PETERBOROUGH : CHURCH OF ST PAUL
Church Post Code PE1 2PA
Normally Closed to Visitors
As of mid November 2024, the population of Peterborough was estimated to be around 218,000; a rapidly growing city which recorded a figure of 183,600 at the time of the 2011 census. No precise figures were available for 2025 at the time of typing this but it is reasonable to assume that there would be continued growth.
At one point back in time though, Peterborough was the smallest city in the country in terms of population. In 1801 the population was estimated at around 3,500; this rising to nearly 9,000 in 1851 and over 17,000 come 1871 with many moving to the city for work on the railways. Prior to this expansion the church of St John the Baptist close to the cathedral was the parish church for the city of Peterborough; the cathedral being for the monks with the church of St John for the people.
With the rapid increase in population, things had to change and churches were built to cater for the increased number of people. The church of St Mark was opened in 1856 with St Mary following in 1859; this church being demolished and a new church rebuilt in 1991. The church of St Paul, which was known as the ‘Railwayman’s Church’ was built in 1869 with All Saints being added in 1886.
This page looks at a visit to the church of St Paul, which was visited on Ride and Stride Saturday in September 2025. The church here can be found in the New England area of Millfield, north of the city centre.
Peterborough as a whole doesn’t have the best of reputations; being voted the worst city of live three years in a row! I am not here to run down the city that I have lived just to the west of for my entire life, but it can’t be sugar coated either and the city has its issues, with the Millfield area having more than its fair share! To be honest I would not walk the streets here after dark.
The church of St Paul stands in a triangle formed by three busy roads, surrounded in parts by trees making exterior shots difficult. Looking at the church from distance from the south we see the church tower rising up; with brightly coloured minarets from local mosques as a backdrop. The Salvation Army citadel, where I have spent many pleasant times, is immediately across the road to the west. For those who wish to have a noisier time than I was planning, Peterborough’s premier non league football team Peterborough Sports play a short distance off to the north. Note: Peterborough Sports, the Turbines, are bottom of their division when this is being typed and might possibly not be Peterborough’s undisputed premier non league side by the time that you are reading this!
There is little to say regarding the history of the church here; with it being built in its entirety in 1869. As a result there is no mention of it in Revd Sweeting’s look at the parish churches in and around Peterborough, which was published the previous year. The church was designed by James M. Teale and consists of central tower, nave with north and south aisles and clerestories and chancel.
The tower is topped by a pyramidal roof; three slim lancet windows at the belfry stage with three small round windows below. There are plenty of windows here, with two light windows running the full length of the nave and small two light windows in the clerestory, which are set in to quatrefoil designs.
There is little of interest in the single bell that hang here to be truthful, with this being cast by Taylor of Loughborough at the time of the church opening in 1869.
The clerestory ends in a rounded apse; roofs of nave, clerestory and chancel are all steeply pitched. There is a fine west window of five lights with intricate tracery. The visitor enters in through a porch to the north west with the glass doors here being an addition dating from the 1970’s.
Moving inside, there was a warm welcome and it wasn’t too long before the kettle was on. An initial look at the interior showed a distinct Anglo Catholic feel with Stations of the Cross mounted on to north and south aisle walls; the crucifixion hanging under the chancel arch with a statue of the Virgin and child to the south of the chancel arch. It did come in to conversation later that this was indeed a very staunch Anglo Catholic church in the past.
It was bright and welcoming inside, with little in the way of stained glass to the south helping in that respect, and walls are whitewashed. Some reordering has seen some pews removed and spaces created in each aisle for refreshments.
Looking around the interior and upwards towards the carving of the crucifixion we see the usual scene; Christ crucified with Mary the Mother of Jesus and John alongside the cross. There is something a little unusual here though as a closer look at the cross shows that Jesus’ right hand, despite the nail hammered through it. His left hand is clenched tightly but the right is still formed in blessing; pretty much as it is in the statue below where Mary the Mother of Jesus is crowned as Queen of Heaven.
