History of st paul's
For centuries the few people of Winchmore Hill had to make their way to their parish church of All Saints, Edmonton. When the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 had at last ended the wars against Napoleon, London rapidly expanded. Many new churches were built, and these became known as ‘ Waterloo churches’. St Paul’s was one of them.
The site for the new church on Chase Hill — which soon became known as Church Hill — was given by Mr. Walker Gray of Southgate Grove, later named Grovelands. The cost of the building was £4,249.15s.9d. Of this £1,000 was raised by public subscription, the rest came from the Church Building Commissioners. To contain the costs of the heavy building programme, the Commissioners adopted a simple architecture. St. Paul's was a plain rectangular edifice with some Gothic decoration applied by way of windows, porches and stone pinnacles.
Our Church was consecrated on June 2 nd 1828, by William Howley, Bishop of London. That same year he became Archbishop of Canterbury and he it was who later crowned the young Queen Victoria. Since its consecration, St. Paul's has become, as churches do, a place hallowed by worship, abounding in signs and symbols, and giving many an indication of the changes and chances encountered by Church and Community during the passing years.