Daybrook

St Paul

Nottingham Archdeaconry

Nottingham North Deanery

Introduction

Before St Paul’s church was built Daybrook was partly in the parish of St Mary’s, Arnold and partly in St John’s, Carrington. In the late 1880s Mission Services were held in a local school while funds were being raised for a Mission Church. This opened in 1890 on Church Drive next to the prominent site at the corner of Mansfield Road, which would be used for the new church of St Paul. Work began on the latter in June 1893 and it was consecrated in February 1896. The architect was J L Pearson who designed a church in ‘a free rendering of the Decorated style’, with his usual attractive spire which was not added until 1897. Thanks mainly to the generosity of Col Charles Seely and John Robinson, both later knighted, the church was quickly erected and completed. Mrs Seely, who took a keen interest in the architecture, died in 1894 and her tomb is the most elaborate feature in the church.

The parish also includes St Timothy's, a daughter church of St Paul's, which opened in Byron Street in 1993. It replaced Cecil Hall, long used as an annexe of St Paul’s.

Particular thanks to Terry Fry for research on this entry
and to Geoff Buxton and Dr Chris Brooke for the photographs