St Paul's Church, Whitley Bay
St Paul's Church is the parish church of Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, United Kingdom.The church was founded in 1864. The church's official title is St Paul's Church, Cullercoats but it is located near the centre of the town rather than the suburb of Cullercoats.
| St Paul's Church, Whitley Bay | |
|---|---|
 St Paul's Church in Whitley Bay Town Centre | |
| |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Mimics Traditional Catholic |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Paul |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Architect(s) | Anthony Salvin |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Tynemouth |
| Diocese | Diocese of Newcastle |
| Province | Province of York |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | The Rt Revd Christine Hardman |
| Vicar(s) | Fr John Vilaseca |
| Laity | |
| Organist/Director of music | Terry Mason |
| Churchwarden(s) | Sandra Graham and ann Laing |
| Music group(s) | Ann Laing |
| Servers' guild | Arthur Thomas |
History
The building was designed by Anthony Salvin for the Duke of Northumberland. It is designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building.[1]
Present day
The church produces a regular newsletter and parish magazine. It also holds an annual summer fair and the St Nicholas Fair and Festival during the first weekend in Advent.
Ann Laing and Sandra Graham are the churchwardens.
As a parish it has been decided to revoke the Traditional Catholic tradition,[2] they now accept the ordination of women and so receive episcopal oversight from the Bishop of Newcastle (currently Christine Hardman
Parochial church council
The parochial church council (PCC) oversees the administration, finances and fabric of the church. The 22 member council, which meets monthly, comprises two clergy, one lay reader, two churchwardens, one treasurer, one diocesan synod representative (who attends meetings with others from the Diocese of Newcastle and Tynemouth Deanery), three deanery synod representatives (who attend meetings with others from the Tynemouth Deanery) and 12 lay members. All members except the clergy and lay reader are elected. The standing committee, consisting of five PCC members, deals with any emergency issues arising between meetings and sets agenda for PCC meetings.
Notable clergy
- Norman Banks, later Bishop of Richborough, was the vicar from 1990 until 2000.
- Paul Bayes, later Bishop of Liverpool, served his curacy at St Paul's from 1979 until 1982.
List of Vicars
| Name | Years of Service |
|---|---|
| Canon R. F. Wheeler | 1861 - 1885 |
| The Reverend E. Smith | 1885 - 1916 |
| The Reverend F. L. Cattell | 1916 - 1924 |
| The Reverend F. J. Burt | 1924 - 1928 |
| The Reverend F. M. Dowland | 1928 - 1933 |
| The Reverend J. E. Jenkins | 1933 - 1941 |
| The Reverend F. R. Hedley | 1941 - 1955 |
| The Reverend R. H. C. Henwood | 1955 - 1963 |
| The Reverend J. H. Chicken | 1963 - 1972 |
| The Reverend R. O. Stroud | 1972 - 1977 |
| The Reverend Peter V. Rendell | 1977 - 1989 |
| The Reverend Norman Aidan Banks | 1990 - 2002 |
| The Reverend Gavin Gilchrist | 2002 - 2018 |
| The Reverend John Vilaseca | 2019 - |
Music
The church has a 15-strong choir. A former organist, John Percival Forster, was killed in the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916, aged 28.[3] He was organist at St Paul's for six years from 1912 to 1916. A plaque commemorating his life remains to the right of the altar.
Musicians
| Role / Instrument | Name |
|---|---|
| Director of Music / Organist | Terry Mason |
| Deputy Organist | |
| Organ scholar | |
| Choir Conductor | |
| Keyboards | Ann Laing |
References
- Historic England, "Church of St Paul, Whitley Bay (1185615)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 1 October 2012
- "St Paul, Cullercoats, Whitley Bay". A Church Near You. Archbishops' Council. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
- http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/lost-photo-key-restoring-stone-6911504