Church of St Dunstan, Liverpool

Church of St Dunstan, Liverpool

Church of St Dunstan, Liverpool, from the southwest
Church of St Dunstan, Liverpool
Location in Merseyside
Coordinates: 53°23′56″N 2°56′37″W / 53.3990°N 2.9435°W / 53.3990; -2.9435
OS grid reference SJ 374 895
Location Earle Road, Edge Hill, Liverpool
Country England
Denomination Anglican
Churchmanship Central / Liberal Catholic
Website St Dunstan, Liverpool
History
Dedication Saint Dunstan
Consecrated 18 May 1889
Architecture
Status Parish church
Functional status Active
Heritage designation Grade II*
Designated 14 March 1975
Architect(s) Aldridge and Deacon
Architectural type Church
Style Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking 1886
Completed 1889
Specifications
Materials Brick, slate roof
Administration
Parish St. Luke in the City Team
Deanery Toxteth and Wavertree
Archdeaconry Liverpool
Diocese Liverpool
Province Canterbury
Clergy
Rector Revd Guy Elsmore
Vicar(s) Revd Michael Fry

The Church of St Dunstan is in Earle Road, Edge Hill, Liverpool, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Toxteth and Wavertree, the archdeaconry of Liverpool, and the diocese of Liverpool. Its benefice is united with three local parishes to form the St Luke in the City Team.[1] The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.[2]

History

The church was built between 1886 and 1889, and designed by Charles Aldridge and Charles Deacon.[3] It was built for the family of Thomas Earle, and consecrated on 18 May 1889.[4] The interior of the church was re-ordered in 1967, when an altar was placed in the nave and the north chapel was glazed in.[3]

Architecture

St Dunstan's is constructed in red Ruabon brick and has a slate roof. Its plan consists of a five bay nave with a clerestory and a northwest baptistry, north and south aisles, north and south porches, and a two-bay chancel with a north chapel and a south transept acting as an organ loft. Towards the west end of the church is a copper-covered flèche containing two-light bell openings. At the west end is the baptistry, and a west window consisting of five stepped lancets, which are flanked by octagonal turrets with pyramidal roofs containing lucarnes. In the arch above the windows are carved symbols of the Evangelists, and the figure of Christ. Along the sides of the church are lancet windows, three to each bay of the aisles, and one to each bay of the clerestory. Above the entrance to the north porch is a diapered gable containing a statue of Saint Dunstan in a niche. The east window consists of three stepped lancets.[2][3]

Inside the church the five-bay arcade is carried on round stone piers. A frieze runs along the top of the arcade. Other than the stone piers, the rest of the interior is in brick. The alabaster reredos, and the wrought iron lectern were designed by Deacon. Between the nave and the chancel is an iron screen. Also in the church are brass plaques to the memory of members of the Earle family. In the west window is stained glass by Burlison and Grylls.[2][3] The three-manual pipe organ was built in about 1880 by Henry Willis, but by 2002 it had become unplayable.[5]

West front

Commenting on the design, the description in the National Heritage List for England says it is a "severe but handsome design".[2] Pollard and Pevsner in the Buildings of England series refer to the west front as "impressive if rather curious", and say that the "interior impresses with gloomy atmosphere".[3]

Present day

As of 2013, St Dunstan's holds services every Sunday morning.[6] The church was reordered in 2014.[7]

See also

References

  1. St Dunstan, Edge Hill, Church of England, retrieved 29 March 2013
  2. 1 2 3 4 Historic England, "Church of St Dunstan, Liverpool (1068261)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 29 March 2013
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Pollard, Richard; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2006), Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 411, ISBN 0-300-10910-5
  4. The Parish of St Dunstan, Edge Hill, Lancashire OnLine Parish Clerks, retrieved 29 March 2013
  5. Lancashire (Merseyside), Liverpool, Edge Hill, St. Dunstan, Earle Road (N10819), British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 29 March 2013
  6. "Services". St Dunstan's Liverpool. Retrieved 2015-08-27.
  7. "CHURCH TO OPEN AFTER MAKEOVER. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2015-08-27.

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