1891 and rebuilt by John Cowin in 1960.
Hubbard
Edward Hubbard
Edward Horton Hubbard was an English architectural historian who worked with Nikolaus Pevsner in compiling volumes of the Buildings of England...
describes the church as "an extraordinary building" and suggests that it might be Douglas' "prodigy church of its decade".
Associated buildings
Dating from 1895 the adjacent church hall was also designed by Douglas and Fordham, as was the vicarage.Current activities
The EucharistEucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
is celebrated in the church on Sundays and Thursdays and the church runs a Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
for children.
See also
There is a long standing choir with committed members. This is the largest choir in the parish by far and one of the largest in the diocese. Young members are encouraged to attend and take part in practice and services and other events. At the present time, the choir is flourishing and has been successful in it's bid for funding, requested by the Association.