Church of Our Lady and St Nicholas, Liverpool

Image: © David Dixon Taken: 27 Apr 2015

The Church of Our Lady and St Nicholas with a backdrop of modern tower buildings in Liverpool's business district. The Church of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas is the Anglican 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 in 1355 was determined to be too small for the growing borough of Liverpool. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building (English Heritage Building ID: 213868 http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-213868-church-of-our-lady-and-st-nicholas-#.VUKmsmd0x_s British Listed Buildings). The church was once the tallest building in Liverpool at 53 metres from 1813–1868 when surpassed by the Welsh Presbyterian Church in Toxteth. The tower is now the oldest part, built 1811-15 in Decorated Gothic style. The exterior of the church is notable for its distinctive lantern spire, which can be easily spotted from the river, despite being overshadowed by many taller buildings of the city's business district. This spire is surmounted by a ship’s weather vane. The main body of the church was destroyed by fire following an air raid on 21 December 1940, so that the rest of the church dates from 1952 having been rebuilt in Perpendicular Gothic style.

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