Welcome to St.Paul's

Early history:

In November 2011 the church celebrated the 130th anniversary of its consecration.  The foundation stone was laid on January 25th, 1881, the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, by Mr R Theodore Ingham of Blake Hall and amazingly the whole building was completed in just ten months so that the consecration could take place on All Saints Day, 1881. The Church was consecrated on November 1st, 1881, by Bishop V W Ryan, later to be Dean of Westminster at a service reputed to have taken nearly three hours.  The congregation, who had gone in during a storm of sleet and rain, came out to several inches of snow.

The church has several notable interior features.  The stained glass in the east and west windows and the Memorial Window in the South Aisle are by the famous designer Mr C E Kemp.  Donated by Mr & Mrs James of Ambleside, the font is carved out of black marble and rests on two granite steps.  The pipe organ was dedicated on April 30th, 1889 and built by Messrs Bradley and Foster of Sheffield.  It was one of the earliest known organs to be fitted with the then new tubular pneumatic action.

More recent history:

In 1981 St Paul’s Eastthorpe and St John’s, Upper Hopton became a United Benefice.  Sadly, in the autumn of 1996 the bells were removed and in 1998 they were re-located to Charleston, South Carolina.  In 2007 St Mary’s, St John’s and St Paul’s became Mirfield Team Parish.  Regular Sunday Services have now ceased but mid-week services continue, and it is hoped that greater community use will be the way forward with the church being so centrally located in Mirfield.