A design-and-build church of the 1970s.

Whiston originated as a mining village on the edge of the Lancashire coalfield. It now has a predominantly twentieth century and suburban character, merging with Rainhill and Prescot. The church of St Leo was built in the mid-1970s to serve the expansion towards Prescot; it was consecrated in 1977. The church is of modest size, rectangular on plan with wall-cladding of brown and red brick and a pyramidal roof with concrete tile roof coverings and a small copper spirelet at the apex. Inside the four principal laminated wooden roof trusses are exposed, the walls are of bare brick walls on three sides with plain plastered walls at the ‘east’ end and in the small sanctuary area. The ceiling between the main trusses is plastered ceiling with the purlins exposed. The windows are on the liturgical north wall, which is the entrance side. There are no fittings of special interest.

Heritage Details