Photo: St Paul's
The Church interior is comprised of a nave supported by solid stone-topped pillars and Gothic arches facilitating an interior space characterized by a height greater than the width. The pillars feature metallic bands which were the brackets for gas lighting.
Beyond the main support arches
stand the aisles, which contribute significantly to the sense of spaciousness
within the Church. The windows of the aisles are all of stained glass.
Above each aisle, which has it’s
own roof, is the clerestory – the upper window level providing most of the
natural light for the nave.
The ceiling of wooden arches with
diagonal tongue and groove v-jointed boarding with fretwork vents, is executed
in red cedar and is an excellent display of wood craftsmanship. The framing
structure of the ceiling consists of collar-braced trusses.
A sloping floor in pine with a 45cm
fall from rear to front adds to the dignity of the interior and focuses
attention to pulpit and communion table.
All the pews are made from red
cedar the majority of which still have the provision for the white cards that
show which family is contributing a ‘pew-rent’ for that position. The income
collected from pew rents for the quarter in May 1899 was £29. This assisted
with concerns for the financial position of the Church at the time.
A major feature of the interior of
the Church is the set of ten pairs of stained glass windows depicting scenes
from the life of St. Paul set in the windows of the aisles.
