About Us

PLEASE NOTE: St Paul's is now OPEN after the  major repairs and refurbishment that have been carried out, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. We are in interregnum at the moment and services are being shared with St Luke's Grimethorpe. Times and location of Sunday Mass will vary, look on this site for up to date information or look on the Facebook page. As from 3rd September 2019 we will have a new Priest in Charge - Cannon Paul Cartwright. He will be administering to a greatly increased Benefice comprising if Grimethorpe with Brierley, South Kirkby and Ryhill.

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St. Paul’s Church in Brierley was built in 1869 for George Savile Foljambe, Lord of the Manor of Brierley, to the designs of John Wade in the Gothic Revival style.  It was built as a chapel of ease to the medieval church of St Peter in Felkirk, to house the growing population of Brierley and Grimethorpe.

Mr Foljambe provided half the cost of the new church, and the rest was donated by other local principal people, the land for the church and old church school was given by Rev John Hoyland, vicar of Felkirk. The first curate was Rev Godfrey Pigott Cordeux.

The church stands in a small churchyard, which is full, the last burial taking place in 1953. The cemetery is located behind the church, and is operated by Barnsley MBC.

Having a middle pointed style, the church was built of local sandstone and the roofs covered in Burlington slate, and is quite lavishly detailed, with carved corbels at the base of the roof trusses and carved label stops to windows.

There has been little alteration to the church over the years, apart from the insertion of stained glass into the south windows. After the new Parish of Grimethorpe with Brierley was created in 2005, a small re-ordering scheme was carried out which included the removal of some pews and choir stalls, to improve the flexibility of the building. The tower and clock were restored in 2008. In 2009 the hand painted canvas panel ceiling was restored and the church was fully re-carpeted. 

The parish is a traditional Anglo-Catholic parish, affiliated to The Society and Forward in Faith. The Bishop of Wakefield is our Episcopal Visitor. 

Further information regarding weddings or baptisms, can be discussed at the weekly Parish surgery at St Luke's Church in Grimethorpe on Saturday mornings between 10.30 and 11.15am. Once the new Priest in charge is in place we will update the contact details.

For the most up to date information about special events and changes to the regular schedule, please visit our Facebook page: search for 'The Parish of Grimethorpe with Brierley'.