St Paul's Church, Whitley Bay
Coordinates: 55°2′30.05″N 1°26′52.11″W / 55.0416806°N 1.4478083°W
| St Paul's Church, Whitley Bay | |
|---|---|
|
St Paul's Church in Whitley Bay Town Centre | |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Paul |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Architect(s) | Anthony Salvin |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Tynemouth |
| Diocese | Newcastle |
| Province | Province of York |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | Father Gavin Gilchrist |
| Honorary priest(s) |
Father Leonard Skinner, Father Harvey Walker |
| Curate(s) | Father Alex Faludy |
| Laity | |
| Reader(s) | Stan Edwards |
| Organist/Director of music | Terry Mason |
| Organist(s) | June Gibbon |
| Churchwarden(s) |
Sandra Graham, Pam MacKenzie |
| Music group(s) | Ann Laing, Celia Temple |
| Servers' guild | Arthur Thomas |
St Paul's Church is the parish church of Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, United Kingdom. The church was founded in 1864. The church's official title is St Paul's Church, Cullercoats but as is in the town of Whitley Bay it is more commonly known as the former.
History
The church was designed by Anthony Salvin for the Duke of Northumberland. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building.[1]
Management
Father Gavin Gilchrist of Hull is the resident priest, Father Alex Faludy of Portsmouth is the curate. Sandra Graham and Pam MacKenzie are the churchwardens. There is also a parochial church council, choir, music group, a newsletter and parish magazine. A summer fair is held annually, as is the St Nicholas fair and festival during the first weekend in Advent. The Sunday Club meets every Sunday morning during the 10 am Mass and is suitable for babies upwards.
Parochial Church Council
The Parochial Church Council (PCC) looks after the general running of the church and overlook the finances. The membership is made up of a council of 22 members; two clergy, one lay reader, two churchwardens, one treasurer, one diocesan synod representative (who attends meetings with others from the Diocese of Newcastle and Tynemouth Deanery), three deanery synod representatives (who attend meetings with others from the Tynemouth Deanery) and 12 lay members. All members except the clergy and lay reader must go through a nominated election before they can stand. There is also a standing committee, made up of five members of the PCC, which deals with emergency issues that arise between meetings. They also set the agenda for the following PCC meeting. The PCC meets once a month.
Music
The 15-strong choir is unpaid and almost all of the musicians play for free. The director of music is Terry Mason, who is also the organist at the church. The deputy organist is June Gibbon. The organ scholar is Nick Graham. The choir conductor is Celia Temple, who also plays guitar in the church music group along with Ann Laing who plays keyboard instruments, and several students; Sarah Collin (flute).
A former organist, John Percival Forster, was killed in the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916. He was aged 28 at the time. He was organist at St Paul's for six years from 1912 to 1916 and there is a commemorative plaque to the right of the altar.
St Nicholas Festival
The church is well known in the region as the starting point of the annual St Nicholas Festival in December. It was started by the then vicar, the Reverend Norman Aidan Banks.
Vicars
Canon R.F Wheeler 1861 - 1885
The Reverend E. Smith 1885 - 1916
The Reverend F.L Cattell 1916 - 1924
The Reverend F.J Burt 1924 - 1928
The Reverend F.M Dowland 1928 - 1933
The Reverend J.E Jenkins 1933 - 1941
The Reverend F.R Hedley 1941 - 1955
The Reverend R.H.C Henwood 1955 - 1963
The Reverend J.H Chicken 1963 - 1972
The Reverend R.O Stroud 1972 - 1977
The Reverend P.V Rendell 1977 - 1989
The Reverend N.A Banks 1990 - 2002
The Reverend G. Gilchrist 2002–present
See also
References
- ↑ Historic England. "Church of St Paul, Whitley Bay (1185615)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 October 2012.