Wallasey Memorial Unitarian Church
Encyclopedia
Wallasey Memorial Unitarian Church is a redundant church
in Manor Road, Liscard
, Wallasey
, Wirral
, England . It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Historic Chapels Trust.
; 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. The church has been repaired and its facilities upgraded, assisted by a grant of £218,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund
. 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.
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
. The interior is "a rare, remarkable, example of English Arts and Crafts furnishing in a Nonconformist
chapel". 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
. Ironwork, including the electric light fittings, was designed by Walter Gilbert
, who also made copper panels for the lectern
.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
in Manor Road, Liscard
Liscard
Liscard is an area of the town of Wallasey, in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The most centrally located of Wallasey's townships, it is the main shopping area of the town, with many shops located in the Cherry Tree Shopping Centre...
, Wallasey
Wallasey
Wallasey is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, in Merseyside, England, on the mouth of the River Mersey, at the northeastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula...
, Wirral
Wirral Peninsula
Wirral or the Wirral is a peninsula in North West England. It is bounded by three bodies of water: to the west by the River Dee, forming a boundary with Wales, to the east by the River Mersey and to the north by the Irish Sea. Both terms "Wirral" and "the Wirral" are used locally , although the...
, England . It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Historic Chapels Trust.
History
The church was built in 1898–99, and was designed by Edmund Waring and Edmund Rathbone. Its patron was Martha Elam, a local wealthy UnitarianUnitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
; 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
Country Life (magazine)
Country Life is a British weekly magazine, based in London at 110 Southwark Street, and owned by IPC Media, a Time Warner subsidiary.- Topics :The magazine covers the pleasures and joys of rural life, as well as the concerns of rural people...
, and 1995 the building was taken over by the Historic Chapels Trust. It reopened in October 2002. The church has been repaired and its facilities upgraded, assisted by a grant of £218,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
. 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.
Architecture
The church is constructed in brick with stone dressings and has a tile roof. It is in Arts and CraftsArts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
style. The church is rectangular in shape in six bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
with a narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
. On its left is the church hall and a vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
, and on its right is a library. Also on the left is a porch with an octagonal turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
. The interior is "a rare, remarkable, example of English Arts and Crafts furnishing in a Nonconformist
Nonconformism
Nonconformity is the refusal to "conform" to, or follow, the governance and usages of the Church of England by the Protestant Christians of England and Wales.- Origins and use:...
chapel". Its fittings were designed by Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
craftsmen from the Bromsgrove Guild
Bromsgrove Guild
The Bromsgrove Guild of Applied Arts was a company of modern artists and designers associated with the Arts and Crafts Movement, founded by Walter Gilbert. The guild worked in metal, wood, plaster, bronze, tapestry, glass and other mediums....
. These include Bernard Sleigh
Bernard Sleigh
Bernard Sleigh was an English mural painter, stained-glass artist, illustrator and wood engraver, best known for his work An Ancient Mappe of Fairyland, Newly Discovered and Set Forth which is in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.-Education and work:Sleigh was apprenticed to a wood...
who painted the panels on the ends of the choirstalls, communion table and pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
, and Benjamin Creswick
Benjamin Creswick
-Life:Benjamin Creswick was born in Sheffield, the son of a spectacle-maker. He started his working life as a knife-grinder, but took up sculpture with the encouragement of John Ruskin. In 1887 he modelled a terracotta frieze showing the processes of knife-grinding for the exterior of Cutlers'...
who carved the figures on the choirstalls. The reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
was designed by Harold Rathbone and contains panels of Della Robbia Pottery
Della Robbia Pottery
The Della Robbia Pottery was a ceramic factory founded in 1894 in Birkenhead, England.-Founders:The business was started by Harold Steward Rathbone and Conrad Gustave d'Huc Dressler...
, manufactured in Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
. Ironwork, including the electric light fittings, was designed by Walter Gilbert
Walter Gilbert (sculptor)
Walter Gilbert was an English sculptor.-Biography:Walter Gilbert was born in Rugby, England. He studied at the Birmingham Municipal School of Art under Benjamin Creswick in the early 1890s....
, who also made copper panels for the lectern
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
.