Church Of St Paul

The following building shall be added:

BRACKLEY ROAD TQ 37 SE (east side) 785-/1/10010 CHURCH OF ST PAUL II

Parish church. Nave of 1868 and tower of 1872, architects Smith and Williams, with porch, clergy vestry and choir vestry added in 1884 by Sydney J Bartlett architect of Kirkdale, Beckenham and extension on south side of church added by Gordon Cook in the 1960s. English Decorated style. Built of Kentish rags tone with slate roof. Nave of 5 bays with N and S aisles, chancel and SW tower with steeple. Tower is of 3 stages, surmounted by a broached stone spire with lucarnes. The top or bell stage has 2 double trefoliated openings with louvred openings. Second stage has trefoliated lancet to each face surmounted by clock. First stage has trefoliated opening and turret. Pointed arched doorcase with colonnettes and trefoliated arched doorcase with floral decoration to spandrels. Angle buttresses. West window is traceried with trefoliated lancets and 6-pointed star. Aisles have 5 windows with double trefoliated windows with drip-mouldings separated by buttresses. Chancel has similar windows and large west window replaced after war damage in 1940 by W Aiken of Sutton. Interior of nave has stone arcade resting on round piers. Roof of arch-braced type supported on stone corbels. Original wooden pews and octagonal carved pulpit on marble base. Alabaster chancel wall (metal screen missing since Second World War) by Messrs Bartlett c1884. Font replaced in 1913 by a copy of Thorwaldsen's font carved in Rome in 1823 by Evelyn Hellicar. Aisles have arch-braced roofs and north chancel aisle has 2 windows by Clayton and Bell, "The Good Shepherd" and "The Light of the World". Chancel retains to south wall a fragment of a mural decoration by Clayton and Bell illustrating "The Marriage Feast at Cana".

[ Pevsner BOE "London 2 South" p159. ]

Listing NGR: TQ3699470404