Church of St Luke, Liverpool

St Luke's Church, more commonly known by locals as the bombed-out church, is a former Anglican parish church in Liverpool, England. It stands on the corner of Berry Street and Leece Street, at the top of Bold Street.

The church was built between 1811 and 1832, and was designed by John Foster, Sr. and John Foster, Jr., father and son who were successive surveyors for the municipal Corporation of Liverpool. In addition to being a parish church, it was also intended to be used as a venue for ceremonial worship by the corporation and as a concert hall.

The church was badly damaged by bombs during the Liverpool Blitz in 1941 and has been a roofless shell ever since, giving rise to its nickname. It now stands as a memorial to those who died in the war, and has also been hired as a venue for exhibitions and events. The church and its surrounding walls, gates, and railings are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated Grade II* listed buildings.

History

left|thumb|Engraving of St. Luke's Church after completion in 1832.

The site for the church was given by Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby in 1791 on the condition that the land should never be used for any other purpose than that of a church. Building work, supervised by Foster, progressed slowly, and during this time the plans were amended to make the building suitable both as a ceremonial place of worship for members of the corporation, and also for use as a concert hall. The building was finally completed in 1832. Between 1864 and 1873, minor alterations were made to the church by W. & G. Audsley. The church was designated as a Grade II* listed building on 28 June 1952. This is the middle of the three grades, which is defined by English Heritage as containing "particularly important buildings of more than special interest".

Present day

From 2007 to 2014, Urban Strawberry Lunch organised the day-to-day maintenance of St Lukes and coordinated exhibitions and events inside the grounds. In addition to this, they arranged showings of films, and many dance, poetry, and drama performances.

In 2014, Ambrose Reynolds, former artistic director for Urban Strawberry Lunch, joined other members of the community to create a new organisation, 'Bombed Out Church'; named after the building's colloquial name. They have since continued the work started by USL, maintaining the church as a creative hub for the local community.

Since 1981, the bombed out church has been commemorated in the name of the local Church of England parish: , the St Luke-in-the-City team parish consists of St Bride's Church, Liverpool; the Church of St Dunstan, Liverpool; St Michael-in-the-City; and OpenTable, an LGBTQIA+ fresh expression.

Architecture

Lost features

Originally there were two aisles, and the nave had a groined ceiling, which was "richly ornamented". There was a ring of eight bells, cast in 1818 by William Dobson of Downham Market at a cost of £645 (). As a result of the fire in 1941, five of the bells fell from the tower and the other three were badly cracked. The clock, made by Roskell's of Derby, also fell to the ground.

Remaining structure

thumb|right|View east along the nave

St Luke's is constructed in ashlar sandstone, and is in Perpendicular style. Its plan currently consists of a five-bay nave, a four-bay chancel with an apsidal end, and a west tower. There are porches in the angles between the tower and the nave, and between the nave and the chancel. The tower is in three stages, with polygonal buttresses at the corners. The bottom stage of the tower contains a west entrance. In the middle stage, on all sides, are three-light windows, a traceried frieze, and a clock face. In the top stage are four-light windows under ogival hood moulds. At the summit of the tower is a battlemented parapet, with flat-headed pinnacles at the corners. Within the tower is the surviving cast iron bell frame, made in 1828 by George Gilliband.

External features

thumb|right|[[Christmas truce sculpture]]

The area around the church has never been used for burials, and was laid out as a garden in 1885. In the churchyard is the Irish Famine Memorial, sculpted by Éamonn O'Docherty, which has been erected to commemorate those who died as a result of the Irish Famine in the middle of the 19th century. It was opened by the President of Ireland in 1998, and carries inscriptions in Gaelic and in English.

There is also a Christmas truce sculpture (2014), known as "All Together Now" by Andy Edwards in the garden, depicting a British and German soldier commencing a football game at Christmas 1914.

References

External links

The History of St Luke's Bombed Out Church
Short article in the Liverpool Echo
Calendar of events
Photographs from Liverpool Pictorial