In March 1836, it was decided that a chapel of ease should be built in the Ridgeway area to enable this growing population to worship without having to walk the three or four miles to the church at Inkberrow. However, the project lapsed and the church was eventually built forty years later on a site given by the Marquess of Hertford.
The church, dedicated to St. Paul, is a simple stone built church, in the Gothic style, with seating for around 200 worshippers. It consists of a chancel with an organ chamber and vestry on the north side, a nave with a bell-turret on the west gable and a south porch. It was consecrated on 26th October 1876, at a service presided over by the Lord Bishop of Worcester. The communion plate was presented by the Marchioness of Hertford, and a Bible with a carved oak cover (carved by the Countess of Yarmouth) was presented by the Earl and Countess of Yarmouth.
A curate was appointed to minister to the people of Cookhill. However, the last curate left in 1933, and since then, the church has been in the care of the Vicar of Inkberrow.
At the time of its dedication in 1876, the interior of the church was not fully furnished. According to a newspaper report of the dedication service, construction costs had amounted to £1,800, with a further £1,000 needed to complete construction and provide the seating. A hand written inscription on a floor tile in the chancel confirms that the choir stalls were finally erected on 16th August 1892.
In 1995/6, the chancel and choir stalls were reordered. As part of the reordering, the decorative half wall separating the nave from the chancel was removed. This was replaced by the communion rail that had previously separated the sanctuary from the chancel. Much of the seating was removed and the chancel was carpeted throughout.
Initially, the churchyard was not consecrated for burials, and the people of Cookhill were buried in the churchyard of St. Peter's. However, extra land was purchased to extend the churchyard, which was consecrated in 1932.
St. Paul's contains an impressive array of stained glass windows. In the west wall is a large stained glass window erected in 1933 in memory of Sarah Ann Forster, Kathleen Mary Forster, Mary Ann Wiggan and William Forster. The east wall contains a large stained glass erected in memory of Joseph and Mary Jane Moore. There are a further two stained glass windows in the north wall. One is a memorial to the dead of the First World War. The other is in memory of Thomas and Alice Barber. Thomas Barber was the treasurer of St. Paul's and the local school.
At the headline co-ordinates you will find a bench with a plaque on it, you are looking for a date on it which you will need to covert to DD MM YEAR to get AB CD EFGH.
Using these numbers and the formula provided will give you the final location which is a nice stroll from the Church.
N 52 AG.DF(H-G) W 001 D(B+G).G(F-E)(C+D)
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For full information on how you can expand the Church Micro series by sadexploration please read the Place your own Church Micro page before you contact him.
See also the Church Micro Statistics and Home pages for further information about the series.
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