Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas, Liverpool

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Building information
St Nick's
The Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas is known locally as 'The Sailors' Church' and simply 'St Nick's'.
Town	Liverpool
Country	England
Architect	Edward C. Butler (church) Thomas Harrison (tower)
Construction start date	March 1949 (church) 1811 (tower)
Completion date	1952 (church) 1815 (tower)

The Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas is the parish church of Liverpool. The site is said to have been a place of worship since at least 1257. The church is situated close to the River Mersey near the Pier Head. The Chapel of St Nicholas (Patron Saint of Sailors) was built on the site of St Mary del Quay which was considered too small for the growing borough of Liverpool in 1356.

1 St Mary del Quay
2 Protestant Reformation
3 Disaster befalls the church
4 Closure and transformation of the churchyard
5 Destruction and rebuilding of the church
6 Exterior and interior detailing
7 References
8 External links

[edit] St Mary del Quay

In 1207 Liverpool received its charter from King John. By 1257 a small stone chapel known as St Mary del Quay had been built. It probably stood near to the site of the present tower, overlooking a quay on the River Mersey. The chapel was used as the main centre of worship until 1355, when a new chapel dedicated to St Mary and St Nicholas was built on land granted to the burgesses by the Duke of Lancaster.

In 1361 a plague hit the town and the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry licensed the burial ground. The chapel itself was consecrated the following year. By the late 15th century, a north aisle, the same size as the original nave, had been added and three chantry altars had been established. Each chantry had their own priest paid for by a wealthy patron. In 1515 a fourth chantry was built.

[edit] Protestant Reformation

During the Reformation the chantries were abolished and the building was adapted in stages to suit Protestant forms of worship. Between 1673 and 1718 the building was extended piecemeal and galleries were built to seat the increasing population of Liverpool. A spire was added in 1746. In 1699 Liverpool, now with a population of about 5000 people, was created an independent parish with (unusually) two parish churches and two rectors. Our Lady and St Nicholas (the "Old Church" or St Nicks) and the new parish church of St Peter's were established as the parish churches. By the year 1865 there were 27 churches in the parish, housing around 275,000 people. Since 1916 Our Lady and St Nicholas has been the Parish Church of Liverpool. St Peter's, which was situated in Church Street, was demolished in 1922, having served as pro-cathedral for the Anglican Diocese of Liverpool.

In 1775, during discussions, the parish decided to rebuild the walls of the existing church. The galleries however were kept as the congregation paid pew rents. A new roof was set atop classical columns, which rested on medieval bases. The church now rebuilt, had walls four feet longer than the original church.

[edit] Disaster befalls the church

Over the years, as new churches were built, no opportunity was taken to replace the "Old Church" with a totally new building. Members of the church repeatedly warned that the spire was unsafe. On Sunday 11 February 1810, as the bells rang and people were gathering for the morning service, the spire crashed into the nave below, killing 25 people. Twenty one of them were under 15 years old and most were girls from Moorfields Charity School. The original ring of 6 bells dating from 1636-1724 was destroyed in the disaster

Between 1811 and 1815 a new tower and lantern was built at the north side of the church. The tower was designed by Thomas Harrison of Chester. The last remains of the original chapel of St Mary del Quay, which had been used as a tavern, were demolished. Within the tower a new ring of 12 bells was installed, cast by Dobson of Downham Market, the Tenor being recast by Warners in 1912.

The plaque in memory of James Harrison

The public gardens in the grounds of the church

[edit] Closure and transformation of the churchyard

In 1849 the churchyard was closed to burials. In 1891 it was transformed into a public garden in memory of James Harrison, whose shipping company had its offices facing the churchyard until the early 21st century. Until 1767, when Georges Dock was built, where the Liver Building now stands, the River Mersey reached the church garden walls at high tide. Also from 1758 to 1772 a battery of guns stood on an area of the burial ground (now covered by road) to defend the river. Over the years several small changes were made to the church for liturgical reasons. The most notable changes occurred between 1851 and 1852, and the Parish Centre was built in the 1920s. Apart from these changes the church remained the same between 1815 and 1940.

