OS grid reference SJ 321 886 Denomination Roman Catholic Opened 1837 Architectural style Neoclassical architecture | Country England Status Parish church Phone +44 151 647 9124 Architect Matthew Ellison Hadfield | |
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Location Grange Road, Birkenhead, Wirral, Merseyside Website St Werburgh & St Laurence Church, Birkenhead Address St Werburghs Square, Birkenhead CH41 2XZ, UK Similar Christ Church - Birkenhead, St Werburgh's Church, Birkenhead Central railway st, Flaybrick Hill Cemetery, Green Lane railway st | ||
St Werburgh's Church is in Grange Road, Birkenhead, Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is an active Roman Catholic church in the diocese of Shrewsbury. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.
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History
The church was built between 1835 and 1837, and was opened on 15 August 1837. The Neoclassical design of the church is usually attributed to M. E. Hadfield, although an alternative suggested accreditation is to John Smith of Liverpool. The church was damaged by bombing in 1941 when a nearby school was destroyed. In March 1995 the neighbouring church of St Laurence closed. The parish of St Laurence has been combined with that of St Werburgh to form the parish of St Werburgh and St Laurence.
Architecture
St Werburgh's is constructed in pink ashlar sandstone with Welsh slate roofs. Its basement is rusticated. At the west and east ends are full-height angle pilasters, and a pediment with a cross on the apex. Protruding from the west end is a porch with a flat roof and a south doorway. On the north wall of the church are windows in flat entablatures with scrolled brackets. Protruding from the north wall are two confessionals. The nave is in five bays, and the interior of the church has been re-ordered.
Presbytery
Attached to the south of the church is a presbytery. This is built in the same style and in the same materials as the church. It is in two storeys and has a double-depth plan, with a central entrance hall. The windows are replaced sashes. The presbytery is also listed at Grade II.