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The Grade 1 listed Churches Triangle...1/3
Had the pleasure today of visiting the 3 churches in the "Grade 1 listed Churches Triangle" - St Agnes & St Pancras, St Clare and the Uniterian Chapels all off Ullett Road.
St Agnes & St Pancras church (High Anglican) was consecrated in 1885 and was built at the expense of Howard Douglas Horsfall . The building was designed by John Loughborough Pearson, who also designed Truro Cathedral. It was described by Pevsner as the most beautiful Victorian Church in Liverpool - although you wouldn't think so from the outside! From the outside it looks like a big redbrick building but on entering the church the interior is made from Caen stone. The reredos is by Nathaniel Hitch and the church features stained glass by Kempe and H W Bryans (especially the guitar playing angel!)
Its presbytery (1887) is by R Norman Shaw - who also designe Albion House in James Street (or White Star Line fame).
Some photos are attached.
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The Grade 1 listed Churches Triangle.... 2/3
The church of St Clare (Roman Catholic) built 1888-90 was built at the expense of the brothers Francis and James Reynolds. It was designed by Leonard Stokes (later to become one of the most original British architect of the early 20th century).
The exterior, like St Agnes, is built of brick and again it hides the wonders within. It is totally different from St Agnes in its white interior which gives it a light and airy feeling. The church is taller tha St Anges with exposed beams reminiscent of an upturned boat. Its reredos is a large triptych by Robert Bell and George Frampton.
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The Grade 1 listed Churches Triangle.... 3/3
The final church in the triangle is the Unitarian Chapel.
We started our tour in the Church hall then moved through the cloister into the Library, Vestry and then into the church itself.
The church was built 1896-1899 whilst the Hall and the Cloister were added in 1901. The builders were Thomas & Percy Worthington of Manchester and amongst its benefactories were famous sons of Liverpool; Holt, Booth, Brunner and Tate to name a few. The congregation moved to Ullet Road from Renshaw Street in the city centre.
The buildings are of red brick built around gardens. The church interior is sandstone, and provides a contrast to the other 2 churches in the triangle. The reredos is of the Last Supper by H.H. Martyn based on the famous Leonardo da Vinci painting.
The vestry and library have some wonderful wall and ceiling paintings by Gerald Moira commissioned by Sir John Brunner (of Brunner-Mond which later became ICI Chemicals). The paintings are extremely deorative and include the Triumph of Truth accompanied by artists, scientists, religious leaders and other seekers after truth, ancient and modern, including Moses, St Francis, Shakespeare, Aristotle, Galileo, Leonardo da Vinci, Socrates, Plato and Isaac Newton to name a few!
The hall and cloisters were given by Sir John Brunner and Henry Tate. Inside, it has an impressive timber roof and reminded me of a medieval Great Hall especially with its prominent coats of arms of Brunner and Tate and the metal work was arts and crafts style. In the Cloister are two bays with monuments take from the earlier chapel in Renshaw Street.
It was amazing to find three Grade 1 listed church buildings within a stones throw of each other. I really enjoyed taking tours of each of them in turn, and seeing how each is so so different.
Hope you enjoyed the pics!