Saint Paul is the oldest daughter church of Saint Mary’s Collegiate church in Gqeberha.
On 18 October 1954 the foundation stone for the Old Saint Paul’s in North End was laid by Bishop John Armstrong, bishop of Grahamstown at that time.
The bishop of Cape Town and the bishop of Grahamstown pledged £450 on the condition that the congregation would raise a further £250.
Reverend Edwin Giles was appointed as the rector. At the age of 30, he arrived in Port Elizabeth to a congregation that had no church building yet built; no Rectory and he also was not assured of a stipend but had to depend on the offerings of the congregation.
The original St. Paul’s Church was located at the bottom of Albany road, corner of Govan Mbeki Avenue. There was a tiny little school next to it and also a trough for horses to drink water from.
With the town rapidly expanding, the need for a 2nd Anglican Church in Port Elizabeth arose. During an age with neither public transport nor private motor vehicles, churches had to be located within walking distance of their congregants. During both of his visits in 1848 & 1850, Bishop Robert Gray of Cape Town had pointed out the need for a church in North End with a capacity of 200 to 250 congregants to serve the needs of the local Anglicans.
Sunday School was started in 1850, the first services for adults began in 1853, and the laying of the foundation stone of the original church by Bishop John Armstrong took place on18th October 1854. Part of the early ministry of the parish was the establishment of a school in 1861.
This church, he suggested, should be built on land offered by Mr Charles Cooper and Mrs Johanna Korsten, at the foot of Cooper’s Kloof (now Albany Road) on the corner of Main Street (now part of Govan Mbeki Avenue).The building was designed by Sophy Gray, the wife of Bishop Robert Gray; it was consecrated in 1856. Due to the movement of the congregation to new areas, the church was demolished in 1959 and the site sold, a new St Paul’s Church being built in Tucker Street, in the suburb of Parsons Hill, to replace the old one.
The reasons for this proposed move were the decreasing population around the old church, the expropriation that was to accompany the widening of Main Street as well as the deterioration of the buildings. In 1960, the move finally occurred.
The present Church reflects the continuity of witness over more than 150 years, in the magnificent stained glass windows, the pulpit, lectern and other items transferred from the original church. These are now housed in a modern building, a feature of which is the Chapel. One side of the chapel is glassed in, enabling the congregation, while they are at worship, to look out over the beautiful parish gardens…Read the full article here: NMB Wiki
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