Church Of St Paul

Description

This information is taken from the statutory List as it was in 2001 and may not be up to date.

WOKINGHAM READING ROAD SU 8068 NE (South west side) 17/39 Church of St. Paul 12.11.51 G.V. II* Parish church. 1862-4 by Henry Woodyer in the Decorated style; aisles added 1874. Squared rubble with Bath stone dressings. Tiled roofs, separately over nave and chancel; lead roofs over aisles and vestry. Nave with clerestoreys, north and south aisles, chancel, vestry; north chapel and organ chamber, south chapel, a north west porch and tower with spire.

Plinth, moulded strings and eaves course; decorated parapets of circular motifs to tower, and blind arcading to aisles. Coped gables. Windows: 3-lights, 4 on the north and 6 on the south aisles; all with 2 stage buttresses between. 3-light with reticulated tracery on the east end of nave and a 4-light on the west end with. intersecting tracery. Six, 5-light clerestorey windows on each side, Tower:- 4 stages, moulded strings to each, angled buttresses of 4 stages; pinnacles with crockets; broached spire with weathervane on top. C13 style plate traceried windows.

Interior:-5 bay nave. Moulded arched and scissor braced roof, with tracery between spandrels; intermediate smaller arch braced collars between ; butt purlins. North and south arcades with quatrefoil columns and thin shafts in the diagonals; leaf capitals. The clerestoreys have a series of rere- arches on detached shafts. The chancel is 3 bays; with moulded arch braced collars, moulded and decorated butt purlins, and double arched windbraces.

On the south wall of the chancel are 4 low quatrefoil clerestorey windows, below these on the right is a 2 bay arcade separating the south chapel: a door to the vestry on the left of this with a pointed arch decorated with gilded foliage. An elaborately carved stone reredos, depicting the last supper and the crucifixion. The chancel has a fine fresco and a carved oak screen below. The font has 8 lobes, the bowl is in the art nouveau style, decorated with water-lilies and inter-twined stalk; and has an elaborate carved wooden cover. Stained glass by Hardman. The church was given to the town by John Walter of Bear Wood. V.C.H. Vol.lll p.226.

B.O.E. (Berkshire) p.308.

Listing NGR: SU8052468983

Content

This is part of the Series: IOE01/1945 IOE Records taken by Brian Steptoe; within the Collection: IOE01 Images Of England

Rights

© Brian Steptoe. Source: Historic England Archive

This photograph was taken for the Images of England project