Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas – Liverpool, UK
Posted by: 
dtrebilc
N 53° 24.422 W 002° 59.697
30U E 500335 N 5917550
A small church is said to have existed on this site since at least 1257. However the first church called St. Nicholas was erected here between 1355 and 1455.
Waymark Code: WMCWCA
Location: North West England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/18/2011
Views: 9
The church is known as the Sailors’ Church because of its proximity to the port of Liverpool, and indeed Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, amongst other things.
It is a grade II listed building, English Heritage Number 1205993
As you would imagine the building has undergone many changes in its history, but the current layout of the building and grounds can be put down to three main phases of building.
1815 The Tower
The church had undergone a previous major re-modelling in 1775 with walls longer than the previous walls. Many people had warned that the spire had been made unsafe and finally it did collapse on Sunday 11th February 1810, unfortunately killing 25 people, most of whom were girls from Moorfields Charity School.
Between 1811 and 1815 a new tower and lantern were built on the north side of the church. It was designed by Thomas Harrison of Chester. A new ring of 12 bells was installed and cast by John Taylor and Co. of Loughborough.
The tower underwent major repairs in 2005 and rededicated on 11th December. At this point it was renamed the Landmark Tower, recognising the fact that it was used as a landmark by ships returning to the nearby port of Liverpool. A memorial stone records the name of the tower, the date of restoration and a dedication to all who sailed in and out of this port.
1892 The Churchyard
The church stopped all burials in 1849 and in 1891 a formal garden was laid out in memory of James Harrison whose shipping company had offices overlooking the churchyard. In 1892 the garden was then extended by a Deed of Faculty for laying out walkways using the old grave stones.
It is today designated a Protected Green Space and is part of the Castle Street Conservation Area. It was awarded European Union ‘Green Flag’ status in 2002.
1952 The Nave
The main body of the church was destroyed during bombing in air raids in the Second World War. The current nave was then built between 1949 and 1952, when it was consecrated on 18th October. It was designed by architect Edward C. Butler and the layout completely modified. Unusually he placed the altar at the western end of the church rather than the east. He also removed galleries with seating from the church reflecting that the size of the congregations had reduced over the years.
Date the Church was built, dedicated or cornerstone laid: 01/01/1755
Age of Church building determined by?: Church website
If denomination of Church is not part of the name, please provide it here: Church of England
If Church is open to the public, please indicate hours: From: 9:00 AM To: 5:00 PM
If Church holds a weekly worship service and "all are welcome", please give the day of the week: Sunday
Indicate the time that the primary worship service is held. List only one: 9:30 AM
Street address of Church:
Chapel Street
Liverpool, Merseyside United Kingdom
L2 8TZ
Primary website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link]
Secondary Website for Church or Historic Church Building: [Web Link]
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