East Molesey is a leafy and comfortable suburb of London on the south bank of the River Thames, to the west of Hampton Court station. St Paul's is one of two churches built to serve the growing suburb in the 1850s.
The church occupies a roundabout at the end of a long and impressive avenue which leads from the village high street, and was built to the designs of Stephen Salter & James John Laforest. Work progressed in stages: the nave and chancel were completed in 1854, followed by the south aisle (1860) and north aisle (1864), a nave extension in 1870 and the tower and spire in 1887-8. The land was donated by the property developer Francis Jackson Kent, to replace an earlier and smaller church which was no longer sufficient for the growing community.
The style is a rustic Decorated Gothic: ragstone on the outside, with a picturesque spire; inside, the nave arcades have octagonal piers with stiff-leaf capitals, each depicting different plants, now picked out in red and gold; and windows with a dizzying array of foliation. The church has some impressive stained glass, notably with a number of windows by Kemp, though mercifully there is enough clear glass to keep the interior from being too gloomy.
The church worships in the central style and has great provision for children, with Messy Church and one of the best collections of toys I've ever seen (and a 'bug hotel' in the churchyard). Happily, the church is also open during weekdays for private prayer and visits.
St Paul, Church Rd, East Molesey KT8 9DR
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