Our History
Foleshill - our area
Foleshill is an area to the north of Coventry city centre.
For centuries, the centre of the historic district of Foleshill was St. Laurence’s Church, a little further north. Somewhere in this location was a hill where ancient people met, giving rise to its name “The Folk’s Hill”.
From the second half of the 16th century coal mines were developed in the area. Weaving also started as a cottage industry throughout the district, becoming a significant part of the area's life until the 1970s.
The construction of the Coventry Canal in 1768 and the railway in 1850 made Foleshill an attractive area for the development of industry and it became the home of the important manufacturing industry of the city. Factories sat alongside the growing residential population. Foleshill was also known for brickmaking, using local clay that underlies the whole area.
The second half of the 20th Century saw the decline of industry in Foleshill, with large firms moving out or closing. The population has changed too, with people from all over the world coming to live here. Foleshill is the most diverse ward in the city, with lots of faiths and nationalities represented here.
For a better idea of how the area has changed over the years, take a look at the Coventry Evening Telegraph's slideshow.
St Paul's Church
St Paul's was founded as a daughter church of St Laurence's and the buildings were consecrated in 1842. It has served the local community ever since, becoming a focus for Christian worship for families living and working locally and a meeting place for community groups of all ages.
Sadly, the Church was firebombed on 14th November 1940 - the same night as Coventry Cathedral was destroyed. Only the Tower and exterior walls were left standing. In 1942 the adjacent Sunday School Buildings were also destroyed by bombing.
The current building at St Paul's was designed by Sir Charles Nicholson and completed in 1956. The Church Hall was built just afterwards.
The church has changed over the last four decades, with our congregation representing the changing population in Foleshill. We embrace this diversity and encourage the church family to share their own roots and traditions with each other.
We continue to welcome groups from our community to use our Church Hall over the week and are looking forward to expanding this provision even more over the coming months and years.
St Paul's Church, Foleshill is part of the Diocese of Coventry, in the Church of England
© Copyright. All rights reserved.
We need your consent to load the translations
We use a third-party service to translate the website content that may collect data about your activity. Please review the details in the privacy policy and accept the service to view the translations.