History of the Church

The parish church has stood on Whitworth Terrace in Spennymoor since its consecration in 1858 and the first vicar was The Revd John Gaskill. In 1880, the north aisle (the present Lady Chapel) was added and in 1890 the tower. A clock for the tower was added in 1898 and the following year tenants of the Shafto estates together with parishioners donated chimes. A peal of eight tubular bells was placed in the tower, which were in use and repaired until the 1960s when they became unsafe.

It was St James’ Day, Saturday 25th July 1953, that disaster struck. A massive fire destroyed the building, which reduced the church to a ruin with only the walls standing: the roof was a skeleton of charred timbers. A local man, a miner, was later tried and convicted of deliberately setting fire to the church. It is believed he had a grudge against the church, because in the previous month he had been convicted of stealing the communion wine!

The task of rebuilding the church was immense and took more than three years to complete at a cost of more than £26,000. In rebuilding the church, a spacious and open chancel and sanctuary were achieved by locating the choir-stalls and organ at the west end of the building. The former high altar was refurbished and is now the Lady Chapel. A new high altar was installed and proves a stunning focal piece.

Of the original stained glass windows only two remained – the St Paul’s window above the Lady Chapel and that at the west end of the aisle. A ‘patchwork’ window, composed of some of the fragments of glass from windows shattered in the fire was placed in the north transept above the door to the servers’ vestry.

The chancel roof is decorated with a medieval geometric design, enriched with colour and gold-leaf, contrasting with the simpler treatment of the barrel-vaulted nave and north aisle roof. The pulpit was restored whilst the old font was provided with a new oak cover, a small repetition of the pyramid spire on the tower.

St Paul’s was reopened on November 1st 1956 to coincide with a visit from the Queen Mother, who was passing through the area and she paid a short, informal visit in the afternoon. She remarked on the “bold use of colour” in looking up at the ceilings. In the evening the service of reconsecration was conducted by the Bishop of Durham and was relayed to the crowds outside.

Up until 2007, no major changes had taken place to the fabric of the building following its reconsecration in 1956. To mark the 50th anniversary in 2006 it was decided to replace the existing east window with a new stained glass window. The window was installed in November 2007 and more information is available here.

FORMER VICARS
1875 – John Gaskill
1900 – Joseph Short
1915 – George Robinson Cook
1927 – Frederick Potter Bates
1939 – Kenneth Moir Carey
1944 – Leonard Maro Schiff
1947 – Gordon Robertson Berriman
1958 – Colin Brennen
1978 – Richard Andrew Hugh Greany
1984 – Nigel Charles Griffin
1992 – John Stuart Bain (Now Archdeacon of Sunderland)
2003 – Lynda Elizabeth Gough