OUR third look at St Paul's, Staverton, covers the period after the church was completely rebuilt and enlarged in 1826, adding 120 extra seats and creating a nave and chancel, with the porch added in 1861.
Some of the original stonework was retained, as was the font. New gates were installed in 1829 and extra seating in 1836 which included tiered pews in the south west corner.
A new organ was also purchased and gas lighting was installed in 1910, to be replaced by electric light in 1938. The uncertainty over, and then closure, of the village's cloth mill(which became Nestle) meant the church began the 20th century facing financial hardship.
St Paul's amalgamated with St Mary Magdalene in Hilperton March in 1954, and they became known jointly as the Staverton Churches, then joined with St. Michael's in Hilperton.
St Paul's suffered more financial instability in the 1980s and stayed open, thanks to village support, until it was finally closed for worship in 2010.
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