St Peter's Church, Liverpool
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{not to be confused|St Peter's Church, Woolton, Liverpool}}
{{Infobox church
| name = St Peter's Church, Liverpool
| image = File:St Peter's Church, Church Street, Liverpool.jpg
| caption = St Peter's Church in 1922.
| pushpin map = United Kingdom Liverpool Central
| map caption = Location within Liverpool.
| coordinates = {{coord|53|24|18.4626|N|2|59|3.9103|W|display=inline,title}}
| height = {{convert|108|ft|m|abbr=on}}{{Cite web |title=B&W Picture Place: St. Peter's Church, Liverpool |author= |work=chesterwalls.info |date= |access-date=9 July 2022 |url= https://chesterwalls.info/gallery/stpeter.html}}
| location = Liverpool
| country = England
| denomination = Church of England
| consecrated date = 29 June 1704
| functional status = Demolished
| architect = John Moffat
| construction cost = £3,500
| demolished date = 1922
| tower quantity = 1
}}
St Peter's Church was the Anglican pro-cathedral and parish church of Liverpool. It was erected in 1700,{{cite book |last1=Young|first1=Henry S.|last2=Young|first2=Harold E.|date=1913|title=Bygone Liverpool|url=https://archive.org/stream/bygoneliverpool00muiruoft#page/136/mode/2up|location=Liverpool|publisher=Henry Young And Sons|page=49}} consecrated on 29 June 1704, and demolished in 1922. It was located on Church Street.{{cite web |url=http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Liverpool/Liverpool-Central/stpeter/|title=St Peter's Church, Church St, Liverpool 1704 - 1919|author=Lancashire OnLine Parish Clerks|website=Lancashire OnLine Parish Clerks|publisher=Lancashire OnLine Parish Clerks|access-date=30 December 2016}} Its location is now marked by a bronze Maltese cross on Church Street.{{cite web |url=https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.4052244,-2.9842096,3a,15y,192.46h,71.95t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s_Xp4XUSHQ-x195JkIZ4XnA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656|title=Church St - Google Maps|author= |date=Jun 2014|website=Google Maps|access-date=30 December 2016}}
History
The first oratorio to be performed in Liverpool was Handel's Messiah, which took place in St Peter's Church.
On 1 July 1880, J. C. Ryle was appointed as the first Bishop of Liverpool, at which point St Peter's became the pro-cathedral of Liverpool.
The church was later replaced as the cathedral of Liverpool by the current Liverpool Cathedral.
The church's records are stored in the Liverpool Records Office.{{cite web |url=http://archive.liverpool.gov.uk/CalmView/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=283+PET&pos=15|title=St. Peter's Church, Church Street|author= |website=Liverpool Records Office|publisher=Liverpool Records Office|access-date=30 December 2016}}
Architecture
File:St Peter's Church, Liverpool - W.H. Watts & W. Green (1800).png
The building was designed by John Moffat and was erected to the south of Church Street. The architecture of the pro-cathedral was criticized for being inconsistent, as each of the doorways to the church featured different designs. The church had a single tower that measured 108 feet (33 meters) in height, with the upper part being octagonal in shape and containing a peal of ten bells.
The church contained an oak altar that was greatly admired.{{cite book|date=1834|title=The Picture Of Liverpool|url=https://archive.org/stream/pictureofliverpo00unse#page/110/mode/2up|location=Liverpool|publisher=Thomas Taylor|page=110}} At the eastern end was a stained glass window representing Saint Peter, and at the western end was a large organ.
The environment surrounding the church was criticized for being muddy; Church Street was not paved until 1760 and was the site of a weekly cattle market.
Closure and demolition
File:St Peter's church marker, Church Street, Liverpool.jpg
By the early 20th century, it was felt that Liverpool deserved a more significant building as its cathedral. Construction on the new Liverpool Cathedral commenced in 1904, and by 1922, St Peter's Church was deemed obsolete. The building was slated for demolition, which also allowed for the widening of Church Street.{{sfn|Pye|2017|p=134}} The last service took place in the church in September 1919 before demolition began,{{sfn|Collard|2016|p=86}} which was completed on 23 October 1922.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ov7GBwAAQBAJ |title=SAGUS Vol 3 Oxford to Liverpool 1918 - 1930 |page=43 |author=Kitty Martin |publisher=Graham M Thomas |year=2015}} That same year, construction of a new Woolworths store commenced, designed by William Priddle, and the store opened in August 1923.{{sfn|Collard|2016|p=86}}
Today, the only indications that a church once stood at the site are the name of the street and a brass Maltese cross set in the granite pavement, placed at the precise location of the doors of the former church.{{sfn|Pye|2017|p=134}}
References
Citations
{{Reflist}}
Sources
- {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SmbWDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT86 |title=Liverpool in 50 Buildings |first=Ian |last=Collard |publisher=Amberley Publishing |year=2016 |isbn=9781445658964}}
- {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=93nLDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT134 |title=A-Z of Liverpool |first=Ken |last=Pye |publisher=Amberley Publishing |year=2017 |isbn=9781445666815}}
External links
- [http://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Liverpool/Liverpool-Central/stpeter/ Lancashire OnLine Parish Clerks]
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yngcIArssSM The 1,375 lost gravestones from St Peter's Church]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Peter's Church, Liverpool}}
Category:Destroyed churches in England
Category:Demolished buildings and structures in Liverpool
Category:Churches completed in 1700
Category:1700 establishments in England