St Michael's Church is in Church Road, Garston, a district of

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...

, England. It is an active

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

in the deanery of Liverpool South Childwall, the archdeaconry of Liverpool, and the

diocese of Liverpool The diocese of Liverpool is a diocese of the Church of England in North West England. The diocese covers Merseyside north of the River Mersey, south-west Lancashire, western Greater Manchester, and part of northern Cheshire. Liverpool Cathedral ...

. The church is recorded in the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, ...

as a designated Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. It is located on an industrial site between

gas holder A gas holder or gasholder, also known as a gasometer, is a large container in which natural gas or town gas (coal gas or formerly also water gas) is stored near atmospheric pressure at ambient temperatures. The volume of the container follows t ...

s and a railway.

History

The first church on the site was built in 1225, and the second in 1715. The present church was built between 1875 and 1877 and was designed by Thomas D. Berry and Son. The church has a historical connection with the Norris and the Watt families of

Speke Hall Speke Hall is a wood-framed wattle-and-daub Tudor manor house in Speke, Liverpool, England. It is one of the finest surviving examples of its kind. It is owned by the National Trust and is a Grade I listed building. History Construction o ...

Architecture

Exterior

St Michael's is built in buff rock-faced yellow

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

with red

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

dressings and

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

roofs. Its plan consists of a

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

with a

clerestory A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...

, north and south

aisle An aisle is a linear space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, in buildings such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, parliaments, courtrooms, ...

s under lean-to roofs, a south porch, north and south

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

s, a

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

with an

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

and chapels, and a northwest tower. The tower has angle

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...

es, and a north entrance with a

crocket A crocket (or croquet) is a small, independent decorative element common in Gothic architecture. The name derives from the diminutive of the Old French ''croc'', meaning "hook", due to the resemblance of a crocket to a bishop's Shepherd's crook, ...

ed hood, over which is a two-light window. Above this are clock faces on three sides, three bell openings, a

frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...

, a

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed Grotesque (architecture), grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from ...

s, and an

embattled A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals t ...

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/brea ...

. At the west end is a three-light window containing

Geometrical Geometry (; ) is a branch of mathematics concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. Geometry is, along with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. A mathematician w ...

tracery Tracery is an architectural device by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone ''bars'' or ''ribs'' of moulding. Most commonly, it refers to the stonework elements that support th ...

, and along the sides of the aisles and clerestory are two-light windows. The windows in the transepts have four lights, and those in the chapels have three lights. The chapel and the porch are

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

Interior

In the church, the

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a Church (building), church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular a ...

has panels containing

opus sectile ''Opus sectile'' is a form of '' pietra dura'' popularized in the ancient and medieval Roman world where materials were cut and inlaid into walls and floors to make a picture or pattern. Common materials were marble, mother of pearl, and gla ...

and

mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

. Around the church are

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...

designed as a frieze by May L. G. Cooksey. In the chancel are windows containing stained glass dated 1886 by

Shrigley and Hunt Shrigley and Hunt was an English firm which produced stained-glass windows and art tiles. History The business began in the 1750s when Shrigley's was a painting, carving and gilding firm in Lancaster, Lancashire. In 1868, control of Shrigley' ...

. The original two- manual

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

was built by Franklin Lloyd. It has been superseded by another two-manual organ, this installed by

Rushworth and Dreaper Rushworth and Dreaper was a firm of organ builders, and later general instrument suppliers associated with Paul McCartney, based in Liverpool. The manufacturer was founded in 1828 by William Rushworth (organ builder), William Rushworth. In th ...

in 1938, and rebuilt by the same company in 1967.

Stained Glass

There are nine stained glass windows of which five memorialise members of the Lightbody family situated at the east end of the church behind the altar - from left to right: Stained glass window commemorating John Lightbody at Garston

No.2 "To the glory of God & in loving remembrance of John Lightbody Born Aug 3rd 1817 Died Jan 22nd 1880: Stained glass window where the middle panel commemorates Robert Lightbody

Stained glass window where the middle panel commemorates Robert Lightbody

No.5 " Robert Lightbody born Jan 27th 1802 Died July 5, 1874 Erected by his children": Stained glass window commemorating Mary Ann Lightbody at Garston

Stained glass window commemorating Mary Ann Lightbody at Garston

No.7 "To the Glory of God & in grateful remembrance of Mary Ann Lightbody": No.8 "Donor of the peal of Bells & otherwise a liberal benefactor of Garston Church. A generous patroness of every benevolent movement in the neighbourhood & a constant friend & helper of the poor & distressed": No.9 "Born Sept 9th 1806 Died Sept 14th 1884. This window was erected by Public Subscription." Description of the memorial tablets in St Michaels Church Garston

Description of the memorial tablets in St Michaels Church Garston

John, Robert & Mary Ann were children of John Lightbody (1767-1848) & Harriet Hughes (1778-) of Birchfields, Upper Islington, Liverpool & Garston. Robert's contributions to geology & palaeontology in Ludlow are mentioned on the Robert Lightbody Wikipedia page and recorded in Ludlow Museum. John Lightbody (1767-1848) (known at the time as John Lightbody Junior) and his sons John Lightbody (1817-1880) & Robert Lightbody (1802-1874) and his grandson John Henry Lightbody were all members of The Athenaeum in Liverpool.

Bells

There is a

ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

of eight bells, cast by

John Warner & Sons John Warner and Sons was a metalworks and bellfoundry based in various locations in the UK, established in 1739 and dissolved in 1949. Previous businesses A company was founded by Jacob Warner, a Quaker, in 1739 and originally produced water p ...

in 1877 and 1878. The bells were the gift of Miss Mary Ann Lightbody of Garden Cottage, The Avenue, Garston. They were opened Easter Monday April 22, 1878. The Tenor bears the inscription "In memory of John Lightbody who died 1848 aged 80 years". John Lightbody was Mary Ann's father. The bells were retuned and rehung in 1996 as recorded on this plaque but sadly the original donation by Mary Ann Lightbody and memorialisation of the bells to John Lightbody seem to have been forgotten. As the bells were retuned but not recast it is not known whether or not the original inscription on the tenor to John Lightbody subsists. StMichaelsGarstonBells

The bells in memory of John Lightbody were retuned and rehung

There is also a Sanctus bell of 1882 by the same company.

External features

In the churchyard is a shaft, dating possibly from the 17th century, and maybe part of a

sundial A sundial is a horology, horological device that tells the time of day (referred to as civil time in modern usage) when direct sunlight shines by the position of the Sun, apparent position of the Sun in the sky. In the narrowest sense of the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garston, St Michael's Church Churches in Liverpool Grade II listed buildings in Liverpool Grade II listed churches in Merseyside Anglican Diocese of Liverpool Church of England church buildings in Merseyside Gothic Revival church buildings in England Gothic Revival architecture in Merseyside Churches completed in 1877