Standing Building Recording

Date 12 January 2018 - 16 February 2018

Event ID 1049130

Category Recording

Type Standing Building Recording

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/event/1049130

NO 11532 23622 An enhanced historic building survey was

undertaken, January 2018, on the Category B listed St Paul’s

Church. The building was constructed in 1805 and was the

first church in Perth to be built after the Reformation. The

church was octagonal in plan and had a clock tower on its

N side facing the High Street. The interior of the church

was in a serious state of dereliction and had been neglected

since it closed in 1986. The ground floor was well lit by tall

clearstorey windows that ascended to the wall head of the

gallery. The pulpit and font were located on the N side of

the church. The pulpit was dilapidated, but its rear ornate

balustrade still survived; it was of exceptional craftsmanship

with an interlaced wrought iron grape vine motif.

The gallery was accessed by three staircases each lit by a

clearstorey window. The staircases were also lit by electric

lights, but these are now missing. The gallery was supported

by a series of wooden and cast-iron pillars. The ceiling was in

a poor condition and large sections had collapsed, exposing

its lath and plaster. The church organ had been removed but

its wooden frame was still extant.

The church tower was accessed by a passage off the gallery.

A small room was present on the first stage. The second stage

contained a wooden weight chamber that ascended to the

clock mechanism floor. From here a ladder allowed access

to the belfry. This housed a single bell within a bell-frame.

Archive: NRHE (intended). Report: PKHT

Funder: Perth and Kinross Council

Mike Cressey – CFA Archaeology Ltd

(Source: DES, Volume 19)

OASIS ID: cfaarcha1-309151