St. Paul's Church, Bristol

Infobox Historic building

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caption=St Pauls Church
name= St Pauls Church
location_town=Bristol
location_country=England
map_type=Bristol
latitude=51.4591
longitude=-2.6114
architect=Daniel Hague
client=
engineer=
construction_start_date=1789
completion_date=1794
date_demolished=
cost=
structural_system=
style=
size=

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.

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. [cite web | title=Church of St Paul | work=About Bristol | url=http://www.about-bristol.co.uk/chu-15.asp | accessdate=2007-02-22] 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. [cite web | title=Bristol, Portland Square, Former church of St Paul | work=Keltek Trust | url=http://www.btinternet.com/~keltek/page49.html | accessdate=2007-02-22]

The gates and railings are a grade II* listed building. [cite web | title=Railings and gates of the Church of St Paul | work=Images of England | url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/search/details.aspx?id=380191 | accessdate=2007-02-22]

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. [cite web | title=St Pauls Church, Bristol | work=Carreck Historic Building Conservation | url=http://www.carrek.co.uk/default.asp?categoryID=2&projectID=17 | accessdate=2007-02-22]

About £2.3 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund funded the restoration and conversion work, [cite web | title=Draft Grants to the Churches Conservation Trust Order 2003 | work=House of Commons | url=http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200203/cmstand/deleg6/st030226/30226s01.htm | accessdate=2007-02-22] via the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT). [cite web | title=Church converts | work=Christian Science Monitor | url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0501/p11s01-lire.html?related | accessdate=2007-02-22]

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.

On October 19, 2007, it won the international RICS Community Benefit Award 2007. St Pauls was chosen as the winner by judges because of the spectacular transformation it has undergone under the Churches Conservation Trust, which has turned what was once a symbol of the area's depravation into a fantastic facility that benefits the St Pauls community.

References

External links

* [http://www.circomedia.com/ Circomedia]

Gallery