Catton, Northumberland
Church of St Paul, Catton
Last Updated:
12 Dec 2024
Catton, Northumberland
This is a
Church, Place of Worship
54.916936, -2.269943
Founded in
Current status is
Extant
Designer (if known):
Messrs Hicks & Charlewood
Now a private residence
Yes... another church at Catton!
This one is St Paul's, the Anglican mission in this small village. That's 5 chapels this place has had altogether since the early 19th century which is crackers given its size. Anglicanism was the least prominent however, and like many industrial communities it made inroads very late compared to Methodism.
Fundraising for this chapel began a short time before though only a small amount was raised by the time it opened in 1902 - £50 out of £450. That's a pretty extravagant cost for a church of this size, even remarked by the bishop that it was the "best possible test" for parishioners to come to help, and would be the best guarantee of its use. I'm guessing the choice of architects influenced it...!
It was designed in the Early English style by Messrs Hicks and Charlewood who were prominent ecclesiastical architects in the region. They designed St Oswalds at Hartlepool, St Matthew's at Elswick, the Romanesque St John's at Darlington among others. The site was donated by Robert Deuchar of all people and could accommodate 150.
It's now a privately owned dwelling.
Listing Description (if available)
We're starting from the newer maps on this entry and working our way backwards, as the church was only constructed in 1902. We can see the 1921 and 1890s Ordnance Survey here, and you'll notice St Paul's is pretty much the last building constructed here until the few residences in the mid 20th century. This part of the village is known as Catton Gate as there used to be a turnpike on the junction with Splitty Lane you'll see below. There is also a church house, presumably home of the priest or church warden, which was built around the same time.
We also notice the only two pubs in the village - the Unicorn and the Crown Inn. The Unicorn closed long ago but the Crown is still operating. The Anglican church was built a few years after the survey, with England's national denomination making few inroads into these communities compared with Methodism.
The 1865 Ordnance Survey features no Crown Inn operating, but a host of other buildings no longer here. The first Wesleyan Chapel was housed at Catton Gate before relating into the main green area, and the Catton Turnpike will have allowed access to Splitty Lane and to the Hexham High Turnpike via the harsh fells.
The converted St Paul's in November 2024
St Paul's can be seen on the left of this shot around the 1930s. The church house is the large, rendered stone building on the right. Source: Allen Valleys Local History
