St Anthony's Church, Scotland Road facts for kids
St Anthony's Roman Catholic Church is a famous old church located on Scotland Road in the Vauxhall area of Liverpool. It's a special building because it's listed as a Grade II building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it's an important historical place that needs to be protected.
History of the Church
The First Chapel
The story of St Anthony's began in 1804. A smaller building called the French Chapel was built then. It was on the corner of Dryden Street and Scotland Road. James Picton, a writer, described it as a "quaint-looking brick building" with a cross on top.
This first chapel was started by Reverend Jean Baptiste Antoine Gerardot. He was a French person who came to England after the French Revolution in 1789. During the Napoleonic Wars, French prisoners of war even attended this church. They came under supervision from a nearby jail.
Reverend Gerardot passed away in 1825. But his work was very successful. So many people attended the chapel that a bigger church was soon needed.
Building St Anthony's
The current St Anthony's Church was built in 1833. It was designed by an architect named John Broadbent. He learned from a famous architect called Thomas Rickman. Broadbent designed St Anthony's to be simple but strong. It has tall, narrow windows and strong support structures.
The church looks very grand on Scotland Road. Even James Picton, who was quite serious, said the building was "imposing from its size and proportions." This means it looked very impressive because of how big and well-built it was.
Fire and Reopening
In April 2008, a fire happened inside St Anthony's. People think it started when a large candle fell over. The church was damaged, and it was a big job to fix it.
Luckily, the church survived the fire. It reopened on July 13, 2008. The parish priest, Father Graeme Dunne, held a morning mass to celebrate its reopening.
See Also
- Grade II listed buildings in Liverpool-L5
