St. Pauls church, in the square of that name, is a building of stone,
in the Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular styles, consisting of chancel,
nave of three bays with clerestory, spacious aisles, transepts, north porch,
south porch with parvise, and an embattled central tower with spire, containing
a clock and 8 bells, recast, with the addition of 2 treble bells, in 1896 : it
was a collegiate church previous to the Conquest, and retained this rank until
between 1148 and 1170, when its prebends were transferred to Newnham, in the parish
of Goldington, by Simon de Beauchamp, who was buried in this church in 1206, the
stone slab, said to have marked his grave, still remaining : the edifice was rebuilt
in 1224, on the site of an earlier structure, the greater part of which had been
pulled down by order of King John, in order to fortify the castle: in the latter
part of the 15th century, the church, then consisting of double chancel and nave,
was materially altered by the addition of a clerestory and the raising of the arcade,
north and south porches being added and the north transept removed; the two chancels
were also inclosed with oak screens, and the whole building covered with an oak roof
finely carved: the original chancel roof still exists, but those the naves were renewed
in 1848, the figures and enrichments of the former roofs being, however, retained;
much of the ancient screen-work was destroyed during the renovation of the chancel at
the same date, but the rood screen, though not now in situ, still exists: in the reign
of King Henry VIII. the church of St. Paul became for a time the cathedral of a suffragon
bishop: in the year 1868 the tower and spire were rebuilt, the design of the tower being
modified and its plan enlarged, and the old spire re-erected upon it; a new north
transept was also built in place of that removed in the 15th century : in 1878-9 the
north, and south walls of the chancel were converted into arcades opening into the aisles,
a clerestory, vestries and other additions made, the roof raised and repaired and a new east
window inserted: in 1884 a new aisle, corresponding in every respect with, the south nave,
was built on the north side of the nave proper, and the north porch rebuilt, all the
original windows and ornamental work being preserved and reset: the church, as thus enlarged,
was re-opened by the Lord Bishop of Ely, 4th Dec. 1884: the work was carried out under the
direction of Mr. John Day, of Bedford, architect and diocesan surveyor: the church contains
some fine monuments, including one to Thomas Christie esq., and one to Sir William Harpur kt.
and alderman of London, a great benefactor to the town and founder of the Bedford Grammar
school: a new chiming apparatus, playing 14 tunes, was put up by public subscription in the
tower of this church in 1879, and opened 1st January, 1880; the stained east window, a memorial
to Alderman Sir. William Harpur, founder of the Grammar school, and Dame Alice his wife, was
erected by public subscription, principally contributed by past and present scholars of the
school: a stained window in memory of Sir Richard Thomas Gilpin bart. was unveiled by the Duchess
of Bedford, in January, 1885, and in 1893 a memorial window was erected by T. Bull esq. J.P., to
Sarah Ann, his wife, d. 13 May, 1891 : in the same year the organ was thoroughly cleaned and
repaired and a new choir organ added at a cost of about £400 by Messrs, Norman Bros. & Beard:
there are 1,400 sittings, of which 800 are free. The register dates, from the year 1559. The
living is a vicarage, yearly value, £350, with residence, in the gift of the Bishop of Ely;
and held since 1886 by the Rev. Lambert Woodard M.A. of Jesus College, Cambridge, and surrogate.
[Kelly's Directory - Bedfordshire - 1898]