St Hildeburgh's Church, Hoylake facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Hildeburgh's Parish Church, Hoylake
St Hildeburgh's Church, Hoylake, from the north
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OS grid reference	SJ 214 889
Location	Stanley Road, Hoylake, Wirral, Merseyside
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Churchmanship	[[]]
Website	St Hildeburgh, Hoylake
History
Status	Parish church
Dedication	Saint Hildeburgh
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	17 October 1986
Architect(s)	Edmund Kirby
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1897
Completed	1899
Specifications
Materials	Red brick and terracotta, tiled roof
Administration
Parish	Holy Trinity Church, Hoylake
Deanery	Wirral, North
Archdeaconry	Chester
Diocese	Chester
Province	York

St Hildeburgh's Parish Church is a beautiful church located in Stanley Road, Hoylake, in Merseyside, England. It is a busy Anglican church, which means it belongs to the Church of England. The church is very important because it is listed as a Grade II listed building. This means it is a special building that needs to be protected.

History of St Hildeburgh's Church

The area we now call Hoylake used to be part of a much older church area called West Kirby. In the mid-1700s, people started visiting the seaside more often. This made the small fishing village of Hoylake grow into a popular holiday spot.

A powerful family called the Stanleys helped Hoylake grow. They built the first hotel, "The Royal", in 1792. They also created a racecourse nearby, which is now the Royal Liverpool Golf Club. As more people moved to Hoylake, they needed a church. So, in 1833, Holy Trinity Church opened.

In 1860, Hoylake became its own separate church area. The population kept growing quickly, especially after a railway line opened in 1866. This railway connected Hoylake to bigger cities like Birkenhead and Liverpool. By the 1890s, Holy Trinity Church was too small for everyone who wanted to worship there.

Because of this, St Hildeburgh's Church was built. Lord Stanley gave the land for the new church. It was built between 1897 and 1899. A famous architect from Liverpool, Edmund Kirby, designed the church.

Worship and Services

St Hildeburgh's Church offers many different types of services. They have both modern and traditional ways of worshiping.

• Holy Communion: This service uses modern language.
• Family Praise: Once a month, there is a special service for families.
• Choral Evensong: This service uses traditional language from the Book of Common Prayer and features singing by a choir.
• Messy Church: Every couple of months, the church holds fun, creative days for families.
• Open Worship: This is a more relaxed service held in the Church Centre, which is a modern building behind the main church.
• Healing Eucharists: These services focus on prayer for healing.
• Services for Care Homes: The church also holds services for people living in care homes in Hoylake.

The church really tries to include everyone, no matter their age. They want all people to feel welcome when they come to worship.

Community Role

St Hildeburgh's Church is a very important part of the local community. It has strong connections with many groups in Hoylake.

• Local School: The church is linked to Hoylake Holy Trinity primary school. The church helped start the school a long time ago. School services are held at the church, and church leaders visit the school to lead worship.
• RNLI Lifeboats: The church also works closely with the Royal National Lifeboats Institution (RNLI). The Vicar (the church leader) is even the chaplain for the lifeboat crew!
• Care Homes: The church has good relationships with many care and residential homes in Hoylake.
• Community Activities: Most of the community events happen at the St Hildeburgh's Church Centre.
  • Weekly Drop-in: Every Tuesday morning, there's a friendly "drop-in" session for anyone in the community.
  • Voyagers: This is a group especially for young people.
  • Play and Worship: On Wednesdays, there's a fun session for pre-school children and their parents or carers.
  • Luncheon Club: Once a month, senior citizens can enjoy a special lunch together.
  • Soup and Sandwich Lunches: These lunches are for care home residents, their families, and friends.

The church is a busy and welcoming place where people can connect and support each other.

Architecture

St Hildeburgh's Church has a very interesting design. Let's look at what it's made of and how it looks inside and out.

Exterior Design

The church is built with red brick and a special type of baked clay called terracotta. Its roofs are made of tiles.

• Shape: The church has a long main part called a nave. On the sides, it has narrower sections called aisles. There's also a special area at the front called the chancel, where the altar is.
• Porch: The entrance porch on the northwest side is made of wood on a brick base.
• Windows: Along the sides of the church, you'll see different kinds of windows. Some are paired (two together), and some are triple (three together). These are called lancet windows. Higher up, there are round windows called octofoils.
• West End: At the back of the church, there are strong supports called buttresses that go above the roof. The baptistry (where baptisms happen) has square windows, more lancets, and an octofoil window at the very top.
• East Window: The large window at the front of the church has a cross in the middle with four-leaf shapes (quatrefoils) on either side.
• Chapel: There's a small chapel with a unique angled end and lancet windows. It also has a bell in an iron frame.

Interior Features

Inside the church, you'll notice many beautiful details.

• Pillars: The main part of the church has five sections, with round, shiny granite pillars holding up the arches.
• Chancel Screen: There's a low screen that separates the main area from the chancel.
• Pulpit: The pulpit (where the preacher stands) is made of wood and is beautifully carved. It has a special canopy above it called a tester.
• Reredos: Behind the altar, there's a richly carved wooden screen called a reredos. It has a picture of the Good Shepherd made from tiles and mosaic.
• Walls: On the north wall of the chancel, there are three painted pictures. On the south wall, there are special seats called a sedilia.
• Font: The font (where baptisms take place) is shaped like an octagon. It has carvings of symbols for the four evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).
• Stained Glass Windows: Many of the colorful stained glass windows are very old and special.
  • Some windows are by a company called Powell's, including the large east window. This window is a memorial to people from the Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake who died in war.
  • A window from 1919 shows a knight and was made by Margaret Agnes Rope.
  • Another window from the 1940s was made by William Aikman.
  • In the chapel, there are windows from 1921–23 by J. Wilson Forster. One of these shows a Boy Scout being hugged by an angel.
  • A newer window from 2009 in the chancel shows scenes of the Liverpool waterfront. It was made by David Hillhouse.

The church also has a large pipe organ with three keyboards. It was built by a company called Rushworth and Dreaper. A second organ was added in the 1920s, paid for by people in the community. This organ was very special because it had more enclosed sections than usual. The motor that powers the organ's bellows was replaced in 1970, and the organ was rebuilt in the 1960s.

See also

• Listed buildings in Hoylake
• List of works by Edmund Kirby