Gustav Adolf Church, Liverpool facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gustav Adolf Church |
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Gustav Adolf Church
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| OS grid reference | SJ 346 897 |
| Location | Park Lane, Liverpool, Merseyside |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Lutheran |
| Website | Liverpool International Nordic Community |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 14 March 1975 |
| Architect(s) | W. D. Caröe |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Groundbreaking | 1883 |
| Completed | 1884 |
| Construction cost | £15,000 £1,160,000 in Modern GBP |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Brick, tiled roof |
The Gustav Adolf Church (also called the Scandinavian Seamen's Church) is a special old building in Liverpool, England. It has a church and a house for the minister connected to it. This building is a meeting place for the Liverpool International Nordic Community. It was built between 1883 and 1884. The church and minister's house together are a "Grade II*" listed building, which means it's a very important historical site.
History of the Church
In the late 1800s, many people from Scandinavian countries (like Sweden, Norway, and Denmark) traveled through Liverpool. They needed a place to worship and feel at home. So, in 1870, the first Scandinavian priest was appointed. He visited people on ships and in boarding houses.
People soon realized there was a need for a permanent church. A man named W. D. Caröe was chosen to design the church and the minister's house. His father was the Danish Consul in Liverpool, which means he was an official representative for Denmark. This was W. D. Caröe's first time designing a church on his own.
Building started in 1883 and finished in 1884. It cost about £15,000 at the time. That would be like spending over £1 million today!
Over the years, the church has changed to better serve the community. In the 1960s, the inside of the church was divided into two levels. This created a new space for social activities between the basement and the main church area. At the same time, the minister's house was changed from one floor to two floors. More updates were made in the early 1990s. The lower part of the church became a community meeting room with a kitchen, a café, and other useful spaces.
Church Architecture
Outside the Church
The Gustav Adolf Church is made of red brick with a roof of tiles and copper. It has the church building connected to the minister's house. The front of the building, facing Park Lane, has seven sections and is two or three stories tall, with basements.
The middle section has a three-story tower with pointed windows. On top of the tower is a spire covered in lead. Halfway up the spire, there are small windows called lucarnes with decorative wooden edges. To the right of this tower, the middle of three sections is taller. It has a special stepped roofline called a crowstepped gable. This gable has three tall, narrow windows.
The windows on the ground floor of these three sections have rounded tops. The windows on the middle floor have pointed tops. The two sections on the sides have round windows shaped like a four-leaf clover. Behind the stepped roof, there's an eight-sided tower that rises even higher. It has four small gables around it and four small dormer windows on its roof. The tower is topped with a lead decoration and a cross. The dormer windows and gables have cool Scandinavian carvings. To the left of the central tower, there's a modern entrance porch. Next to that is the two-story minister's house, which also has a crowstepped gable on its left side.
Inside the Church
The lower floor of the building is a busy place! It has a meeting room, a kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, showers, an office, and a TV room. These spaces are used by the community.
The upper floor is where the main church area is, right under the eight-sided tower. Inside the church, you can see five plaster artworks called reliefs. These were made by an artist named Robert Anning Bell. They used to be part of the altar decoration, but now they hang separately. There are also two sculptures by a local artist named Arthur Dooley. These sculptures show Christ and the Madonna (Mary, the mother of Jesus).
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in Merseyside
