St Saviour's Church, Oxton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Saviour's Church, Oxton
St Saviour's Church, Oxton, from the southwest
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OS grid reference	SJ 302 878
Location	Bidston Road, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside CH43 2JZ
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Churchmanship	Central
History
Status	Parish church
Dedicated	26 May 1892
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	28 March 1984
Architect(s)	C. W. Harvey, Pennington and Bridgen
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1889
Completed	1892
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone, slate roof
Administration
Parish	St Saviour, Oxton
Deanery	Birkenhead
Archdeaconry	Chester
Diocese	Chester
Province	York

St Saviour's Church is a beautiful old church located in Bidston Road, Oxton, Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. It is an active Anglican parish church, which means it's a local church for the community. It belongs to the diocese of Chester. This church is very important and is listed as a Grade II* listed building. This special listing means it's a building of more than local importance.

History of St Saviour's Church

Why the Church Was Built

St Saviour's Church was built between 1889 and 1892. It was needed because the older church from 1846 was too small. More people wanted to attend services, and the old building couldn't hold everyone.

Building and Dedication

The architects who designed the church were C. W. Harvey with Pennington and Bridgen. The first stone was laid on March 26, 1889. The first church service happened in 1891, even though the tall tower wasn't completely finished yet. The tower was completed the next year. The church was officially dedicated on May 26, 1892.

Damage and Rebuilding

In 1941, during a war, the church's roof and the east end were damaged by a bomb. Leonard Barnish rebuilt these parts. The east wall was rebuilt in a simpler way than before.

Architecture of St Saviour's Church

Outside the Church

The church is built from red sandstone and has a roof made of Welsh slate. It's designed in a style called Decorated Gothic. The church has a cross-shaped layout. This means it has a main long part called a nave, with lower sections on the sides called aisles. It also has parts that stick out on the north and south sides, called transepts. A tower stands where the nave and transepts meet, which is called the crossing. There's also a chancel at the east end.

At the west end of the church, there is a large window with five sections. It has beautiful stone patterns called tracery. Along the sides of the aisles, you can see eight tall, narrow windows called lancet windows. Above these, the clerestory (the upper part of the nave wall) has four windows, each with three sections and Decorated tracery. Between these windows are pilaster buttresses, which are supports that stick out from the wall.

The transepts have two-section Decorated windows, with a round rose window above them. The tower rises two levels above the church's main roof. It has strong corner supports called buttresses that go up to eight-sided shapes and end in pointed tops called pinnacles. In the tower's southeast corner, there's an eight-sided stair turret. The openings for the bells are in pairs and have wooden slats called louvres. These openings also have stone patterns. The top edge of the tower, called the parapet, has a battlement design, like a castle. At the very east end of the church, there is a round window. This window replaced the original one that was damaged by the bomb.

Inside the Church

Inside, the church has arcades with four bays. An arcade is a row of arches supported by columns. Many of the church's decorations and furniture are in a rich Arts and Crafts style.

Special Features and Art

The reredos (a screen or decoration behind the altar) was designed by G. F. Bodley. It's made of gilded oak and looks like a triptych, which is a work of art with three panels. In the middle, there's a picture of Christ in Glory above a scene of the Nativity (the birth of Jesus). On either side of these, there are figures of four important Church Fathers. On the side panels, you can see figures of Saint Werburgh and Saint Cecilia, each with two angels beside them.

The screen separating the chancel and the choir and clergy stalls were made by Edward Rae. They are beautifully carved and have inlaid designs. The clergy stalls even have canopies and misericords (small ledges for support when standing). The reredos in the south chapel was also made by Rae. It has four angels carved by Harry Hems. Near the north chapel, there's a special plaque made by Della Robbia.

The font, where baptisms take place, is eight-sided and made of alabaster. It has carved panels showing Christ and a lamb, and three of the Four Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John).

War Memorial

On the west wall of the church, there is a war memorial from 1920. It was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott. It's made of white marble with a black marble background and a red sandstone frame. The memorial shows the Crucifixion (Jesus on the cross) and angels. Below this, the names of those who died in the war are written.

Stained Glass and Music

The stained glass in the east window was put in place in 1974 and was designed by L. C. Evetts. Before the war damage, there were windows in the chancel by C. E. Kempe, but only one of these survived. More glass by Kempe, moved from a nearby house, can be found in the vestry. The west window and a window in the north transept, both from 1903, were designed by Edward Burne-Jones and made by Morris & Co..

The church has a large pipe organ. The original organ was made by Robert Hope-Jones. It was rebuilt in 1908 by Norman and Beard. More work was done on it in 1935, 1947, and 1962 by Rushworth and Dreaper. In 1985, Rushworth and Dreaper replaced this organ. They used parts and pipes from the old organ and from another organ from a church in Southport to create a new, larger organ. The church also has a ring of ten bells. Eight of these bells were made in 1895 by John Taylor & Co. The ring was made larger to include ten bells in 1976.

See also

• Grade II* listed buildings in Merseyside
• Listed buildings in Oxton, Merseyside