St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge

St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge, is a Grade II* listed Anglican church of the Anglo-Catholic tradition located at 32a Wilton Place in Knightsbridge, London.[1]

St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge
51.5015°N 0.1557°W / 51.5015; -0.1557
Location32a Wilton Place, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 8SH
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
ChurchmanshipAnglo-Catholic
Websitestpaulsknightsbridge.org
History
DedicationSaint Paul
Architecture
Heritage designationGrade II*
Designated24-Feb-1958
Architect(s)Thomas Cundy the younger
StyleVictorian Gothic
Years built1843
Administration
ProvinceCanterbury
DioceseLondon
ArchdeaconryCharing Cross
DeaneryWestminster (St Margaret)
ParishSt Paul, Wilton Place
Clergy
ArchbishopArchbishop of Canterbury
Bishop(s)Bishop of London
Vicar(s)The Revd Canon Alan Gyle
Honorary priest(s)The Rt Revd Michael Colclough
The Very Revd Victor Stock

History and architecture

The church was founded in 1843, the first in London to champion the ideals of the Oxford Movement, during the incumbency of the Rev. W. J. E. Bennett. The architect was Thomas Cundy the younger.[2]

After the building's consecration in 1843, the chancel with its rood screen and striking reredos was added in 1892 by the noted church architect George Frederick Bodley, who also decorated St Luke's chapel, which stands in the place of a lady chapel to the south of the sanctuary, the lady chapel of St Paul's having traditionally been seen as being the church of St Mary's, Bourne Street.

The tiled panels around the walls of the nave, created in the 1870s by Daniel Bell, depict scenes from the life of Jesus. The stations of the cross that intersperse the tiled panels, painted in the early 1920s by Gerald Moira, show scenes from the crucifixion story. The font dates from 1842 and is carved with biblical scenes from both the Old and New Testaments. There are statues of the Virgin and Child (1896) above the entrance to the chapel, and of St Paul (1902) above the lectern.[3]

A memorial in the church commemorates 52 members of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry who died on active service during the Second World War while carrying out secret intelligence work for the Special Operations Executive in occupied countries in addition to providing transport drivers for the Auxiliary Territorial Service. Among the names on the memorial are three holders of the George Cross.[4]

St Paul's sister parish is the Church of St. Paul's, K street, in Washington, D.C., in the United States.

Notable events

Weddings

Funerals and memorial services
  • Memorial to Old Boys of St Paul's School
    Memorial to Old Boys of St Paul's School

References
  1. Historic England, "Church of St Paul (1066084)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 26 September 2014
  2. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, subscription-based online edition, retrieved 25 November 2011.
  3. "History | St Paul's Church – Knightsbridge". www.stpaulsknightsbridge.org. 26 November 2014. Archived from the original on 31 August 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  4. "Women's Transport Service | St Paul's Church Memorial, Belgravia, London". stephen-stratford.com. Archived from the original on 5 September 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
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