A simple church designed in 1864 by the notable Gothic Revival architect E.W. Pugin. Whilst it remains essentially intact, the original furnishings have been lost, and the interior has been altered through reordering.

The land on which St Patrick’s is built was purchased by the Bishop of Liverpool in 1856, though the church was not erected until 1865, at a cost of £300. The church hall was built in 1891 as a school for children of families involved in the boat building and local fishing industries, but a decline in the Catholic population forced its closure in 1902, when it was converted to a parish hall.

Description

The church was designed in 1864 by EW Pugin, and is one of his simplest buildings. The plan is rectangular, with a shallow projection at the west end rising up to a small bellcote. The side walls are punctuated by narrow lancet windows, with triplets of lancets in the east and west gable walls, the latter having a rose window above. The roof is supported on scissor trusses with braced uprights resting on corbels.

Following several reorderings, none of the original furnishings survive, but the existing arrangement provides a simple focus to the modest interior. At the west end a narrow space has been partitioned off to provide a narthex and confessional, and the pews come from the demolished Church of The Sacred Heart, Pulrose.

The hall, which was originally built as a school, was designed by Sinnott, Sinnott & Powell and, like the church, is a simple building inscribed with the words St Patrick’s School 1891. Both church and school are built of Creg Malin sandstone, coated with lime plaster.

Heritage Details