St Aubyn s Church - 18th Century

St Aubyn s Church - 18th Century St Aubyn s Chapel was erected as a proprietary chapel under the authority of an Act of Parliament passed in 1768. The chapel cost 7000 to build.the costs of passing the Act and completing the chapel were to be raised from the sale and disposition of the pews or seats to be erected and set up in the said chapel The land for St Aubyn s Chapel was set aside on Higher St Aubyn Street, later known as Chapel Street.The Act (1768) records the land as follows: That all that piece of parcel of waste ground, within and parcel of the said Manor of Stoke Damerel, as the same is staked and marked out, containing from East to West ninety five feet and from North to South ninety five feet, situate, lying, and being on the Eastern side of a certain Street in Plymouth Dock aforesaid, called or known by the name of Higher Saint Aubyn Street, and on the Eastern end of and the centre of the Western side of the said piece or parcel of waste ground fronting another Street in Plymouth Dock aforesaid, called or known by the name of the New Market Street. St Aubyn s Chapel was consecrated by the Lord Bishop of Exeter on 17 September 1771.The sermon was delivered by the Vicar of Stoke Damerel, the Reverend Edward Bridges Blackett. He spoke of the delight felt in Plymouth Dock that the chapel had been erected, since the Parish Church at Stoke Damerel was full to capacity with the rapidly expanding population in the town. The earliest description of St Aubyn s Chapel can be gleaned from Hoxland s Plymouth Dock Guide published at Plymouth Dock in 1799. This Chapel has a gallery on the north side, and part of the south with the west end, where there is a small Organ. It has Divine Service regularly twice every Sunday, except Easter Day,. Every Wednesday evening also there is a Sermon and prayers on Friday evenings. The exterior of the Chapel is in the style of modern architecture on which we shall not enlarge. It has a dial plate to the west to show the time to the inhabitants; and on its small square tower which contains but one bell, a neat and plain octagonal spire is erected, surmounted by a vane. It is surrounded by a wall and balustrades; and has three entrances all at the west end, to the several Iles (aisles) and to the galleries. Donn's Map of Plymouth Dock - Devonport, c.1765, St Aubyn's Church has yet to be built. Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery

St Aubyn s Church - 19th Century There were a number of alterations and improvements made at St Aubyn s Chapel in the 19th Century. Brindley s Plymouth, Stonehouse and Devonport Directory of 1830 records St Aubyn s Chapel as: a building of substantial and plain appearance, with an octagonal spire, rising above a Doric portico.this chapel was erected by subscription in 1771 having been obtained for the purpose. The interior is neatly fitted with galleries on both sides and at the western end, supported by stone columns. It contains a good organ, has a choir of singers, and is attended by a highly respectable congregation. A very handsome pew is set apart for strangers. On 10 June 1840 James Davidson, author of Church notes on the South of Devon visited St Aubyn s Chapel and recorded the following: A large stone building consisting of a nave and side aisles with Doric columns and sashed windows with a spire at the western end - erected in 1771 - no baptisms or burials take place here and there are no monumental inscriptions. A new and improved Organ was erected by the offerings of the trustees, proprietors and congregation in 1866. There is a full description of St Aubyn s Chapel available in the 1878 Devon Directory as follows: St Aubyn s Chapel, in Chapel Street, is a large and handsome building, which was erected at the cost of 7000, raised by subscription. It forms an oblong square, and contains three aisles, with galleries at the sides and west end. The entrance is beneath a well designed portico, above which rises an octagonal spire. The interior is neatly fitted up, and most of the pews are private property.various improvements have been effected during the last 25 years, including the building of a new organ, the addition of a new vestry and the insertion of stained glass windows, the whole at a cost of 1200, raised by subscription. The benefice is a perpetual curacy, valued at 200 in the patronage of the rector of Stoke Damerel, and incumbency of the Reverend Pitt Johnson, B.A. St Aubyn s Chapel was assigned its own parish on 5 December 1882 and became known as St Aubyn s Parish Church. The parish had been formed out of the parishes of Stoke Damerel and St Paul s, Devonport. St Aubyn's Church, c.1868 Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery (Cluer)

St Aubyn s Church - 19th Century continued Devonport and the Hamoaze from Mount Edgcumbe, c.1852 Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery (Plymg1911.37.5) On 17 December 1884 the foundation stone for a new chancel was laid by the Reverend W St Aubyn, the Rector of Stoke Damerel. It was built on land belonging to Raglan Barracks. A Western Morning News article of 18 December 1884 reports that The War office authorities have kindly allowed the chancel to be built protruding into the barrack ground, the space occupied being 27ft by 40ft. The article continues It is proposed to take out the present east end of the church and rebuilt it 22ft eastward.the side walls and the roof will, of course, have to be entirely new work.the chancel will be built from plans prepared by J. Piers St Aubyn of London, and will be carried out under the direction of Mr H Luff, the manor office architect.the builder is Mr Westaway of Cumberland Lawn.The completed chancel was consecrated by the Lord Bishop of Exeter on the 18 July 1885.The total cost for the chancel was 863. Alongside the erection of the chancel part of the north gallery was removed to make way for the organ which had formerly stood in the west gallery. The organ was placed nearer to the new choir stalls designed for up to 18 boys and 14 men. The portico outside the western entrance of St Aubyn s Church was removed in 1896 to enable Chapel Street to be widened for the placing of tramlines. Chancel area, c.1900 Courtesy of Gilmore Hankey Kirke