[edit] Destruction and rebuilding of the church

During World War II the bells were removed for safety, but were never re-hung. The main body of the church was destroyed by fire following a wartime air raid on 21 December 1940, leaving only the parish rooms, vestries and the 19th century tower. Rebuilding began in March 1949 and the church was consecrated in 18 October 1952 (the Feast of St Luke). A new ring of 12 bells was cast by John Taylor and Co. of Loughborough. The new church was designed by architect Edward C. Butler. His design prompted major changes to the church. Contrary to the common practice of placing the altar in the east end of the church, Butler placed it at the western end.

Pier Head church from the south-west.

Also unlike other churches where the pulpit is the most prominent feature, Butler focused on the Sanctuary. The old galleries, which housed the large congregation, were also absent from his designs. These major changes reflected the smaller congregations of the church. A major difference between the new and old church was the height of the nave, the new one being 46ft (14m) - taller than the previous one. Also the biggest difference is the position of the organ and Refectory, which being situated above the Narthex (entrance vestibule), reduces the seating space within the church.

[edit] Exterior and interior detailing

The exterior of the church is notable for its distinctive lantern spire which can be easily spotted from the river despite being dwarfed by many taller buildings of the city's business district. There are also some features of note within the church itself. The nave and the sanctuary house fixed woodwork carved with the vine as the dominant motif, referencing Christ: "I am the vine, you are the branches". In the south east corner of the church is a stained glass window: Our Lady stands in glory as in Revelation and St Nicholas holds a ship.

The Rood, hanging above the altar

An inscription at the top reads: "For the Healing of the Nations". A war memorial for the Cunard Steamship Company, placed in the church in 1989, is situated in the north east corner. The church organ is by Rushworth and Dreaper of Liverpool, and is dedicated to the memory of Charles W. Bridson, organist 1902-1949. Hanging between the nave and the sanctuary is The Rood, a figure of Christ with Our Lady and St John. The Rood is made from the old oak bell frame from the tower.

Charred timbers from the old church form the cross in the Chapel of St Peter

Bronze statue of Our Lady standing on the prow of a boat

At either side of the altar two chapels can be found, St Peter's on the left and St Mary's on the right. The Chapel of St Peter commemorates the old co-parish church of St Peter's, which stood on Church Street. The 18th century wooden table was once the altar there. The Sacrament is reserved here and also used for Communion services on weekdays. Charred timbers from the old church form a cross on the wall. The Maritime Chapel of St Mary del Quay was dedicated in 1993 as part of the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of The Battle of the Atlantic. It perpetuates the memory of the medieval shrine. A statue of Our Lady, cast in bronze, can be seen standing in the prow of a boat. The statue was created by Liverpool artist Arthur Dooley. The furnishings in the chapel are by Robin McGhie, and a Book of Remembrance containing the names of mariners lost at sea can also be found here.

The church is linked to the famous phrase, "I'll be waiting till Dick docks", meaning "I'll be waiting a long time". This refers to the ship the Richard Donnelly, which is said to have sunk in Liverpool Bay. Another version of this phrase is used sarcastically when an unlikely promise is made; "I'll repay that loan soon!" "Oh,yes - when Donnelly docks!" implying that the action is never going to happen at all. A representation of the ship in the form of a gilded copper weather vane can be seen on top of the tower of St Nicholas'. The weather vane measures 4ft 4 (1.3m).

The vane probably survived the fall of the tower in 1811 and was renovated before re-erection - it has a date of 1815 on the sails. There is pictorial evidence that the same design of weather vane was to be found on the Bluecoat Hospital and one of the Goree warehouses. The vane was added to the church in 1746 when the spire was built on the tower. The illustration in Enfields History of Liverpool 1773 clearly shows the ship. There is no Liverpool ship of the name of either Donnely or Richard Donnelly recorded. This has been confirmed by Mr Tibble, Director of the Liverpool Maritime Museum.Unfortunately for local mythology, there is some serious misunderstanding about vthe weather vane. The facts are as supplied by David Bazendale - the Rector's Adviser on Parish History - are as follows;

There is more information about the church and its importance in Liverpool in books "Lancashire's Historic Hall" and "Georgian Liverpool" , both by David Brazendale, and published by Carnegie.