St. Paul’s Church was built in 1864 by Mr. William Jones Loyd who lived in Langleybury House (now Langleybury School).
The architect was Henry Woodyer who designed the church in the Early English Decorated Gothic Style. Mr. Woodyer was a student of William Butterfield whose works include All Saints, Margaret Street and Keble College, Oxford. He lived in Graffham, Surrey whose church was also designed by him as were the New Schools at Eton.
The building is of Bath Stone and squared flints and is 108 ft. (32.9m) long and 18 ft. (S.Sm) wide. The spire is of wood covered with oak shingle and is 130 ft. (39.6m) high.
Entering by the south-east porch the visitor will be struck first by the feeling of spaciousness created by the cluster columns and Chancel arch of Forest of Dean stone.
Between each pillar can be found beautifully carved angels, four at prayer and one carrying a crown of thorns. These are the first of many angels carved in the church and you should look especially at those carved on both sides of the Chancel arch; each of these 24 angels is different, either playing a musical instrument or carrying a scroll or just in prayer.
Before passing into the Chancel the visitor will notice the beautifully carved Bath Stone pulpit and Choir screen which are unusual in that they contain insertions of Roman marble collected by the founder’s family whilst in that City.
On the south side of the Chancel can be found the Loyd Chapel, now used as a Choir Vestry, wherein can be seen the memorials to the founder and many of his family.
The reredos was designed by the architect and contains, within the design, the initials of the twelve apostles.
The north side of the Chancel houses the organ which was built in about 1870 by Porritt of Leicester.
Returning to the west end of the church, the Baptistry is located beneath the tower and contains the Font of Cornish marble given by Mrs. Jones Loyd. Over it is a suspended cover designed by the architect in neo-Gothic style.
There are many interesting features to the decoration of the church and I would
particularly mention one or two of them.
The glass mosaics of St. Peter and St. Paul on the east wall of the Sanctuary are by Dr. Salviati, a Venetian who was, at that time, also working on mosaics for the Dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
On the Chancel walls are ten angels painted by Mrs. Jones Loyd from the Fra Angelico angels in the San Marco Convent in Florence. The angels over the west door in the Baptistry were also painted by Mrs Jones Loyd.
The Baptistry ceiling is painted in nine compartments with symbols depicting Father, Son, and Holy Ghost and die Lily as the symbol of Divine Purity.
Outside, a feature of the churchyard is the large cross of Sicilian marble standing some 20 ft. (6. 1 in) high by the Florentine sculptor Romanelli.
* Drawing of the Church taken from the Illustrated London News February 1865.
St. Paul’s Church was built in 1864 by Mr. William Jones Loyd who lived in Langleybury House (now Langleybury School).
The architect was Henry Woodyer who designed the church in the Early English Decorated Gothic Style. Mr. Woodyer was a student of William Butterfield whose works include All Saints, Margaret Street and Keble College, Oxford. He lived in Graffham, Surrey whose church was also designed by him as were the New Schools at Eton.
The building is of Bath Stone and squared flints and is 108 ft. (32.9m) long and 18 ft. (S.Sm) wide. The spire is of wood covered with oak shingle and is 130 ft. (39.6m) high.
Entering by the south-east porch the visitor will be struck first by the feeling of spaciousness created by the cluster columns and Chancel arch of Forest of Dean stone.
Between each pillar can be found beautifully carved angels, four at prayer and one carrying a crown of thorns. These are the first of many angels carved in the church and you should look especially at those carved on both sides of the Chancel arch; each of these 24 angels is different, either playing a musical instrument or carrying a scroll or just in prayer.
Before passing into the Chancel the visitor will notice the beautifully carved Bath Stone pulpit and Choir screen which are unusual in that they contain insertions of Roman marble collected by the founder’s family whilst in that City.
On the south side of the Chancel can be found the Loyd Chapel, now used as a Choir Vestry, wherein can be seen the memorials to the founder and many of his family.
The reredos was designed by the architect and contains, within the design, the initials of the twelve apostles.
The north side of the Chancel houses the organ which was built in about 1870 by Porritt of Leicester.
Returning to the west end of the church, the Baptistry is located beneath the tower and contains the Font of Cornish marble given by Mrs. Jones Loyd. Over it is a suspended cover designed by the architect in neo-Gothic style.
There are many interesting features to the decoration of the church and I would
particularly mention one or two of them.
The glass mosaics of St. Peter and St. Paul on the east wall of the Sanctuary are by Dr. Salviati, a Venetian who was, at that time, also working on mosaics for the Dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
On the Chancel walls are ten angels painted by Mrs. Jones Loyd from the Fra Angelico angels in the San Marco Convent in Florence. The angels over the west door in the Baptistry were also painted by Mrs Jones Loyd.
The Baptistry ceiling is painted in nine compartments with symbols depicting Father, Son, and Holy Ghost and die Lily as the symbol of Divine Purity.
Outside, a feature of the churchyard is the large cross of Sicilian marble standing some 20 ft. (6. 1 in) high by the Florentine sculptor Romanelli.
* Drawing of the Church taken from the Illustrated London News February 1865.
