St Mary’s church and its ancillary buildings form an attractive group at the heart of the Woolton Conservation Area. The church gains interest from its furnishings and decoration, as well as from its fine setting.

A Catholic church was first established in Woolton in 1765, when the Molyneux family of Woolton Hall gave funds to the Benedictines to build a priory and church on Watergate Lane. In the nineteenth century, the prosperity of the Woolton quarries led to an increase in the local Catholic population, and the original church became too small. The present building was erected in 1859-60. The presbytery was added in 1864, and the school in 1869.

Description

St Mary’s Church was designed by R. W. Hughes of Preston, and built in 1859-60. It consists of a nave with large transepts, chancel and side chapels (the list description, below, states erroneously that it has aisles, and also has an incorrect date of 1866). It is built of coursed rock-faced red sandstone, with ashlar dressings and a slate roof. The exterior is plainly treated and the window tracery is Geometric.

The aisleless interior is wide and open, with an exposed arched braced timber roof. The west entrance is at a lower level, and opens onto a staircase that leads up to the narthex, which is set below an organ and choir gallery. The timber screen is original. The sanctuary contains a fine reredos dated 1863, said to be by E. W. Pugin. The high altar, with carved scenes of the life of Christ, was detached from the reredos, which was set back against the east wall when the sanctuary was reordered in 1948-50 by Weightman & Bullen. The font has also been brought from the baptistery, and the pulpit was truncated and moved to form a lectern. The Lady Altar has scenes from the life of the Virgin.

The interior was redecorated in 1981-2 with stencilling of the roof trusses and a lily pattern on the sanctuary ceiling. The windows of the sanctuary, chapels and transepts are fitted with stained glass; the east window is dated 1878 and is characteristic of the work of Capronnier. The pine pews have recently been stripped of dark green paint and restored.

To both sides of the church are single-storey sacristies, and a long wide passageway leads from the south side (liturgically) to connect with the presbytery. The large presbytery was designed by E. W. Pugin and added in 1864. It is built of rock-faced red  sandstone, and has gabled cross wings  with shallow projections to the front facade. In the principal ground floor rooms, the original features such as fireplaces are preserved.

List descriptions

Church

G.V. II

Catholic Church. 1866. R. W. Hughes. Rock-faced stone with ashlar dressings and slate roof. Nave with aisles under lean-to roofs, chapels. Vestry to south (ritual west is actual south). West end has diagonal buttresses and entrance; 2:3:2 light pointed windows with Decorated tracery. 5-bay aisles have 2-light windows; no clerestory. North transept has 2 windows of 2 lights and rose window above, south transept has 4-light window. North gabled porch. Chancel has diagonal buttresses flanking a 5-light window. Gabled chapels have 2-light windows. Vestry has windows of one and 2 cusped lights and gable with rose window. Interior: Reredos probably by Edward Welby Pugin, East window by Capronnier, dated 1878. Listing NGR: SJ4219186823

Presbytery

G.V. II

Presbytery. 1864. Edward Welby Pugin. Rock-faced stone with ashlar dressings, slate roof with fishscale bands. 2 storeys and 3 bay, end bay project under gables. Ground floor has tripartite window to 1st bay, 2 segmental window to central bay and canted bay window to end. 1st floor end bays have windows with pointed tympana pierced by quatrefoils; central window has gablet. Corridor to left connects with church of Saint Mary (q.v.); 4 bays with windows of 3 cusped lights. Central gabled entrance. Ridge dormer with pitched roof to right hand end. Included for group value. Listing NGR: SJ4221686853

Heritage Details