English Martyrs' Church, Wallasey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids English Martyrs' Church, Wallasey |
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| OS grid reference | SJ 294 925 |
| Location | St George's Road, Wallasey, Wirral, Merseyside |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 30 June 2003 |
| Architect(s) | F. X. Velarde |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Neo-Romanesque |
| Groundbreaking | 1952 |
| Completed | 1953 |
| Construction cost | £50,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Brick; decoration in cast stone; tiled roofs |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Shrewsbury |
English Martyrs' Church is a Roman Catholic church located in Wallasey, Merseyside, England. It is an active church within the diocese of Shrewsbury. This special building is officially recognized as a Grade II* listed building. This means it is a very important building with special historical or architectural interest.
Contents
History of the Church
The church started as a smaller branch of Saints Peter and Paul Church in New Brighton. In 1907, a temporary church made of iron, sometimes called a "tin tabernacle," was opened.
Between 1933 and 1941, people worked hard to raise £12,000 to build a permanent church. The plans for the new church were drawn up by architect F. X. Velarde before World War II. However, the first stone for the new building was not laid until March 4, 1952.
The church officially opened its doors on August 31, 1953. The main company that built it was Tyson's, and the whole project cost £50,000.
Church Design and Features
Outside the Church
English Martyrs' Church is built from brown brick and decorated with special cast stone. It has tiled roofs. The church is designed in a style called Neo-Romanesque, which looks a bit like old Roman buildings.
The church faces roughly north-south. It has a main area called the nave and a special area for the altar called the sanctuary, both under one roof. There are narrow walkways, known as aisles, with flat roofs on the sides. High up on the walls is a clerestory, which has windows. At the east end, the church has a curved section called an apse.
There is a special Lady Chapel for the Virgin Mary at the east end of the south aisle. At the east end of the north aisle, there is a section with a choir gallery and the sacristy, which is a room where priests prepare for services.
At the southeast corner, there is a campanile, which is a bell tower, with an entrance porch. Another entrance porch and a baptistry (a room for baptisms) are at the southeast corner. On the wall of the south aisle, you can see five decorative arches, each holding a statue of an English Martyr.
The clerestory windows are round-headed and arranged to form two crosses. The baptistry has a pyramid-shaped roof with a cross on top. Its east and west sides have two-light windows with a cast-stone angel acting as a mullion (a vertical bar).
The campanile features a cast-stone Pietà (a sculpture of Mary holding Jesus after he died) on its south side. At the very top, it has an octagonal lantern with a copper pyramid roof and a cross. There are flying buttresses, which are supports that stick out from the wall, where the nave and sanctuary meet.
The Lady Chapel has a four-light round-headed window with an angel-shaped mullion. The sanctuary has two rows of similar windows. On the north side of the church, there are three decorative arches and clerestory windows like those on the south side. The sacristy has a pointed roof and two floors.
At the west end of the church, there is a single-story porch with a pointed roof. Above this porch is a large round window with a cast-stone cross and a relief (a sculpture that sticks out from a flat surface) of Christ. The cast stone statues on the outside of the church were created by Philip Lindsey Clark.
Inside the Church
Inside, the brick walls of the church are left bare. The main part of the church has seven sections of arches with round tops. These arches are supported by strong concrete pillars. The pillars are decorated with silver spiral bands and have capitals (the tops of the pillars) with silver crowns and crosses.
The roof of the nave is made of wood. It has a flat center and angled sides, which are decorated with zig-zags and painted mostly in orange and cream. In the aisles, there are silver relief panels showing the Stations of the Cross, which are pictures or sculptures showing Jesus's journey to his crucifixion. The aisle roofs are painted orange with silver crosses.
A large round-headed arch connects the nave to the sanctuary. The main altar stands on an oval concrete base and has a silver relief painting of an angel holding a chalice (a special cup used in church services). In the apse, there is a large pyramid-shaped reredos (a decorated screen behind the altar) with relief sculptures of the heads of the Twelve Apostles and Christ.
In the Lady Chapel, there is an altar with a statue by Herbert Tyson Smith of the Virgin Mary with St John Fisher. The baptistry holds a stone font (a basin for baptism), also by Herbert Tyson Smith, on a marble base. The font has a pyramid-shaped cover with a cross finial (a decorative top). The baptistry roof is painted orange with a blue and white diamond pattern.
Why the Church is Special
English Martyrs' Church was officially listed as a special building on July 30, 2003. It is listed at Grade II*, which is the middle of three grades. This means it is a "particularly important building of more than special interest."
One reason it is listed is that the architect, F. X. Velarde, was known for his excellent church designs, especially for Catholic churches. English Martyrs' is considered "one of his finest post-war churches." Experts Pollard and Pevsner, in their Buildings of England series, said that Velarde "packed a powerful religious charge into his churches."
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in Merseyside
- Listed buildings in Wallasey
