St Peter's Church, Liverpool


St Peter's Church was the Anglican Pro-cathedral and Parish church of Liverpool. It was erected in 1700, consecrated on 29 Jun 1704 and demolished in 1922. It was located on Church Street. Its location is now marked by a bronze Maltese cross on Church Street.

History

The first Oratorio to be performed in Liverpool was Handel's Messiah and was performed in St Peter's Church.
On 1 July 1880, J. C. Ryle was appointed as the first Bishop of Liverpool at which point St Peter's became the pro-cathedral of Liverpool.
The church was replaced as cathedral of Liverpool by the current Liverpool Cathedral.
The church's records are stored in the Liverpool Records Office.

Architecture

The building was designed by John Moffat and was erected to the South of Church Street. The architecture of the pro-cathedral was criticised for being inconsistent; each of the doorways to the church were of different designs. The church had a single tower which measured 108 feet in height, the upper part of which was octagonal in shape and contained a peal of eight bells.
The church contained an oak altar which was greatly admired. At the Eastern end was a stained glass window representing Saint Peter and at the Western end was a large organ.
The environment surrounding the church was criticised for being muddy; Church Street was not paved until 1760 and was the site of a weekly cattle market.

Gallery