Church of St Helen, St Helens, Merseyside facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Church of St Helen, St Helens
The Church of St Helen
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OS grid reference	SJ 513 953
Location	Church Street, St Helens, Merseyside
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Churchmanship	Charismatic Evangelical
Website	http://sthelensparishchurch.org/
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	Saint Helen
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	11 September 1951
Architect(s)	W. D. Caroe
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1920
Completed	1926
Administration
Parish	St Helens
Deanery	Saint Helens
Archdeaconry	Warrington
Diocese	Liverpool
Province	York

The Church of St Helen is located on Church Street in St Helens, Merseyside, England. A church has stood on this spot since at least the 1500s. The original building was made much larger in 1816. Sadly, it burned down in 1916.

The church you see today was designed by W. D. Caroe. It was built between 1920 and 1926. This church is the main parish church for the town and stands in a very important spot. It is listed as a Grade II building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it is an important historical building. The church is still active today and is part of the Diocese of Liverpool.

History of the Church

The very first church in the area that became St Helens was a small chapel. It was named after Saint Helen. Records show it existed as early as 1552. The town of St Helens actually got its name from this chapel!

By the early 1800s, the chapel was too small for all the people who wanted to worship there. So, in 1816, they decided to make it bigger. The chapel was doubled in size, costing £2,094. When it was opened again, its name was changed to St Mary.

Unfortunately, this church burned down in 1916. A new church was then designed by W. D. Caröe. It was built on the same site as the old one, between 1920 and 1926. Its name was changed back to St Helen. In 1994, a screen was added inside the church. This created a separate area at the front, which now includes offices.

Church Design and Features

Outside the Church

The Church of St Helen is built with brick and has red sandstone decorations. Its roof is made of slate. The church's design includes features from the Decorated and Perpendicular Gothic styles.

The church has a main area called the nave and a chancel (the part where the altar is). It also has side aisles on the north and south. There is a tower on the northeast side with a small chapel. On the south side, there is a vestry (a room for changing robes).

At the front, or west end, there is an entrance area called a narthex. In the middle of this area are four doorways with pointed tops. Above these doorways are decorative panels. On either side of the entrances are flying buttresses. These connect to square towers at the corners of the church. The large window at the west end has five sections with detailed stone patterns. Along the sides of the aisles are angled buttresses and windows with three sections. The windows higher up, in the clerestory, also have three sections.

The east end of the chancel is angled and has three windows. The tower has strong supports at its corners and smaller ones on its sides. The openings for the bells are in pairs, each with two sections. At the very top of the tower is a flat wall called a parapet. On the southeast side, a stair turret rises even higher than the tower itself. To the west of the tower is a chapel, and to the east are a porch and a transept (a part of the church that crosses the main body).

Inside the Church

Inside, the church has five large arches that form arcades. These arches are supported by narrow, decorated pillars. Above these arcades are more decorative arches that frame the clerestory windows. There are also lower arcades that create separate walkways.

More arcades can be found between the chancel and the north chapel, and between the chancel and the south vestry. Above these, on the north side, is an organ. On the south side, there is a gallery where musicians might have played. In the chancel, there is a sedilia, which is a set of seats for the clergy.

The church's furniture was also designed by Caröe. The main reredos (a screen behind the altar) is made of wood. It has 25 statues placed in small niches. There is another reredos in the chapel. The font (where baptisms happen) has a large, fancy cover. The church also has an older font from the previous church, which dates back to 1731.

The pulpit (where sermons are given) stands on small legs and is decorated with diamond shapes. Above it is a tester, which helps project the speaker's voice. The screens and choir stalls are beautifully carved. The pews, where people sit, have simpler designs. The organ case is also very detailed and is in the Renaissance style.

In the south aisle, there is a large stone plaque from 1670. It was moved from an old schoolhouse. The stained glass in the east window is full of figures and shows the Te Deum (a Christian hymn). In the chapel, there is a window from 1927. It was designed by Horace Wilkinson as a memorial for the First World War.

The large pipe organ was built in 1928 by Harrison and Harrison. It has three keyboards. It was updated in 1972 by Rushworth and Dreaper and made even bigger in 1994 by David Wells. The church has a ring of ten bells. They were made in 1830 and 1839 by Thomas Mears II at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. The largest bell weighs about 1,154 kilograms.

Why the Church is Important

On September 11, 1951, the church was named a Grade II listed building. Grade II is the lowest of the three listing grades. It is given to buildings that are "nationally important and of special interest."

Architectural historians Pollard and Pevsner have written about the church. They noted its important position as "the focal point of the town and a prominent landmark." They also described the inside as "spatially masterful, and subtle everywhere and in every detail." This means the interior design is very clever and beautiful.

The Church Today

St Helen's is the main parish church for the town of St Helens. It is an active Anglican church. It belongs to the deanery of Saint Helens, the archdeaconry of Warrington, and the Diocese of Liverpool.

The church is part of Church St Helens. This is a group of 11 Anglican Churches in the town that work together. The church holds regular services on Sundays. During the week, it also organizes activities for children and other community events.

See also

• Listed buildings in St Helens, Merseyside