St Aubyn s Church - 20th Century The East Window Chapel Street and St Aubyn's Church after the War, 1953 No.3 Chapel Street, 3 October 1953 Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery (CE.4627 & CE.2654) Plymouth Library Services In February 1926 the Diocese of Exeter gave permission to erect a stained glass window in the east window of the chancel to act as a war memorial. The window was to have the following inscription: The East Window is erected by the members of this Church to perpetuate the Signing of Armistice, and in grateful recognition of the sacrifices made by all ranks for the peace of Europe. It was paid for from the Free Will Offering Scheme, with donations and cost over 600.To help the fund-raise the Reverevd Arthur Johnston played a barrel-organ in the streets of Devonport while church members rattled collecting boxes at the passers by. The window was unveiled on Ascension Day, 1926. On 13 November 1930 a newly erected Vestry was consecrated by the Bishop of Exeter. The church was damaged by enemy action during the Blitz in 1941 and was temporarily closed. After the demolition of St Mary s Church on James Street, Devonport in 1959, St Aubyn s Church was the only remaining Parish Church in Devonport. By the mid 1950s it was considered that St Aubyn s Church could serve the religious needs of the whole community. This was in contrast to pre-war Devonport which was served by a total of six Church of England churches; St Aubyn s, St Mary s, St Paul s, St James the Great, St John s and St Stephen s. All of these churches had either been destroyed during the bombing raids of World War Two or demolished by 1960. View over Devonport, c.1968 - to St Aubyn's Church and Raglan Barracks Plymouth Library Services

St Aubyn s Church - 21st Century Exterior pre-restoration 2009 Plymouth Library Services In 2001 the spire of St Aubyn s Church was restored and was dedicated by the Bishop of Plymouth.The spire had been damaged during the Blitz in 1941 and by the 1960s it was reduced in height on safety grounds.the Devon Historic Churches Trust and English Heritage provided 6000 for the restoration work. Due to a dwindling congregation alternative uses for St Aubyn s Church needed to be found to preserve the building for future generations of Devonport residents. In July 2008 architects Gilmore, Hankey Kirke (GHK) unveiled proposals for the future use of St Aubyn s Church. An article in The Herald of 15 July 2008 reports that following repairs to the church, GHK proposes to move Devonport Library which is located in the Devonport Guildhall at the moment to the ground floor of St Aubyn s. On 3 June 2009 St Aubyn s Church celebrated its last religious service before closing to begin the transformation into the new Devonport Library.The final prayer was especially poignant: God of our beginnings and endings, we celebrate all our memories of St Aubyn s Church and its long history in Devonport; we ask your blessing on its new life to come with Devonport Library. May the love which is in our hearts be a bond to unite us forever, and may the power of your presence bless all our hopes, and calm all our fears; this we ask for Jesus sake. Amen. An article in The Herald for 4 February 2011 reports that St Aubyn s Church was falling into disrepair before undergoing a 2.2 million transformation, funded by the Devonport Regeneration Community (DRC) Partnership. The Grade II listed Georgian building is now a state of the art library and a worship area for church services. The newly refurbished and restored Church and St Aubyn Library opened on the 31 January 2011 and was formally opened on 11 February 2011. It seems that this excerpt from an article reporting the laying of foundation stone for the chancel printed in the Western Morning News on the 18 December 1884 is as true now as it was then: The building of 1771, however fit it might have been for the wants of worshippers at that time, was not adapted for modern wants.things had changed since then, and, amongst other things a great change had come over the modes of religious worship Interior pre-restoration 2009 Plymouth Library Services Inside St Aubyn Library after restoration Plymouth Library Services

1 2 3 4 5 6 An amazing find.. The chancel area was built in 1884 and is still used for worship.the stars on the ceiling form the constellation 6 at the time of the blessing of the east end chancel extension by the Bishop of Exeter in 1885. During the refurbishment of the church, in 2010, a paint conservator investigated the historic wall surfaces. Little was discovered of the original decoration. However, the paint scheme recorded in the 1898 edition of The Builder consisted of a simple stencilling, with a painted decorative masonry design below the original, much plainer, windows. The columns were white with gilded capitals. The post 1900 decorative scheme survives best. It was photographically recorded and is now covered for protection and preservation. This décor may be contemporary with the existing stained glass window, installed in 1926 as a Great War memorial. This window shows Christ centrally enthroned and surrounded by angels above and Archangels Michael and Gabriel to either side. In the lower part of the window and side lights are groups of saints. St Aubyn appears in the left hand window. The now hidden wall painting continues the theme of the stained glass. Above the window is the inscription Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus. 1 Censing angels, on either side of the arch, face towards the window. 2 & 4 Lower down is a scrolling border and, below this, the walls are green and decorated with lily motifs to the level of the new floor. Either side of the window, a large gilded mandorla 5 contains the IHS Christogram - denoting the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek. The north and south walls of the upper chancel were also painted green and decorated with Fleur de Lys alternated with Celtic style crosses. Originally, there was a wide band of decoration just below the cornice level with large quatrefoil motifs 3 in red and ochre containing various Christian monograms alternated with a crowned vine with seven stars. At the ceiling level of the new ground floor, the north and south walls were painted with a rich dark red brocade style of decoration, with a green and red scrolling border above.the pilaster capitals and running moulding at cornice level were all painted brown.