Church of St Paul

Details

TIVERTON

SS9512 ST PAUL'S SQUARE, Tiverton
848-1/6/272 CHURCH OF ST PAUL
06/06/96

GV II

Parish church. 1854-6 by Manners and Gill of Bath. Local
purple red, squared stone rubble with Bath stone dressings and
spire. Slated roof.
STYLE: Early English.
PLAN: nave, north and south aisles, chancel with north and
south chapels, south porch. Tower with spire on south side, at
junction of aisle and chancel chapel. 2 storey vestry in
corresponding position on north side.
EXTERIOR: windows in main body of church have pointed arches
with hoodmoulds; they have 2 traceried lights on the north and
south sides, 3 at each end of the aisles and chancel chapels,
4 at the west end of the nave, 5 at the east end. Buttresses
on all 4 sides. Eaves with plain corbel tables. Stone crosses
on the 3 gables at each end.
Tower is in 3 stages with angle-buttresses. On its south side
a doorway with pointed arch and attached columns; hoodmould
with carved heads on the terminals. Single light window with
pointed arch above. Round windows in second stage; 2 light
bellchamber openings with pointed arches in third stage. Broad
spire with lucarnes.
Gabled south porch with angle buttresses; moulded doorway with
pointed arch, carved terminals to the hoodmould. Vestry
windows are flat headed in ground storey and mostly segmental
headed in the upper storey; all have cusped heads to the
lights. Upper storey window in north gable has a pointed arch
and 3 traceried lights.
South doorway chamfered with pointed arch, approached by
flight of 6 steps; at their foot 2 iron shoe scrapers with
fleurs-de-lys finials. Buttresses on both sides and at the
angles, except for north east angle which has a large stair
turret with a spire, turret has shouldered head doorway on
east side. At apex of north gable is an octagonal, open sided
finial, possibly designed as a chimney. All external doorways
in the church have studded plank doors with ornate iron strap
hinges.
INTERIOR: north and south arcades with pointed arches
extending full length of church; no chancel arch. Nave,
chancel, aisles and chapels have arch-braced roofs. Stone
Gothic pulpit and reredos.
Organ with wooden Gothic casing (now in north chancel chapel);
1857 by HP Dicker of Exeter. According to the Exeter Flying
Post (29/10/1857) it was originally at the west end: 'the
centre is occupied by a stained glass window. This has
necessitated a division of the instrument; the swell and the
pedal organs are at the south side, and the great organ at the
north. On this latter side is the organists seat, the
connecting actions of the swell and pedal organs passing under
the platform, upon which he and the choristers sit'.
Chancel raised and refurbished 1910-11 by Nevinson and Newton
of London, who installed the low stone chancel screen and
wooden Gothic parclose screens. They also reseated the nave.
Wooden Gothic choir stalls added in 1925. Brass eagle lectern
given in 1906; it stands in front of the chancel steps, now on
south, but originally in centre, looking down the middle
aisle. Stone Gothic memorial plaques to Ambrose Brewin
(d.1855) and his wife Caroline (d.1877). Coloured glass in
east, west and south windows; the east window was erected in
1893 to the memory of Frederick Owen Patch, the others being
given by Miss Dorothea Carew.
HISTORY: the site of the church was given by John Heathcoat,
half of the »6000 cost of building being bourne by his partner
and son-in-law, Ambrose Brewin and half by Mary Peard's
charity; Heathcoat paid for the organ. GA Boyce, the Tiverton
architect, was clerk of works. According to Exeter Flying Post
(31/1/1856) 'the design was from a similar edifice at Bath'.
The site of the church originally fronted Birchen Lane. This
was subsequently improved and largely rebuilt as Church
Street, with St Paul's Street and St Paul's Square being newly
laid out to provide a suitable environment for the church.
The St Paul's Street houses were built by the Brewin's and
given to the church as an endowment.
(Knighthayes Estate Office: Heathcoat's Estates Atlas: 1844-:
1-2; Exeter Flying Post: 19/10/1854, 31/1/1856, 29/10/1857.;
Billing M: Directory of Devon: 1857-: 35, 77; White W:
Directory of Devon: 1878-: 783; Snell FJ: Chronicles of
Twyford: 1892-).


Listing NGR: SS9511112525

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

485361

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Billing, M, Directory of Devon, (1857), 35 77
Heathcoat's Estates Atlas, (1844), 1-2
Snell, F J, Chronicles of Twyford, (1892)
White, W, Directory of Devon, (1878), 783
Exeter Flying Post in 19 October, (1854)
Exeter Flying Post in 29 October, (1857)
Exeter Flying Post in 31 January, (1856)

End of official list entry

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