St Peter's Church, Birkdale facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Peter's Church |
|
|---|---|
St Peter's Church
|
|
 St Peter's Church
Location in Southport
|
|
| 53°37′56″N 3°00′36″W / 53.6321°N 3.0099°W | |
| OS grid reference | SD 333 155 |
| Location | St Peter's Road, Birkdale, Southport, Sefton, Merseyside |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Architect(s) | T. D. Barry and Sons |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival (Decorated) |
| Groundbreaking | 1870 |
| Completed | 1907 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone, slate roofs |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St Peter, Birkdale |
| Deanery | North Meols |
| Archdeaconry | Warrington |
| Diocese | Liverpool |
| Province | York |
St Peter's Church is a beautiful old church located on St Peter's Road in Birkdale, Southport, Sefton, Merseyside, England. It is an active Anglican parish church within the diocese of Liverpool. The church's construction began in 1870, with more parts added in 1886–87 and again in 1907. It is built in the Gothic Revival style, which means it looks like churches from the medieval Gothic period. St Peter's Church is officially recognized as a Grade II listed building on the National Heritage List for England, meaning it's an important historical building.
Contents
Church History and Building
St Peter's Church was designed by a company called T. D. Barry and Sons. Its main construction took place between 1870 and 1871. Later, in 1886–87, a tower with a porch was added to the church. Even more additions were made in 1907, when the transepts (the parts that stick out on the sides, making the church look like a cross) were built, and the chancel (the area around the altar) was rebuilt.
Church Design and Features
Outside the Church
The church is made from sandstone rubble (rough, broken stones) laid in neat rows. Its roofs are covered with slate tiles that show off red and purple colors. The style of the church is called Decorated, which is a fancy type of Gothic architecture.
The church has a main area called the nave, which has a clerestory (a row of windows high up). On either side of the nave are north and south aisles. It also has north and south transepts and a chancel with vestries (rooms for clergy and robes) on both sides. A tall tower stands in front of the south aisle.
The tower has three main parts. It has strong corner buttresses (supports) and a small stair turret on the northwest side. At the bottom of the tower, there's an arched doorway that leads into a porch. The middle part of the tower has narrow, tall lancet windows. The top part features two-light louvred openings where the bells are. At the very top, the tower has a decorative parapet (a low wall) with gargoyles (carved stone figures) at the corners and pointed crocketed pinnacles.
The windows in the aisles have two sections, while the transept windows have three. High up in the clerestory, you can see pointed quatrefoils (a design with four lobes). Both the west and east windows are very large and have detailed tracery (stone patterns). The west window has four sections, and the east window has five.
Inside the Church
Inside St Peter's Church, you'll find six bay arcades. These are rows of arches supported by piers made of shiny granite. The tops of these piers, called capitals, are carved with beautiful plant designs.
The reredos (a screen behind the altar) and the altar itself date back to 1908. They are decorated with paintings of angels on a gold ground and are set within frames with tracery. There are also more angel paintings on the east wall. The church has carved wooden furnishings for the choir, which include a special case for the organ.
The stained glass windows are also very interesting. One window at the west end is a memorial for the First World War and shows a picture of Saint George. In the south aisle, there's another window from the late 1800s, made by an artist named Reuben Bennett.
Why This Church is Important
St Peter's Church was officially recognized as a Grade II listed building on July 29, 1999. This means it's considered "nationally important and of special interest." Grade II is the most common listing grade, given to buildings that are important to the country's history and architecture.
St Peter's Church Today
Today, St Peter's is still a very active Anglican church. It is part of the deanery of North Meols, the archdeaconry of Warrington, and the diocese of Liverpool. The church holds services every Sunday and during the week. It also hosts many different group activities for the community in its parish center.
See also
- Listed buildings in Birkdale
