Wallasey Memorial Unitarian Church
| Wallasey Memorial Unitarian Church | |
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 Wallasey Memorial Unitarian Church
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| Coordinates: 53°25′18″N 3°02′28″W / 53.4216°N 3.0410°W | |
| OS grid reference | SJ 309 922 |
| Location | Manor Road, Liscard, Wallasey, Wirral |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Unitarian |
| Website | Wallasey Memorial Unitarian Church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 20 January 1988 |
| Architect(s) | Edmund Waring and Edmund Rathbone |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Arts and Crafts |
| Groundbreaking | 1898 |
| Completed | 1899 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Brick with stone dressings, tile roof |
Wallasey Memorial Unitarian Church is a redundant church in Manor Road, Liscard, Wallasey, Wirral, England (grid reference SJ309922). It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building,[1] and is under the care of the Historic Chapels Trust.[2]
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History [edit]
The church was built in 1898–99, and was designed by Edmund Waring and Edmund Rathbone.[1] Its patron was Martha Elam, a local wealthy Unitarian; Rathbone was also a Unitarian. In 1993, following the retirement of its last minister, the congregation consisted of only four members, and it seemed likely that it would be demolished. However the quality of its interior fittings and furniture led to the publication of an article in Country Life, and 1995 the building was taken over by the Historic Chapels Trust. It reopened in October 2002.[3] The church has been repaired and its facilities upgraded, assisted by a grant of £218,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund.[4] The church is available for meetings, exhibitions and events, and is occasionally used for services of worship. The adjacent church hall is used by the Wallasey School of Ballet.[2]
Architecture [edit]
The church is constructed in brick with stone dressings and has a tile roof. It is in Arts and Crafts style. The church is rectangular in shape in six bays with a narthex. On its left is the church hall and a vestry, and on its right is a library. Also on the left is a porch with an octagonal turret.[1] The interior is "a rare, remarkable, example of English Arts and Crafts furnishing in a Nonconformist chapel".[2] Its fittings were designed by Art Nouveau craftsmen from the Bromsgrove Guild. These include Bernard Sleigh who painted the panels on the ends of the choirstalls, communion table and pulpit, and Benjamin Creswick who carved the figures on the choirstalls. The reredos was designed by Harold Rathbone and contains panels of Della Robbia Pottery, manufactured in Birkenhead.[2] Ironwork, including the electric light fittings, was designed by Walter Gilbert, who also made copper panels for the lectern.[1]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ a b c d Images of England: Memorial Chapel, Wallasey, English Heritage, retrieved 12 July 2010
- ^ a b c d Wallasey Memorial Unitarian Church, Historic Chapels Trust, retrieved 12 July 2010
- ^ "Wallasey's Memorial Unitarian Church Reopens", IHBC North West (Tunbridge Wells: Institute of Historic Building Conservation) (5), December 2002, retrieved 12 July 2010
- ^ Heritage Lottery Fund: England Review 2000–2001, Heritage Lottery Fund, 2001, p. 8, retrieved 12 July 2010
Further reading [edit]
- Pevsner, Nikolaus; Hubbard, Edward (2003) [1971], The Buildings of England: Cheshire, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 371, ISBN 0-300-09588-0
- Grade II* listed churches
- Grade II* listed buildings in Merseyside
- Churches preserved by the Historic Chapels Trust
- Arts and Crafts architecture in England
- Religious buildings completed in 1899
- 19th-century church buildings
- Protestant congregations established in the 19th century
- Former churches in England
- Unitarian chapels in England
- Redundant churches
