OLD DEVONPORT . UK
www.olddevonport.uk
 

©  Brian Moseley, Plymouth
Webpage created: February 04, 2016.
Webpage updated: November 15, 2019

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ANGLICAN CHURCH OF SAINT PHILIP THE APOSTLE

The Anglican Church of Saint Philip the Apostle was situated in Bridwell Road.  It was the seventh place of worship planned by the Three Towns Church Extension Society.  The site was given by Mr R Hall Clarke.  The original Church was demolished in 2014.

In the beginning a temporary church was provided at the expense of Sir John Jackson, the contractor for the extension of the Royal Dockyard.

On the afternoon of Saturday May 4th 1912 the Right Reverend Archibald, Bishop of Exeter, paid the foundation  stone of the permanent church.  The site was given by the late Mr Hall Clarke.  Designed by Mr M Alton Bazeley in the Perpendicular style, this limestone building had hammer dressed walling and quoins and buttresses rock-faced with drafted edges.  Bath stone was used for the dressings.  The nave had a central and two side aisles.  The central one had a wagon-shaped roof, with circular ribs resting on stone corbels while the two side aisles had lean-to roofs and clerestory windows over.  The tower porch was 26 feet in height.  Mr Lapthorne was the contractor and Mr T Cowan was the Clerk of Works.

Amongst those attending the ceremony were the Church Wardens, Mr J Warring and Mr R Bradford, the curate-in-charge, the Reverend T Heywood, and Lady Jackson.  The service was conducted by the Reverend W N Watson, vicar of Saint Budeaux, in whose parish Saint Philip's stood.

Saint Philip's Church was dedicated as a chapel-of-ease to the Ancient Parish Church of Saint Budeaux on the morning of Saturday October 18th 1913.  The Reverend Watson was unable to attend through illness.  The chancel and the tower remained to be erected.  Seating was provided for 500 worshippers and the cost so far was quoted as being £6,300.  Naturally the visiting clergy and the workmen were entertained to a luncheon.  This was held in the school room and Messrs Matthews & Sons, of Plymouth, provided the catering.

In 1963 a large stained-glass window depicting Saint Philip was added in the eastern wall, the work of the late Father Charles Norris of Buckfast Abbey, Devon.

The original Church suffered damage from water seeping through the roof and and was demolished in 2014.  It has been replaced by a modern but smaller one on part of the original site.