Great George Street Congregational Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Great George Street Congregational Church |
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| The Black-E | |
The Black-E and the Chinese Arch
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| OS grid reference | SJ 352,896 |
| Location | Great George Street, Liverpool, Merseyside |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Congregational |
| Website | The Black-E |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 28 June 1952 |
| Architect(s) | Joseph Franklin |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Neoclassical |
| Groundbreaking | 1840 |
| Completed | 1841 |
| Closed | 1967 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Stone |
The Black-E is a special building in Liverpool, England. It stands on the corner of Great George Street and Nelson Street. This building used to be a church called Great George Street Congregational Church.
Today, it is a busy community arts center. People used to call it "The Blackie" because of its dark stone. Now, its official name is "The Black-E". This building is also a Grade II listed building, which means it's an important historical place.
Contents
Building History
Early Chapel and Fire
The first chapel on this site was built a long time ago. Its foundation stone was placed in April 1811. The chapel opened for people to worship on May 27, 1812. It cost about £13,000 to build. This first chapel was quite large, with space for almost 2,000 people. Sadly, a fire destroyed the chapel on February 19, 1840.
New Church Construction
After the fire, plans for a new church were quickly made. Joseph Franklin, who was the city architect, drew the plans for free. The foundation stone for this new church was laid on July 7, 1840. The church opened its doors on October 21, 1841. It cost £13,992 to build. Like the first chapel, it could also seat nearly 2,000 people.
From Church to Arts Centre
People continued to worship in the church for many years. The very last church service was held in February 1967. Later that same year, the building was bought by the Peter Moores Foundation. They started to change it into something new. It became the first community arts project in the United Kingdom. This meant it combined a modern arts center with a place for the community.
In 1975, the inside of the building was changed again. All the old church fittings were removed. The building was then divided into two floors. By the 1960s, the outside of the church had become very dark. This was due to pollution in the air. Because of its dark look, people started calling it "The Blackie". Even though the outside was cleaned in the 1980s, the nickname stuck. Later, the name was officially changed to "The Black-E".
Building Design
The Black-E building is made of stone. It has two main floors and a basement level. Along its sides, there are nine sections, called bays.
Outside Features
Where the two streets meet, there is a round entrance area. This area has tall, fluted columns. These columns support a round tower that is set back. Around the tower, you can see a row of small, round windows. On top of the tower is a shallow, rounded dome. Along the sides of the church, there are flat columns called pilasters. Between these pilasters are two rows of windows. The windows on the upper floor have rounded tops. The windows on the lower floor have square tops. Outside the building, there are decorative iron railings.
Inside Features
From the original church design, only one main feature remains inside. This is a double staircase with iron railings under the dome. The inside of the dome has a pattern of sunken panels, which is called coffer.
See also
- Grade II listed buildings in Liverpool-L1
