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Summary

Parish church built 1854-56 on land donated by John Heathcoat. Built in Early English style, of local purple red, squared stone rubble with Bath stone dressings and spire.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1384902: CHURCH OF ST PAUL

Other References/Statuses

• Church of England HER: 5038
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS91SE/336
• Old Listed Building Ref (II): 485361

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• PARISH CHURCH (XIX - 1854 AD to 1856 AD (Between))

Full description

Devon County Council, 1975, Tiverton Town Trails, 66 (Article in Monograph). SDV352466.

The church, the street leading to it and the square around it were completed in 1856. Considered to be a pleasing example of mid Victorian architecture.

Department of Environment, 1989, West Exe Spot List (Un-published). SDV349237.

Brayshay, M., 1991, Heathcoat's Industrial Housing in Tiverton, Devon, 93 (Article in Serial). SDV348975.

John Heathcoat donated part of Helling's Fields as a site in West Exe for the new Anglican Church of St Paul. His daughter Caroline built houses in an independent project in St Paul Street and St Paul's Square to generate income with which to endow the new church.

Mid Devon District Council, 1995, Tiverton Conservation Area Partnership Scheme. Preliminary Application, 5 (Un-published). SDV346055.

Ordnance Survey, 2012, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV348725.

English Heritage, 2012, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV348729.

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. Two storey vestry in corresponding position on north side.
Exterior: windows in main body of church have pointed arches with hoodmoulds; they have two traceried lights on the north and south sides, three at each end of the aisles and chancel chapels, four at the west end of the nave, five at the east end. Buttresses on all four sides. Eaves with plain corbel tables. Stone crosses on the three gables at each end. Tower is in three 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; two 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 three traceried lights. South doorway chamfered with pointed arch, approached by flight of six steps; at their foot two 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 (died1855) and his wife Caroline (died 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-).

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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