Plaque

St Paul’s Choir school

Erection date: 26/1/1874

Inscription

{The inscriptions on these panels read:}

{On the left panel:} 
AD  {HONOREM}  DEI  OMNIPOTENTIS
{ET} AD {PR}OFE{CTUM}  SANCTAE  MATRIS  ECCLESIAE
{L}APIDE{M  H}UNC  ANGULAREM
{DOMUS  IN}  USUM  PUERORUM  CHORISTARUM
{SANCTI}  PAULI  LONDINENSIS  AEDIFICANDAE
{POSTRI}DIE  FESTI  CONVERSIONIS  SANCTI  PAULI
MDCCCLXXIV
DEPOSUIT  R  G  CHURCH  DECANUS

{On the right panel:}
ADSISTENT[IBUS]
FRATRIBUS

ROBERTO  GREGORY  CANONICO
HENRICO  P  LIDDON  CANONICO
JOSEPHO  B  LIGHTFOOT  CANONICO
PIERS  C  CLAUGHTON  CANONICO
ALBERTO  BARFF  MAGISTRO  PUERORUM
FRANCISCO  C  PENROSE  ARCHITECTO

{Translated:}
The dean, R. G. Church, laid this cornerstone of the house being built for the use of the choir boys of St Paul’s in London on the day after the feast of the conversion of St Paul in 1874 in honour of almighty God and for the benefit of the holy Mother of the Church. . .

. . . in the presence of the brothers, Canon Robert Gregory, Canon Henry P. Liddon, Canon Joseph B. Lightfoot, Canon Piers C. Claughton, the boys’ teacher Albert Barff and the architect Francis C. Penrose.

The feast of the conversion of St Paul is on 25th January which gives the erection date as 26th January 1874. Five years later this same group of clerics erected Amen Court.

Site: St Paul’s Choir school (1 memorial)

EC4, Carter Lane, 36

Built as St Paul’s Choir school this opened in 1876 with 40 boys. Now a hostel for the YHA. The inscription on the frieze around the building reads: MIHI AUTEM ABSIT GLORIARI NISI IN CRUCE DOMINI NOSTRI JESU CHRISTI / PER QUEM MIHI MUNDUS CRUCIFIXUS EST ET EGO MUNDO. {But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world - from St Paul’s letter to the Galatians 6:14.}
On one corner there is a projecting heraldic cartouche with the dean's arms and putto, with the two panels beneath.

We are indebted to David Hopkins for the Latin translations, indeed for deciphering a lot of the text as well, and for much of the research.

In the 1960/70s the school moved to the new building immediately to the east of St Pauls Cathedral, in New Change. Via Facebook, Nick Bickel specified the date as just after Easter 1967.

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This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
St Paul’s Choir school

Subjects commemorated i

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
St Paul’s Choir school

Created by i

Albert Barff

Head of the choir school at St Pauls.  When he died he was vicar of St. Giles...

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Dean Richard William Church

Dean of St Paul’s from 1871 to 1890. Died Dover. 2019: We were contacted by ...

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Bishop Piers Calverley Claughton

Archdeacon of London and Assistant Bishop of London.

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Dean Robert Gregory

Dean at St Pauls 1891 - 1911.

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