St Nicholas Church, Whiston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Nicholas Church, Whiston |
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St Nicholas Church from the west
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| OS grid reference | SJ 467 903 |
| Location | Windy Arbour Road, Whiston, Merseyside |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Churchmanship | Evangelical |
| Website | St Nicholas, Whiston |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | Saint Nicholas |
| Consecrated | 30 July 1868 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 28 January 1971 |
| Architect(s) | G. E. Street |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival (Early English) |
| Groundbreaking | 1864 |
| Completed | 1868 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone, slate roofs |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St Nicholas, Whiston |
| Deanery | Huyton |
| Archdeaconry | Liverpool |
| Diocese | Liverpool |
| Province | York |
St Nicholas Church is located on Windy Arbour Road in Whiston, Merseyside, England. It is an active Anglican parish church within the diocese of Liverpool. This church was built between 1864 and 1868. It was designed by a famous architect named G. E. Street in a style called Early English.
The church's tall tower was never fully finished. This was because people worried the ground might sink. This sinking, called subsidence, could happen due to coal mining nearby. Inside the church, you can see beautiful stained glass windows. Some of these were designed by famous artists like William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones. St Nicholas Church is also a special historic building. It is listed as Grade II on the National Heritage List for England. This means it is important to England's history.
Contents
History of St Nicholas Church
The building of St Nicholas Church took place from 1864 to 1868. G. E. Street designed it. The church was officially opened on July 30, 1868.
Another architect, G. F. Bodley, had plans to add a fancy top part to the tower. This part is called a crenellated parapet. However, these plans were never carried out. People were concerned that the extra weight would make the ground sink. This was a risk because of local coal mining.
Church Design and Features
Outside the Church
St Nicholas Church is built in the Early English style. It is made from sandstone blocks with red sandstone details. The roofs are covered with slate.
The church has a main area called a nave with four sections. It also has a clerestory, which is a high wall with windows. There is a west vestry and aisles on the north and south sides. The chancel, where the altar is, has a lower roof. There is a north organ room and a south Lady Chapel.
At the southwest side, there is a tower that stands almost separate from the main church. The tower has three levels and buttresses, which are supports. On its east wall, there is a stair turret with a cone-shaped roof. The openings for the bells have two lights each and are in pairs. The top of the tower is plain, and it has a flat lead roof. You enter the church through a doorway on the south side of the tower.
Most of the windows are lancets, which are tall and narrow. Many of these are in pairs with a round window above them. The west wall of the nave also has a rose window, which is a large, round window. The west wall of the vestry has a window with five lights and a straight top. The east window has three lights.
Inside the Church
Inside the church, the arcades separate the nave from the aisles. These are supported by round piers with decorated tops called capitals. There is also an arcade with two sections between the chancel and the chapel. The floor of the church is covered with encaustic tiles, which are decorative tiles.
There is a low stone screen in the chancel. This screen is connected to the round pulpit. The choir stalls are decorated with fleur-de-lis finials. These are decorative ornaments. The front of the stalls has carved arcades. In the chancel, there is a painted reredos, which is a screen behind the altar. This is surrounded by carved arches and patterned wall tiles.
The stained glass in the east window was made by Clayton and Bell. It shows the Crucifixion. In the Lady Chapel, the glass in its east window was designed by William Morris. It shows musicians who look like angels. The glass in the rose window was designed by Edward Burne-Jones. Other windows were made by Morris & Co..
The first pipe organ in the church was built by T. C. Lewis and Company in 1873. A new organ was made by C. H. Walker in 1934. This organ has since been made larger. It has two manuals (keyboards) and 26 stops, which control the different sounds.
Why St Nicholas Church is Special
On January 28, 1971, St Nicholas Church was given a Grade II listed building status. Grade II is the lowest of the three grades for listed buildings. It means the building is "nationally important and of special interest."
Architectural historians Pollard and Pevsner described the church as "an earnest work of architecture with nothing done just to please." This means they thought it was a serious and well-built church, not just designed to look pretty.
St Nicholas Church Today
St Nicholas is an active Anglican parish church. It is part of the deanery of Huyton, the archdeaconry of Liverpool, and the diocese of Liverpool. The church's style of worship is Evangelical.
The church holds regular services on Sundays. It also organizes other events for the community. They arrange important life events like baptisms, weddings, and funerals.
See also
- Listed buildings in Whiston, Merseyside
