Church of St Vincent de Paul, Liverpool

The Church of St Vincent de Paul is a Roman Catholic parish church in St James Street, Liverpool, England. It is an active parish church in the Archdiocese of Liverpool and the Pastoral Area of Liverpool South.[1] The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.[2]

Church of St Vincent de Paul, Liverpool
Church of St Vincent de Paul, Liverpool, from the north
Church of St Vincent de Paul, Liverpool
Location in Central Liverpool
OS grid referenceSJ 350 894
LocationSt James Street, Liverpool
CountryEngland
DenominationRoman Catholic
History
StatusParish church
DedicationSaint Vincent de Paul
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade II*
Designated14 March 1975
Architect(s)E. W. Pugin
Architectural typeChurch
StyleGothic Revival
Groundbreaking1856
Completed1857
Specifications
MaterialsStone, slate roofs

History

The church was designed by E. W. Pugin and built between 1856 and 1857. In 1927 a marble front was added to the high altar.[3]

Architecture

Exterior

Constructed in stone, in the style of the 13th century, the church has slate roofs. Its plan consists of a six-bay nave with a clerestory, north and south aisles, and a two-bay chancel with north and south chapels.[2] On the west gable is a delicate open timber bellcote, which is described in the Pevsner Architectural Guide as the "most striking" external feature of the church.[3] The west front has a pair of arched doorways under a larger arch containing a roundel. Above this is an eight-light window. The west front is flanked by large buttresses rising higher than the eaves. Along the sides of the clerestory are four-light windows. On the sides of the chancel are dormers, and the east window has nine lights.[2]

Interior

Inside the church the five-bay arcades are carried on octagonal piers with capitals deeply carved with foliage.[3] There are also arcades between the chancel and the chapels. The south aisle contains confessionals. There are marble altars in the chancel and the chapels, each with a reredos.[2] The reredos in the chancel was designed by Pugin in 1867; it is in richly carved alabaster, and contains statues in niches.[3] In each chapel are three statues in canopied niches. Stretching across the whole church is a continuous marble altar rail.[2] The east window contains stained glass dating from 1925.[3]

External features

To the north of the church is the presbytery, built at about the same time as the church. It is constructed in brick and stone, and has a slate roof. It is in Gothic Revival style, with two storeys, gabled attics and tall chimneys. It is in four bays, and has an oriel window. The other windows are mullioned. The presbytery is listed at Grade II.[4]

See also

References
  1. Liverpool South, Archdiocese of Liverpool, archived from the original on 5 May 2013, retrieved 24 April 2013
  2. Historic England, "Roman Catholic Church of Saint Vincent de Paul, Liverpool (1361682)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 24 April 2013
  3. Sharples, Joseph; Pollard, Richard (2004), Liverpool, Pevsner Architectural Guides, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 208, ISBN 0-300-10258-5
  4. Historic England, "Saint Vincent de Paul Presbytery, Liverpool (1209907)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 24 April 2013
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