There are two St Paul’s in Plymouth and coincidentally they are both situated in manors that were given to Robert le Bastard after the Norman Conquest – Stonehouse and Efford.
At the time of the Domesday Survey (1086) Stonehouse was not nearly as important as Efford, however over the centuries it developed quite spectacularly, while even a hundred years ago Efford had changed little from its medieval appearance.
Today, though, the parish of St Paul, Efford, takes in a population of well over 6,000. Development began on the city’s first major post-war housing scheme in December 1945 and St Paul’s Church Hall was completed seven years later. It would be another twelve years however before the church itself had been finished. Built with money made available in respect of the war damaged St Paul’s, Devonport, the new edifice cost £30,000 and was conceived originally as a daughter church to Emmanuel – it wasn’t until the mid-1980s that its first dedicated incumbent was appointed.
