Nominal: 1488 Hz Weight: 234 lbs Diameter: 22" Bell 1 of 6
Founded by Gillett & Johnston 1913
Dove Bell ID: 51471 Tower ID: 18640 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Brentford: St Paul
Overview
Grid reference: TQ 177 775
This church is typical of many built in the fast expanding diocese of London in the 1860's. The style is thirteenth century and the material Kentish ragstone. The steeple is placed at the south-west corner of the church so that it may be visible along both branches of St. Paul's Road - from the south and from the west.
Visiting and facilities
Building is open for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Five-bay nave with aisles and clerestory, tower and spire within the west bay of the south aisle; south porch; chancel with south transeptal organ chamber and north vestries. There is a later choir vestry east of the chancel, approached by a short passage from the vestry.
Description of Archaeology and History
The church was designed by F. and H. Francis and built in 1868, being consecrated on 30 July that year. The spire was completed in August 1869. The church succeeded a temporary iron church, which had been given a parish (taken from that of St. George, Brentford) in 1867. Frederick John Francis (1818-1896) and his brother Horace Francis (1821-1894) were in partnership and provided a number of good straightforward churches in a gothic style between about 1850 and 1880. They designed several other churches in and about London, of which Christ Church, Lancaster Gate (demolished but for the spire in 1978) was perhaps the finest. Their rebuilding of the parish church of St. Elphin, Warrington in 1859-67, provided south Lancashire (or, now, Cheshire) with a magnificent needle-thin spire which may be seen for miles. St. Paul, Brentford, was damaged during the Second World War and restored in 1953 by Michael Arthur James Farey.
Exterior Description
This church is typical of many built in the fast expanding diocese of London in the 1860's. The style is thirteenth century and the material Kentish ragstone. The steeple is placed at the south-west corner of the church so that it may be visible along both branches of St. Paul's Road - from the south and from the west. The tower is of three stages, with the principal entrance in the west face of the lowest stage. This is a doorway with nook- shafts and a moulded two-centred arch. There is a two-light window in the south wall. The middle stage has two trefoiled lancets with quatrefoils in the heads in the west face and a clock face in the south wall. The uppermost stage has two-light louvred openings in each face and at the midpoint of this stage the diagonal buttresses terminate. Access to the upper floors is by a staircase within a square turret at the south-east angle which terminates at the middle of the second stage. The broach spire rises without a parapet above a moulded course decorated with fleurons and at the corners with busts of angels holding shields. There are lucarnes low on the principal faces, repeating the design of the belfry openings on a smaller scale under crocketted gablets, and the tall spire is banded three times with small incised motifs like the heads of trefoiled arches which have eroded until they are almost invisible.
The south aisle has three-light windows with geometrical tracery in each bay, divided by buttresses, with a porch in the third bay from the east. The north aisle has two separate lights in the west bay, two-light windows in the three middle bays and a three light window in the eastern bay, which is slightly wider. The clerestory has two pairs of trefoil-headed lancets in each bay, the bays being divided by pilaster strips. The west window has five lights with two septfoils and a circle containing three quatrefoils above. The gable is very steeply pitched.
The north and south walls of the chancel are for the most part obscured by lower buildings - the vestry on the north and the organ-chamber on the south, both under cross-gables like small transepts. The organ-chamber, being on the more visible side of the church, is more decoratively treated, with a doorway and a window and a rose window containing six trefoils round a cinquefoil. The east chancel window has five lights, the middle one taller than the outer pairs, with two sexfoils and a circle containing five quatrefoils in roundels above. There are diagonal buttresses at the angels and moulded hoods with stops carved as heads to all the windows. The choir vestry, which is only attached to the main church by a passage, is a later brick rectangular construction.
Building Fabric and Features
Stained Glass
1882
The east window is of five lights, the middle three depicting The Crucifixion and the outer pair The Baptism of Christ, The Nativity, The Maries at the Sepulchre and The Supper at Emmaus. In the tracery is Christ in Glory.
Stained Glass
c.1906
Chancel south: two lights depicting Christ in Gethsemane, by Heaton, Butler and Bayne.
Stained Glass
1884
South aisle I : The Entry into Jerusalem, three lights, 1884, by Heaton, Butler and Bayne.
