DescriptionSt Paul's church is located on the west side of Commercial Street at its junction with Palmyra Place. It was built in 1835 in Early English style to designs of T.H.Wyatt. Further work, to the ceiling, was done by Wyatt in 1842; refurbishment by G.Clarke of Newport in 1859; and redecoration and new porches by Habershon and Fawckner in 1888. When consecrated in 1836 it was then the only church within the town of Newport. It is a rare example of a church in Wales from the late Georgian period, embodying architectural arrangements from the time before the Pugin and Camden movement dominated.
The church is built of rock-faced Pennant sandstone with Forest dressings, and slate roofs. It consists of chancel, nave, baptistery, porch and a tower with spire originally containing a clock face. The tower, at the Commercial Street (east) elevation, is octagonal, centrally placed, with stepped buttresses running up as pinnacles, and lancets to the bell stage. The lower part of tower is an open porch with tall Gothic arches. The entrance is reached up a broad flight of steps. The interior of the church is broad, spacious and undivided, aligned with the chancel at the east end, and a small polygonal organ apse at the west end.
The church closed for worship in 1991 but re-opened and was restored at the turn of the millennium.
Sources:
extracts from Cadw listing description
Kelly's Directory for Monmouthshire (1901) (ex inf. Wikipedia)
http://stpaulsnewport.org.uk/about-us/
David Leighton, RCAHMW, 8 January 2015