Charles Church, Plymouth

rdf:langString Charles Church, Plymouth

rdf:langString Charles Church is a now derelict church, the second most ancient parish church in Plymouth, Devon, England. It was founded around 1640, but not completed for many years. It is a Gothic style church, consisting of a west tower, with spire, a nave with north and south aisles, north and south porches, and a chancel with vestry. The tower was completed in 1708, the original wooden/lead covered spire was replaced by a stone spire in 1766. During the nights of 21 and 22 March 1941, the church was entirely burned out by incendiary bombs during the Plymouth Blitz. When peace came it was decided not to rebuild the church. In 1958, at a service conducted by the vicar of the parish, J Allen James, the church was dedicated as a memorial for the 1,200 civilian deaths in air raids. There have been several histories made of the church including two written in the early 20th century. Most focus on the fabric of the building rather than the spiritual life of the church and ministers, of whom Robert Hawker was a notable figure. There are several short accounts of his life and some much longer works.