Crosby United Reformed Church

Crosby United Reformed Church, originally Great Crosby Congregational Church, is on the corner of Eshe Road and Mersey Road in Great Crosby, a suburb of Liverpool, Merseyside, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.[1] It is an active congregation of the United Reformed Church.[2] The authors of the Buildings of England series, referring to the architecture of the church, say "The whole is very satisfying".[3]

Crosby United Reformed Church
Crosby United Reformed Church
Crosby United Reformed Church is located in Merseyside
Crosby United Reformed Church
Crosby United Reformed Church
Location in Merseyside
53°29′15″N 3°02′03″W / 53.4875°N 3.0343°W / 53.4875; -3.0343
OS grid referenceSJ 321 999
LocationGreat Crosby, Merseyside
CountryEngland
DenominationUnited Reformed Church
WebsiteCrosby United Reformed Church
History
Former name(s)Great Crosby Congregational Church
StatusChurch
Founded1885
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade II
Designated26 March 1973
Architect(s)Douglas & Fordham
Architectural typeChurch
StyleGothic Revival
Groundbreaking1897
Completed1898
Specifications
MaterialsSandstone, green slate roofs

History

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The church was founded in 1885 and initially met in a schoolroom. On 22 May 1897 the foundation stone for the present church was laid and the first service was held on 15 September 1898.[2] The church was designed by Douglas and Fordham and it was attached to the schoolroom.[3] In 1972 it became a United Reformed Church.[2]

Architecture

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Exterior

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The church is built in snecked red sandstone with green slate roofs in Gothic style. Its plan consists of a nave, low north and south aisles, a southeast porch, large north and south transepts, a west chancel, and a southwest choir vestry with the organ-house above it. Over the nave is a flèche.[1] The windows are lancets, apart from larger windows in the north transept and at the west end. The latter window is flanked by corner buttresses, each of which is surmounted by an octagonal turret. To the north the church is linked to a large gabled hall which was originally the schoolroom.[3]

Interior

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The roof is a hammerbeam. The reredos consists of a First World War memorial dated 1920 with gesso work by Joseph Lawton. Forming part of this memorial is the glass in the east window which is by Shrigley and Hunt. In the north aisle two windows contain stained glass by Edward Frampton.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Historic England, "Crosby United Reformed Church (1257394)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 10 July 2013
  2. ^ a b c About us, Crosby United Reformed Church, archived from the original on 25 October 2002, retrieved 22 March 2008
  3. ^ a b c d Pollard, Richard; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2006), Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 181, ISBN 0-300-10910-5