St Pauls Church, Bristol
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| St Pauls Church | |
 St Pauls Church |
|
| Building Information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Bristol |
| Country | England |
| Architect | Daniel Hague |
| Construction Start Date | 1789 |
| Completion Date | 1794 |
St Pauls Church gives its name to the surrounding St Pauls area of Bristol. It was built in the 1790s but fell into disuse and disrepair by its closure in 1988.
Major renovation work was undertaken to repair and convert the building for use as a performance space and circus skills school.
Contents |
[edit] Building
It is in the Georgian Portland Square. It was designed by Daniel Hague although the original St Pauls Church was to be designed by James Allen in a Greek style. Work was started on the church in 1789 and completed in 1794. St Pauls became known as the Wedding Cake Church from the unusual tiered tower.[1] The tower was designed to hold a ring of ten bells, however only four bells were purchased, all cast by John Rudhall of Gloucester, two in 1792 and the 6th and tenor bells of the proposed ring in 1795.[2]
The gates and railings are a grade II* listed building.[3]
[edit] Closure and redevelopment
The church closed in 1988 in state of disrepair and was boarded up for many years. A lot of damage was caused by swollen ironwork exploding the Bath Stone and water leaking in, causing erosion to the plaster ceilings.[4]
About £2.3 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund funded the restoration and conversion work,[5] via the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT).[6]
In 2005 the church was converted into its present form as the home of Circomedia, a circus school. It still boasts an ornate Georgian plaster ceiling, stone columns and a wealth of decorative stained glass, but has now been equipped with by state of the art aerial and trapeze equipment and a pale Maple wood sprung dance floor.
[edit] References
- ^ Church of St Paul. About Bristol. Retrieved on 2007-02-22.
- ^ Bristol, Portland Square, Former church of St Paul. Keltek Trust. Retrieved on 2007-02-22.
- ^ Railings and gates of the Church of St Paul. Images of England. Retrieved on 2007-02-22.
- ^ St Pauls Church, Bristol. Carreck Historic Building Conservation. Retrieved on 2007-02-22.
- ^ Draft Grants to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2003. House of Commons. Retrieved on 2007-02-22.
- ^ Church converts. Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved on 2007-02-22.
[edit] External Links
[edit] Gallery
 Front of the church |
 The tower |
 The rear of the church taken from St Pauls Park |
