St Paul’s Church was originally in the parish of ALL Saints Wyke Regis. The new suburb of Westham was developed in the late 19th Century and a chapel of ease was built in 1880 to serve the population. Soon the accommodation had become crowded and it was decided to build the existing St Paul’s on the opposite side of the road. The new building was started in 1894 but difficulties with the contractor delayed matters and it was eventually consecrated in 1900, Westham becoming a separate parish in 1902. The chapel of ease became the parish hall and remained so until it was demolished in the early 1970s.
This photo dates from the 1970s and shows the original church. Readers may be puzzled at the presence of a number of buses. The reason for this was that the Vicar from 1970 to 1992, the Revd David Green was a bus dealer and numerous buses passed through his hands during this time.
