St Paul’s Church set to be transformed
Sixty-week programme set to begin next month
A 60-week programme to transform the iconic St Paul’s Church into an‘outdoor space’ will get underway next month.
Works to turn the B-listed church on Perth’s Old High Street into an outdoor events space will begin on Monday, October 15.
Perth and Kinross Council wants to see the dilapidated building, which it says is one of Perth’s “most high profile empty buildings”, become a public arts and events space.
Although the council has not said precisely what works will be undertaken over the 60 weeks, it says this is a “major milestone” in the transformation project.
The shape of the unusual hexagonal building and its spire will be retained once it is transformed, however the roof will be completely removed to make it an outdoor space.
This will mean the church, which dates back to the early 19th century, will be kept as a consolidated ruin.
Critics of the council’s plans had previous dubbed this a “halfway house” solution.
Perth Civic Trust had said they wanted to see a long-term use for the building expressed, and added the roof needs to be kept to make sure the building stays secure.
The trust added future uses for the site would be limited if there was no roof kept.
Cllr Murray Lyle, leader of Perth and Kinross Council, said the project will “shine a light” on the investment the
An artist’s impression of the new outdoor space at St Paul’s Church local authority is making in the city this part of Perth city. centre, and says it will compliment “The Old High Street, South Methven other cultural projects in the area, such Street and St Paul’s Square support a as the redevelopment of Mill Street, range of independent businesses, with the reopening of Perth Theatre, and the development of Mill Quarter at its plans to transform another longstanding Thimblerow as a new retail and leisure empty building, Perth City site, we had an opportunity to make St Hall, into a visual arts attraction. Paul’s an asset for the area.
He said: “St Paul’s is a prominent “The investment by the council will feature of the Perth skyline, and I shine a light on this part of the city know it was a source of sadness and centre, making it more attractive to frustration for residents, visitors and investors and tourists and creating businesses, when it lay empty for a unique public space which will decades and latterly fell into a state complement the new cultural and of disrepair. events spaces in Mill Street, Perth
“When the council took the unusual Theatre, and the transformed Perth step of deciding to purchase the City Hall.” building in January 2017, it provided an Since the council purchased the opportunity to not only save St Paul’s, crumbling eyesore, a number of but also to help make a real feature of renovation works have been carried Church’s current state
out, including removing “many cubic metres” of pigeon poo.
Other works carried out include removing overhead risks such as loose slates, masonry, vegetation and other debris, environmental cleaning and stabilising work within the main church building and steeple, repairing the steeple, removing the pews and other internal features, and removing the mass of pigeon waste that had accumulated in the much-maligned building.
During the 60-week works, a section of Perth’s High Street next to St Paul’s will be shut off to all traffic.
This section of road, which is already restricted to buses and taxis only, will remain closed throughout the transformation works.