Useful information
Patron
The Bishop
Episcopal Area
Kingston Episcopal Area
Deanery
Lambeth North Deanery
Archdeaconry
Lambeth Archdeaconry
Details of the Church
Built
1815
Architect
C Edmonds
Listing
2*
St Paul’s stands on the site of the original parish church of Clapham dating from the early twelfth century and dedicated successively to St Mary and then the Holy Trinity. Towards the end of the eighteenth century it was replaced by the new Holy Trinity on Clapham Common which became the Parish Church.
As soon as the new Holy Trinity had been built and was ready for use in 1776 the old church was demolished and a new church constructed and dedicated to St Paul. This building designed by C Edmonds was opened in 1815 and according to the illustration in “Views of the Surrey Churches” consisted of a classical style rectangular building with overhanging eaves, a western bell turret, small west porch and a projection at the north west corner. In 1875 a chancel with north and south transepts and an apsidal sanctuary was added to the eastern end of the building designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield.
In 1928 the north and south galleries were removed and in 1970 dividing walls were erected and the eastern end was adapted for use as a hall.
The church now basically consists of the early nineteenth century building, a large rectangular nave and chancel with a western gallery approached by a stair at the north west corner. The western porch has been removed and replaced by an entrance lobby at the south west corner and a large and small vestry. The west bell turret has been taken down. The organ is housed in a space at first floor level on the northern side of the former chancel while at ground floor level on the southern side is the Lady Chapel containing a fine collection of seventeenth and eighteenth century sculpture figures commemorating the Atkins family.
The hall, entered by a porch on the south side, contains on the ground floor an assembly area, kitchen and coffee bar, men’s and women’s lavatories and two stairs. These stairs lead to a gallery room over the western end of the assembly area and over the coffee bar and south east chapel below. There is a small room approached from one side of each of the two stairs.
The church and hall are built of stock bricks with slated roofs and are set in a spacious churchyard.
