St Paul's Church, Worthing
Encyclopedia
St Paul's Church in Worthing
, England
, was opened in 1812 as the Worthing Chapel of Ease
. It was built so that the residents and visitors to the newly created town of Worthing would not need to travel to the parish church of St Mary
in Broadwater
. As a growing resort, it was felt that for the town to prosper, residents and visitors would demand a local church or chapel.
The Chapel of Ease gave its name to Worthing town centre's principal north-south route, Chapel Road. The Reverend William Davison was appointed the chapel's first chaplain. The Reverend Davison went on to set up schools for boys, girls and infants in the town with money raised from the congregation. The girls' school he established was the original Davison High School
.
The building of the chapel was funded by the sale and leasing of pews, making the chapel a proprietary chapel
. This policy effectively excluded the poor from the church, which was criticised until 1893 when funds allowed for the building to be extended and the chapel was upgraded to parish church
status and dedicated to St Paul.
Designed by John Rebecca
and built by Ambrose Cartwright, who also built nearby Ambrose Place, the building has a Doric
portico
with four columns facing Chapel Road, with a bell cupola
behind it. The building's yellow bricks are made from the blue clay taken from Worthing Common (also known as the Saltgrass), the green space which in the 19th century existed south of the current beach and is now underwater. The building is partly stucco
ed.
The interior of the church was finished by a Worthing man, Edward Hide. Queen Charlotte
, wife of George III, presented the church with the royal coat of arms
in thanks to the people of Worthing for showing such generosity and kindness to her two daughters, Princesses Amelia
and Charlotte
when they stayed in the town. The organ was given to the church by Edward Ogle, nicknamed "King Ogle" by Worthing residents on account of his autocratic behaviour. Originally the chancel
was at the east end of the building, however when the church was extended in the 1890s, the chancel had to be moved to the west of the building, which is unusual in Anglican churches.
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, was opened in 1812 as the Worthing Chapel of Ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
. It was built so that the residents and visitors to the newly created town of Worthing would not need to travel to the parish church of St Mary
Broadwater Church
St. Mary's Church, Broadwater, is located in the Diocese of Chichester, in the deanery of Worthing and serves the parish of Broadwater in Worthing in West Sussex. It is one of four churches within this parish alongside Hosanna, Queen Street Fellowship and St. Stephen's Church.-History:1086. The...
in Broadwater
Broadwater, West Sussex
Broadwater is a neighbourhood of the Borough of Worthing in West Sussex, England. Situated between the South Downs and the English Channel, Broadwater was once a parish in its own right and included Worthing when the latter was a small fishing hamlet. Before its incorporation into the Borough of...
. As a growing resort, it was felt that for the town to prosper, residents and visitors would demand a local church or chapel.
The Chapel of Ease gave its name to Worthing town centre's principal north-south route, Chapel Road. The Reverend William Davison was appointed the chapel's first chaplain. The Reverend Davison went on to set up schools for boys, girls and infants in the town with money raised from the congregation. The girls' school he established was the original Davison High School
Davison High School, Worthing
Davison High School is a girls' Church of England secondary school serving pupils aged 11 to 16 in Worthing, West Sussex. The school accommodates around 1080 girls across five year groups and was formed as an offshoot of St Andrews High School for Boys in the early 20th century with Mrs...
.
The building of the chapel was funded by the sale and leasing of pews, making the chapel a proprietary chapel
Proprietary Chapel
A proprietary chapel is a chapel that originally belonged to a private person. In the 19th century Britain they were common, often being built to cope with urbanisation. Frequently they were set up by evangelical philanthropists with a vision of spreading Christianity in cities whose needs could no...
. This policy effectively excluded the poor from the church, which was criticised until 1893 when funds allowed for the building to be extended and the chapel was upgraded to parish church
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....
status and dedicated to St Paul.
Designed by John Rebecca
John Rebecca
John Biagio Rebecca , the son of Italian-born decorative painter Biagio Rebecca , was an architect of many buildings in Sussex and London. He is credited as being the principal architect of Georgian Worthing...
and built by Ambrose Cartwright, who also built nearby Ambrose Place, the building has a Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
with four columns facing Chapel Road, with a bell cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
behind it. The building's yellow bricks are made from the blue clay taken from Worthing Common (also known as the Saltgrass), the green space which in the 19th century existed south of the current beach and is now underwater. The building is partly stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
ed.
The interior of the church was finished by a Worthing man, Edward Hide. Queen Charlotte
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the Queen consort of the United Kingdom as the wife of King George III...
, wife of George III, presented the church with the royal coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
in thanks to the people of Worthing for showing such generosity and kindness to her two daughters, Princesses Amelia
Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom
Princess Amelia of the United Kingdom was a member of the British Royal Family as the youngest daughter of King George III of the United Kingdom and his queen consort Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.-Early life:...
and Charlotte
Charlotte, Princess Royal
The Princess Charlotte, Princess Royal was a member of the British Royal Family, the eldest daughter of George III. She was later the Queen Consort of Frederick of Württemberg...
when they stayed in the town. The organ was given to the church by Edward Ogle, nicknamed "King Ogle" by Worthing residents on account of his autocratic behaviour. Originally the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
was at the east end of the building, however when the church was extended in the 1890s, the chancel had to be moved to the west of the building, which is unusual in Anglican churches.