Stained Glass
1901
South aisle II : Charity, three lights, 1901, by Heaton, Butler and Bayne, commemorating the Reign of Queen Victoria.
Interior
Interior Description
The interior has wall surfaces of exposed brick which are now whitewashed. Originally, however, they were banded with bricks of two colours. The arcades have quatrefoil pillars with richly naturalistic carving on the capitals, including passion flowers, roses, holly, oak, mallow, grapes, ferns, ivy and lilies. The arches are moulded and are outlined by moulded hoods terminating in naturalistic carvings of similar plants - one has a squirrel eating nuts, another a bird pecking blackcurrants and a third a snake coiled round an apple. Above these are corbels, again richly carved with leaves and flowers, supporting detached shafts which carry the principal roof timbers. These are scissor-braced with similar, slightly lighter, scissor braces at the middle of each bay. The roof is of very steep pitch. The floor is paved with red tiles intersected by black lines and buff florets, and there are wooden boards under the pews. A doorway at the east end of the north aisle opens into a passage leading to the vestry and an arch at the east end of the south aisle opens into the organ chamber. The west bay of the south aisle is occupied by the base of the tower.
The chancel arch is tall and wide with a continuous outer chamfered order and moulded inner orders resting on colonettes which in turn rest on corbels, one carved with arum lilies and the other with bulrushes. The arch is outlined by a moulded hood terminating in carved heads and there is an oak chancel screen. The chancel floor, which is four steps above the nave is close-carpetted but is tiled underneath. An arch on the south opens into the organ chamber and of the east of it there is a window of two lights. Opposite this window an arch in the north wall opens into the vestry and is closed by a wooden screen. The chancel roof is of three bays with arch-braces merging into scissor-braces. A trefoiled arch in the south wall of the sanctuary houses a white marble credence shelf.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
The altar is of oak with open arches along the front.
Reredos
The reredos is of stone, a series of five trefoiled arches under gablets incorporating a marble cross and the symbols of the Evangelists in relief against carved diapered backgrounds. The wall at each side has panels of geometrical patterns in green and grey marble.
Pulpit
The pulpit is large, of red marble with Serpentine colonettes, of a lobed octagonal plan set on a stone drum decorated with a frieze of carved passion flowers. In each face Caernarvon arches contain oak panels carved with sacred monograms.
Lectern
The lectern is an oak eagle on an octagonal pedestal.
Font (object)
1884
The font was given in 1884; it is of alabaster, in the same style as the church, octagonal in plan supported on a stone drum and eight marble colonettes; quatrefoils in each face of the bowl are inset with convex roundels of different coloured marble, and the top edge is of red marble. The cover is of oak, a spire- shaped design with lucarnes, suspended from a good iron crane.
Organ (object)
1882
The organ is a three-manual instrument, built by Henry Willis in 1882, restored in 1902 and again in 1922.
Stall
c.1868
The stalls are of oak, substantial and with some carved foliage.
Screen
c.1868
The chancel screen is of oak in six bays with paired lights and geometric tracery
Bells
Nominal: 1336 Hz Weight: 302 lbs Diameter: 24" Bell 2 of 6
Founded by Gillett & Johnston 1913
Dove Bell ID: 51472 Tower ID: 18640 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 1188 Hz Weight: 328 lbs Diameter: 25.5" Bell 3 of 6
Founded by Gillett & Johnston 1913
Dove Bell ID: 51473 Tower ID: 18640 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 1116 Hz Weight: 400 lbs Diameter: 27.13" Bell 4 of 6
Founded by Gillett & Johnston 1913
Dove Bell ID: 51474 Tower ID: 18640 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 1004 Hz Weight: 520 lbs Diameter: 30" Bell 5 of 6
Founded by Gillett & Johnston 1913
Dove Bell ID: 51475 Tower ID: 18640 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Nominal: 892 Hz Weight: 724 lbs Diameter: 33.5" Bell 6 of 6
Founded by Gillett & Johnston 1913
Dove Bell ID: 51476 Tower ID: 18640 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Churchyard
Grid reference: TQ 177 775
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | No |
| Solar Thermal Panels | No |
| Biomass | No |
| Wind Turbine | No |
| Air Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ev Charging | No |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
Quinquennial Inspections
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