Moving in to the chancel, the high altar was adorned with a green altar cloth; a liturgical colour to signify ‘Ordinary Times’ the times between the main Christian celebrations which in this instance is the period between Easter and Advent. There is stained glass at the east end; slim lancets with Christ in majesty central; one hand raised in blessing with the other hand holding a globe. Wounds are visible in hand and foot, with symbolic blood red in cloak and nimbus.
Flanking the risen Christ are panels depicting St Paul, after who the church is dedicated. We see Saul (Paul) blinded on the road to Damascus whilst close by we see Paul in chains, guarded by a Roman soldier, and talking animatedly to a man wearing a golden laurel wreath, who to be fair doesn’t look massively interested! It could be that this is Paul appearing before the Emperor Caesar. There is no direct Biblical reference to this meeting but it does say in Acts Chapter that Paul was to stand trial at some point before Caesar.
Taking a look at the stained glass windows in the north aisle we see St Andrew holding a saltire cross which would be the manner of his martyrdom; St Peter alongside holding the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.
We then see St John who holds a chalice out of which rises a serpent. Christian legend states that John was given poisoned wine whilst in Ephesus and when he prayed over the wine the poison came out in the form of a serpent. Alongside John is St James the Great or St James Major as it says here. He is the patron saint of pilgrims and is depicted with a pilgrims staff around which is tied a water bottle and the traditional scallop shell.
The scallop shell is an interesting symbol with its many lines all converging on a central point; symbolic of the many paths that there are in a Christian life, all of which converge on the central point in Christ.
A third window depicts St Philip and St Nathaniel. Philip introduced Nathaniel (also known as Bartholomew) to Jesus and the latter holds a banner on which is written ‘Thou Art the Son of God Thou Art the King of Israel’; his response after Jesus had known where he was and what he was doing even though he had been out of sight.
On another window we see Jesus sat, with Mary at his feet. This particular Mary was the sister of Martha, whose brother Lazarus Jesus raised from the dead. Martha was a doer, always on the go and who is absent from this scene. Mary was content to sit and rest and listen to what Jesus was saying. Jesus has a banner which reads ‘She hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her’ which is a slight misquoting from Luke Chapter 10 verse 42 which has the word Mary instead of she. Mary is usually depicted gazing towards Jesus; here though she looks away from him and towards us, with hand held towards her ear, no doubt instructing us to do the same.
We also see a depiction of St Cecelia, one of the Virgin Martyrs and the patron saint of music and musicians along with a soldier with two children, who carries a shield which has a cross that pulsates with flame. On this is written 'In token that thou shalt continue Christ's faithful soldier' which is taken from the Book of Common Prayers infant baptism service.
The east end of the south aisle has stained glass showing the Virgin and Child, with writing on the altar reading ‘ET VERBUM CARO FACTUM EST’ which translates as ‘And the word became flesh’ this coming from John Chapter 1 verse 14.
I am very Low Church in my own worship; removed from Anglo Catholicism and am not all that familiar with the intricacies of the Stations of the Cross and one panel intrigued me. We see Jesus carrying his cross on the way to crucifixion. We see a kneeling woman holding out a cloth to Jesus, with his image imposed on to it. Around the edge reads ‘Jesus Receives Veronicas Help’. This is not Biblical but is a part of Christian traditional and is normally the sixth station of the cross. Tradition here states that Veronica felt compassion to Jesus and wiped his bloodied and sweating face. When she pulled the cloth back from him it was imprinted with his image.
This is a fine church; and it was great to finally see inside it. A pleasant time spent looking around in friendly company. A quiet, peaceful space in bustling, vibrant and noisy surroundings! It was time to head back towards the city and centre and then off to work for the afternoon, with plans made to arrange a Wednesday morning communion here during the winter when work was less busy. Well worth taking a look at if you are in the area.