ST. PAUL’S KENSINGTON.
St. Paul’s, Campden-hill, is a large iron structure, standing at one corner of Vicarage-garden. As an iron building there is very little to say about it; it is not beautiful—iron buildings never are—but the situation is so very charming, that, plain as the features are of the church, the pleasant nook in which it is placed seems quite to take from its ugliness and lend some of its cheerful pastoral happiness to its iron tenant. One thing strikes us as worthy of notice—the very large open porch at the western entrance offers ample shelter and accommodation to a large dispersing congregation in wet weather, and it has the advantage of offering protection from heat as well as wet, and keeps the west end of the building cool; it is like an open vestibule or lobby.
St. Paul’s was erected as a chapel of ease to the parish church, St. Mary Abbots, Kensington, in the year 1854, so that it was one of the earliest of this temporary method of providing for public worship; and it may be added that, from the present firm and substantial appearance of the structure, it is evident this comparatively inexpensive way of dealing with the question—where larger funds are not at command—may be made to do good service through at least a generation. It affords accommodation for 1,200 people, and but few of the sittings are free, not, we believe, amounting to more than fifty. The church is served by the curates of Archdeacon Sinclair, Vicar of Kensington, and at present, during the re-erection of the new parish church, has double service performed in it every Sunday. The early service at a quarter to ten, and afternoon at half-past three, at which the Archdeacon’s curates officiate, are for the congregation of the Old Church, who, pro tem., are without accommodation, and the services at half-past eleven and seven are given to the congregation of St. Paul’s, when the Archdeacon himself usually preaches. This is of a high-class character, and remarkable for a very large preponderance of gaily-dressed ladies, quite in keeping with our established ideas of a court suburb. The service is Evangelical, the clerical robes of the simplest character, and the chancel without conspicuous ornament of any kind, but that which is the greatest adorning of a church, a reverent and rational performance of Divine worship, without formalism or Ritualistic affectation of voice and manner. We were favoured to hear the venerable Bishop of Bangor, who delivered an impressive sermon, full of Evangelical sentiment, from 1st Epistle of John, c. iii., v. 2: “Beloved now are we the sons of God; and it doth not yet appear what we shall be,” &c. A young clergyman—a stranger to the congregation—read the prayers, Psalms, lessons, and Litany.
The congregation is of course interested in the schools and charities belonging to the parent church, and contribute in a liberal degree to their efficiency and support. These will be fully described in their proper place, when we treat of the beautiful new parish church now in course of erection.