St Paul's Square, Birmingham
Encyclopedia
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
square in the Jewellery Quarter
Jewellery Quarter
The Jewellery Quarter is an area of Birmingham City Centre, England, situated in the south of the Hockley area. It is covered by the Ladywood district. There is a population of around 3,000 people in a area....
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, 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...
, named after the church in its centre. It is the last remaining Georgian Square in the city.
Built 1777-79 on the Newhall estate of the Colmore family. It was an elegant and desirable location in the mid 19th century. At the end of the 19th century the square was swallowed by workshops and factories, with the fronts of some buildings being pulled down to make shop fronts or factory entrances. Much restoration was done in the 1970s and many of the buildings are now Grade II listed
Today, St Paul's Square is a vibrant place to live, work and socialise. As well as numerous bars, cafes and restaurants, which line the Square's four sides, a number of apartment schemes have been built in the area. The most recent is Chord Development's mixed-use scheme, which comprises 148 apartments, which includes the restoration of the facade of the Thomas Walker building - the former buckle maker, which fronts onto the square. Chord has created two courtyards and added three new wings to the former-factory, on Northwood Street, Caroline Street and James Street. At the heart of the development is a communal courtyard, designed by award-winning landscape architect Alan Gardner.
St Paul's Club, is also situated in St Paul's Square. Formed in 1859, it is the Midlands oldest and most exclusive private members club.
St Paul's Square is located in the Jewellery Quarter
Jewellery Quarter
The Jewellery Quarter is an area of Birmingham City Centre, England, situated in the south of the Hockley area. It is covered by the Ladywood district. There is a population of around 3,000 people in a area....
and is served by St Paul's tram stop
St Paul's tram stop
St Paul's tram stop is a tram stop serving nearby St Paul's Square, Birmingham, England. It was opened on 31 May 1999 and is the penultimate Midland Metro Line 1 stop, before the terminus at Birmingham Snow Hill. It is visible from the platform ends at the latter...
.
St Paul's Church
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
, building started in 1777, and the church was consecrated in 1779. It was built on land given by Charles Colmore from his Newhall estate. It was the church of Birmingham's early manufacturers and merchants - Matthew Boulton
Matthew Boulton
Matthew Boulton, FRS was an English manufacturer and business partner of Scottish engineer James Watt. In the final quarter of the 18th century the partnership installed hundreds of Boulton & Watt steam engines, which were a great advance on the state of the art, making possible the...
and James Watt
James Watt
James Watt, FRS, FRSE was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.While working as an instrument maker at the...
had their own pews, which were bought and sold as commodities at that time.
It is a rectangular church, similar in appearance to St Martin in the Fields, London. The spire was added in 1823 by Francis Goodwin
Francis Goodwin
Francis Goodwin was an English architect, best known for his many provincial churches in the Gothic revival style, civic buildings such as the first Manchester Town Hall and Macclesfield town hall , plus country houses such as Lissadell House, County Sligo .Goodwin was born at King's Lynn,...
. The east window has an important 1791 stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
window designed by Benjamin West
Benjamin West
Benjamin West, RA was an Anglo-American painter of historical scenes around and after the time of the American War of Independence...
and made by Francis Eginton. It shows the Conversion of St Paul
Paul of Tarsus
Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
. The church is a Grade I listed building.