St Michael's Church, Garston Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Michael's Church, Garston
St Michael's Church, Garston, from the north
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OS grid reference	SJ 404,843
Location	Church Road, Garston, Merseyside
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Michael, Garston
History
Status	Parish church
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	19 June 1985
Architect(s)	Thomas D. Berry and Son
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1875
Completed	1877
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone, slate roofs
Administration
Parish	Garston
Deanery	Liverpool South Childwall
Archdeaconry	Liverpool
Diocese	Liverpool
Province	York

St Michael's Church is a historic church located on Church Road in Garston, a part of Liverpool, England. It is an active Anglican parish church, meaning it serves the local community. The church is an important building and is listed as a Grade II listed building, which protects its special architectural and historical features. Interestingly, it stands in an industrial area, surrounded by large gas holders and a railway line.

History of St Michael's Church
Exploring the Church's Design
Churchyard Features
Images for kids
See also

History of St Michael's Church

The first church on this site was built a very long time ago, in 1225. A second church was built in 1715. The church you see today was constructed between 1875 and 1877. It was designed by architects Thomas D. Berry and Son. This church also has a special connection to the Norris and Watt families, who were important people from Speke Hall.

Exploring the Church's Design

St Michael's Church is built in a style called Gothic Revival. This means it looks like older Gothic churches from the Middle Ages.

Outside the Church

The church is made from rough, yellow sandstone with smooth, red stone details. Its roofs are covered with slate. The church has a main central area called a nave, with lower sections on the north and south sides called aisles. It also has parts that stick out on the sides, known as transepts, and a special area at the east end called the chancel with a rounded end called an apse. There are also smaller chapels and a porch.

The church has a tall tower on the northwest side. This tower has strong supports called buttresses. It has an entrance on the north side with fancy decorations above it. Higher up, you can see clock faces, openings for bells, and a decorative band called a frieze. There are also gargoyles, which are carved stone figures that act as water spouts, and a top edge with battlements, called an embattled parapet.

At the west end of the church, there is a large window with three sections. It has beautiful stone patterns called tracery. Along the sides of the aisles and the upper part of the nave (the clerestory), there are windows with two sections. The windows in the transepts have four sections, and those in the chapels have three. The chapel and the porch have pointed roofs, known as gables.

Inside the Church

Inside, the area behind the altar, called the reredos, is decorated with colorful panels made of opus sectile (cut stone or glass) and mosaic (small pieces of material forming a picture). Around the church, you can see a series of artworks called Stations of the Cross. These were designed by an artist named May L. G. Cooksey.

The chancel has stained glass windows from 1886, made by a company called Shrigley and Hunt. The church also has a large pipe organ. The first organ was built by Franklin Lloyd. Later, in 1938, a new organ was installed by Rushworth and Dreaper, and they rebuilt it again in 1967.

Beautiful Stained Glass Windows

The church has nine beautiful stained glass windows. Five of these windows remember members of the Lightbody family. They are located at the east end of the church, behind the altar.

The second window from the left remembers John Lightbody (1817-1880).
The fifth window remembers Robert Lightbody (1802-1874). His children put up this window.
The seventh window remembers Mary Ann Lightbody (1806-1884).
The eighth window describes Mary Ann Lightbody as a generous person who gave the church its bells and helped many people in the area.
The ninth window states that it was put up by public donations.

John, Robert, and Mary Ann were children of John Lightbody (1767-1848) and Harriet Hughes (1778-). The Lightbody family was important in Liverpool and Garston. Robert Lightbody was also known for his work in geology and palaeontology.

The Church Bells

St Michael's Church has a set of eight bells. These bells were made by John Warner & Sons in 1877 and 1878. They were a gift from Miss Mary Ann Lightbody. The bells were first rung on Easter Monday, April 22, 1878.

The largest bell, called the Tenor bell, has an inscription that says, "In memory of John Lightbody who died 1848 aged 80 years." John Lightbody was Mary Ann's father. In 1996, the bells were retuned and rehung, which means they were adjusted to sound better and put back in place. There is a plaque that records this work.

There is also a smaller bell, called a Sanctus bell, from 1882, made by the same company.

Churchyard Features

In the churchyard, which is the area around the church, there is a stone shaft. This shaft might be from the 17th century and could have been part of a sundial, which tells time using the sun.

Images for kids

Stained glass window commemorating John Lightbody (1817-1880) at St Michael's Church, Garston
Stained glass window commemorating Robert Lightbody (1802-1874) at St Michael's Church, Garston
Stained glass window commemorating Mary Ann Lightbody (1806-1884) at St Michael's Church, Garston
Description of the memorial tablets in St Michaels Church Garston
The bells in memory of John Lightbody were retuned and rehung in 1993