Welsh Presbyterian Church, Liverpool facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Welsh Presbyterian Church, Liverpool |
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Welsh Presbyterian Church, Liverpool,
from Princes Road |
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| OS grid reference | SJ 360 890 |
| Location | Princes Road, Liverpool, Merseyside |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Presbyterian Church of Wales |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 14 March 1975 |
| Architect(s) | W. & G. Audsley |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | High Victorian Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | 1865 |
| Completed | 1867 |
| Specifications | |
| Spire height | 200 feet (61 m) |
| Materials | Stone, slate roof |
The Welsh Presbyterian Church is an old church building in Liverpool, England. It's located on Princes Road in the Toxteth area. This church used to belong to the Presbyterian Church of Wales. It's considered a special historical building, listed as Grade II. People sometimes call it the "Welsh Cathedral" or "Toxteth Cathedral" because of its very tall steeple. But it was never actually a cathedral. In 2019, it received money to become a community center after being empty for 30 years.
History of the Church
The church was built between 1865 and 1867. Local architects named W. & G. Audsley designed it. When it was finished, its steeple reached 200 feet (about 61 meters) high. This made it the tallest building in Liverpool at that time.
In 1982, the church was no longer used by the Welsh Presbyterian Church. It was sold to a religious group called the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star. This group has its main office in Nigeria. They stopped using the church in the 1990s. After that, the building became empty and was damaged by vandals.
For many years, the church was left to fall apart. But in 2013, there were plans to save it. A group called the Merseyside Building Preservation Trust started studying how to fix it. They hoped to get money from the Heritage Lottery Fund. In 2019, the church finally received funding to become a community hub. This means it will be used again by people in the area.
Understanding the Church's Names
The church's religious group started in 1811. It became official in 1823 as the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists. You can learn more about this in the Welsh Methodist revival and Calvinistic Methodists articles.
From 1928, this group was also known as the Presbyterian Church in Wales. So, this church and other similar buildings might be called Methodist, Calvinist, or Presbyterian. However, they all belong to the same religious organization.
Church Architecture
The church is built from rough stone, which is called rock-faced rubble. Its roof is made of patterned slate. The building is designed in a style called High Victorian Gothic.
The church has a main hall, called a nave, and two side sections, called transepts. This gives it a T-shape when you look at it from above. The tall tower has strong supports called buttresses at its corners. These supports have small carved spaces, or niches, at the top.
The tower's bell openings are in pairs and have angled slats, called louvres. On top of the tower are pointed decorations called pinnacles. There is also a pointed roof, known as a broach spire. This spire has decorative arches, or arcading, and small windows, called lucarnes.
Attached to the south transept is a stair tower that has an angled shape, or canted design. On top of the central part where the nave and transepts meet, there is a small, thin spire called a flèche. Inside the church, there are upper levels, or galleries. These are at the west end and in the transepts. They are held up by marble columns, called piers. The nave has a rounded ceiling, known as a barrel roof, supported by wall piers.
See also
- Grade II listed buildings in Liverpool-L8
