St George's Church, Everton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St George's Church, Everton |
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St George's Church, Everton, from the north
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| 53°25′31″N 2°58′17″W / 53.4253°N 2.9715°W | |
| OS grid reference | SJ 355,925 |
| Location | Everton, Liverpool, Merseyside |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Churchmanship | Charismatic evangelical |
| Website | St George, Everton |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | Saint George |
| Consecrated | 1814 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 12 July 1966 |
| Architect(s) | Thomas Rickman |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1813 |
| Completed | 1815 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 119 feet (36 m) |
| Width | 47 feet (14 m) |
| Height | 96 feet (29 m) |
| Materials | Ashlar stone with cast iron components |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St George, Everton |
| Deanery | Liverpool North |
| Archdeaconry | Liverpool |
| Diocese | Liverpool |
| Province | York |
St George's Church is a special old church located in Everton, Liverpool, England. It is listed as a Grade I building, which means it is very important and protected. This church is unique because it is one of the first three churches in Liverpool built by John Cragg, who used a lot of strong cast iron in its construction. Today, it is still an active Anglican parish church, serving its community.
Contents
History of St George's Church
The land for St George's Church was given by James Atherton, a merchant from Liverpool. He later started the seaside town of New Brighton. James Atherton placed the church on a hill behind his home. This hill was once home to the Everton Beacon, which was destroyed by a storm in 1803.
The church was built thanks to a special law called an Act of Parliament. This law, the St. George's Church, Everton Act, was passed in 1813. The first stone of the church was laid on April 19, 1813. The church was officially opened and blessed by the Bishop of Chester on October 26, 1814. The famous architect Thomas Rickman designed the church, and John Cragg built it.
Church Structure and Design
The outside of St George's Church is made of stone, but the inside uses a lot of cast iron. The church has a tower at the west end, a long main area called a nave with seven sections, and side aisles. There are also small entrance areas, called porches, next to the tower and the chancel (the area near the altar).
The tower has strong supports called buttresses at its corners. It has an arched main door and a window with three sections above it. Higher up, there is a clock on three sides. Above the clock are openings for bells, which are partly glass and partly louvered (slatted). At the very top, the tower has a decorated wall called a battlement and pointed ornaments called pinnacles at each corner.
All the windows in the church have decorative patterns made from cast iron. Inside, the nave has rows of arches, called arcades, also made of cast iron. The side aisles have upper levels called galleries. Even the roof of the church is made of cast iron. The church's style is called Perpendicular Gothic, which is a type of English Gothic architecture. Later, in the 20th century, metal rods were added to help support the building.
Inside the Church: Fittings and Furniture
Most of the beautiful stained glass windows in the church were destroyed during the Second World War. Only one complete window, from 1863 by A. Gibbs, survived. The glass in the east window was made in 1952 by Shrigley and Hunt.
The church has several memorials to remember people. One under the tower is for John Rackham, who died in 1815. It was designed by Thomas Rickman. Another memorial is for Thomas W. Wainwright, a surgeon who died in 1841. It shows a carved scene of the Good Samaritan. In the north gallery, there is a Gothic-style memorial by Emanuel Edward Geflowski for engineer Walter Fergus MacGregor, who died in 1863.
The church's original bell was made by Ainsworth of Warrington. It was fixed in 1937 but later damaged in the 1960s. The clock you see today was made by Smiths of Clerkenwell and put in place in 1973.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in Liverpool
- Grade I listed churches in Merseyside
