GENUKI: Wednesbury St Paul

Wednesbury St Paul

St Paul's church at Wood Green, Wednesbury, was built in 1874, for a new ecclesiastical parish, comprising parts of Wednesbury and West Bromwich parishes.

Church History
Church Records

Church History

Wood Green ecclesiastical parish was formed on 19th March 1875, from portions of Wednesbury and West Bromwich parishes. St Paul's was built in 1874 by the Elwell family, who owned the edge tool works at Wednesbury Forge. The church is a building of stone in the Decorated style, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, vestries, north porch and a western tower with spire containing a clock and eight bells.
The spire and tower were added in 1887 and the bells hung in the same year. A font of Caen stone and Irish marble was presented in memory of Mrs Griffiths of The Oaks, Wednesbury, by her children. The stained east window, a memorial to Edwin Richards, was presented by his widow and son. The west window was presented by Job Edwards as a memorial to Bishop Selwyn. A wrought iron screen was erected as a memorial to the Rev G Tuthill, vicar from 1875-1902 and a stone reredos was erected in 1903 in memory of Alfred Elwell. The lych gate was presented by Arthur Richards of The Limes, in memory of his son Edwin.
The living is a vicarage, in the gift of the Bishop of Lichfield.

The mission church of St Luke, Alma Street, Mesty Croft was formed in 1879 in premises belonging to the Elwells as a mission church to St Paul. It was rebuilt in 1894. It became an ecclesiastical district in 1944. The church was demolished and replaced in the 1970s.

The church of the Good Shepherd at The Delves, which was built as a chapel of ease to St Bartholomew in 1850, was transferred to St Paul when the parish of Wood Green was formed. It closed in 1936 when the new ecclesiastical district of St Gabriel, Fullbrook, Walsall was formed.

Return to top of page

Church Records

Church of England Registers
The register of the church of St Paul commences in 1875. The original registers for the period 1875-1963 (Bapts) & 1876-1988 (Mar) are deposited at Staffordshire Record Office.

Nonconformist Church Registers
Records of Nonconformist churches in Wednesbury can be found on the Wednesbury page.