St Anne's Church, Edge Hill facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Anne's Church, Edge Hill
St Anne's Church, Edge Hill, from the southwest
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OS grid reference	SJ 367 900
Location	Overbury Street, Edge Hill, Liverpool, Merseyside
Country	England
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	St Anne's, Liverpool
History
Status	Parish church
Founder(s)	Downside Abbey
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	19 June 1985
Architect(s)	Charles Hansom, Pugin and Pugin, Peter Paul Pugin
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1843
Completed	1893
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone, slate roof
Administration
Diocese	Archdiocese of Liverpool

St Anne's Church is a Roman Catholic church located on Overbury Street in Edge Hill, Liverpool, England. It is an active church that serves its local community. In 1999, its parish joined with the nearby Church of St Bernard. St Anne's Church is recognized as a Grade II listed building, which means it's an important historical and architectural site.

History of St Anne's Church

St Anne's Church was built between 1843 and 1846. The design was created by an architect named Charles Hansom. Monks from Downside Abbey were responsible for building it.

The church was made larger in 1888–89 by architects Pugin and Pugin. They added a chancel (the area around the altar), an apse (a rounded end to the chancel), and two transepts (parts of the church that stick out, making it look like a cross). In 1893, Peter Paul Pugin added a baptistry (a place for baptisms).

At some point, the care of the church moved from the monks of Downside Abbey to those of Ampleforth Abbey. In 1950, the church became part of the Archdiocese of Liverpool. In 1969, the inside of the church was changed. The baldacchino (a canopy over the altar) and altar rails were removed. A new altar was put in place.

Architecture of the Church

Outside Look of St Anne's

The church is built using red sandstone, and its roof is made of slate. Its style is called early Decorated Gothic, which is a type of medieval architecture.

The church's layout includes a main area called a nave with six sections, known as "bays." It has a clerestory (a row of windows high up) and north and south aisles (passageways) with sloping roofs. There are also north and south transepts and a rounded, three-bay apsidal chancel.

The church has a tower on its west side. This tower is supported by strong corner supports called buttresses. It also has an eight-sided stair turret on its southeast corner. The tower has a main entrance on the west side with four decorative layers. Above this entrance is a large window with four sections and a covered niche (a small alcove). The part of the tower where the bells are kept has pairs of two-light louvred openings for the bells.

Experts have noted that the tower stands out but looks "sliced." This is because a tall spire (a pointed roof) was planned but never built. It was feared that the ground might sink if a heavy spire was added. The aisles have windows with two sections along their sides and three sections at their west ends. The clerestory windows are shaped like quatrefoils (four-leaf clover shapes) under pointed arches. The transepts have two-light windows on the west and five-light windows on the north and south. All the windows have decorative stone patterns called tracery.

Inside Look of St Anne's

Inside the church, the arcades (rows of arches) rest on columns shaped like quatrefoils. Between the chancel and the chapels on one side, and the organ loft on the other, the arcades are supported by two rows of columns. Around the apse, there is an arcade with tall, narrow windows called lancet windows.

The church has a large pipe organ with three manuals (keyboards). It was originally built by Henry Willis and Sons and Lewis and Company. This organ was rebuilt and updated in 1958 by Willis and Sons again.

Other Important Features

In the churchyard, there is a stone memorial for two members of the Linford family who passed away in 1849 and 1855. This memorial was designed by A. Murphy. It is an eight-sided pillar standing on a plinth (a heavy base). It has a small alcove under a canopy, and at the top, there are two carved figures. These figures are thought to be the Virgin Mary and St John. This memorial is also listed as Grade II.

Next to the northwest side of the church is a large house called a presbytery. This house was built in 1893 and designed by Peter Paul Pugin. It is also a Grade II listed building.

See also

• Grade II listed buildings in Liverpool-L7