Ullet Road Church is a Unitarian church at 57 Ullet Road, Sefton Park,

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

. Both the church and its attached hall are separately recorded in the

National Heritage List for England The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...

as designated Grade I

listed buildings In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. It was the first place of worship in the United Kingdom to register a

civil partnership A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...

for a same-sex couple. It is a member of the

General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches The General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches (GAUFCC or colloquially British Unitarians) is the umbrella organisation for Unitarian, Free Christians, and other liberal religious congregations in the United Kingdom and Irelan ...

, the

umbrella organisation An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and ofte ...

for British Unitarians.

History

The predecessors of the congregation now worshipping in Ullet Road originated from a group of Presbyterians during the later part of the 17th century, that is, in the immediate aftermath of the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. They originally gathered in a meeting house in Castle Hey, and in 1727 moved to a new chapel in Benn's Gardens. In 1811 they moved to another new chapel in Renshaw Street, and by this time had become Unitarians, as many English Presbyterians did. Despite some opposition, in 1894 the congregation decided to move to what was then a suburb of Liverpool. The architects

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

and

Percy Worthington Sir Percy Scott Worthington (31 January 1864 – 15 July 1939) was an English architect. He was born in Crumpsall, Manchester, the eldest son of the architect Thomas Worthington. He was educated at Clifton College, Bristol, and Corpus Christi Co ...

, Unitarians from

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, were commissioned to design the church and associated buildings. The church opened in June 1899, followed by the hall and other associated buildings in 1902.

Architecture

Church exterior

The church is constructed in red

Ruabon brick Ruabon ( cy, Rhiwabon ) is a village and community in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. The name comes from ''Rhiw Fabon'', ''rhiw'' being the Welsh word for "slope" or "hillside" and ''Fabon'' being a mutation from St Mabon, the original church ...

with red

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

dressings, and has roofs of

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...

slate. The interior is lined with sandstone from quarries at

Runcorn Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port in the Borough of Halton in Cheshire, England. Its population in 2011 was 61,789. The town is in the southeast of the Liverpool City Region, with Liverpool to the northwest across the River Mersey. ...

. The architectural style is Gothic Revival with Art Nouveau features. The church is aligned north–south, with the main entrance on the south side. Its plan consists of a three-bay

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex ...

(entrance hall), a seven- bay

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

with a clerestory, narrow

aisle An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, par ...

s, and a

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ov ...

with a polygonal

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...

. At the south end of the church is a three-arched structure resembling a

bellcote A bellcote, bell-cote or bell-cot is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells. Bellcotes are most common in church architecture but are also seen on institutions such as schools. The bellcote may be carried on brackets projecting from ...

, but without bells. Below the arches is a

niche Niche may refer to: Science *Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development *Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species *Niche differentiation, in ecology, the ...

containing a statue of Christ, and under this is a rose window. The bays along the sides of the church are divided by

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral ( ...

es. Each aisle bay contains a two-light window, and in each bay of the clerestory is a taller three-light window. The windows contain Decorated-style

tracery Tracery is an architectural device by which windows (or screens, panels, and vaults) are divided into sections of various proportions by stone ''bars'' or ''ribs'' of moulding. Most commonly, it refers to the stonework elements that support the ...

. The doors at the south end of the church and on the sides are in oak with beaten copper cladding in Art Nouveau style designed by Richard Llewellyn Rathbone.

Church interior

Inside the church, the nave is wide and the aisles are narrow, forming passages. The arcades are carried on round piers. The walls of the chancel curve forward to incorporate the pulpit on one side and the reading desk on the other. Above the pulpit is a sounding board, the underside of which is lined with beaten copper. On the front of the pulpit is a shield inscribed with ''Fiat Lux (

Let there be light "Let there be light" is an English translation of the biblical Hebrew , Hebrew (''yehi 'or'') found in Genesis 1:3 of the Torah, the first part of the Hebrew Bible. In Old Testament translations of the phrase, translations include the Greek l ...

)'', and on the front of the reading desk is a carved eagle. Behind the altar is a wooden reredos carved by H. H. Martyn of Cheltenham based on

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

's ''

Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art have been undertaken by artistic masters for centuries, ...

''. On each side of the chancel are finely carved wooden

choir stall A choir, also sometimes called quire, is the area of a church or cathedral that provides seating for the clergy and church choir. It is in the western part of the chancel, between the nave and the sanctuary, which houses the altar and Church tab ...

s. Above those on the east side is an elaborate

canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an ...

in memory of

Henry Tate Sir Henry Tate, 1st Baronet (11 March 18195 December 1899) was an English sugar merchant and philanthropist, noted for establishing the Tate Gallery in London. Life and career Born in White Coppice, a hamlet near Chorley, Lancashire, Tate was ...

carved by C. J. Allen. The font was also carved by Allen; it is movable and was designed by Ronald Potter Jones. When it was built, the church was wired for electricity. This supplied power for the series of copper electroliers in the nave, which are in Arts and Crafts style and made by the Artificers' Guild of London. The stained glass in the windows of the chancel, and in eight of the clerestory windows, was made by Morris & Co., based on designs by

Edward Burne-Jones Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet, (; 28 August, 183317 June, 1898) was a British painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood which included Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Millais, Ford Madox Brown and Holman ...

, and dated between 1901 and 1928. Of the later windows, two were made by

James Powell and Sons The firm of James Powell and Sons, also known as Whitefriars Glass, were London-based English glassmakers, leadlighters and stained glass window manufacturers. As ''Whitefriars Glass'', the company existed from the 17th century, but became well k ...

of Whitefriars, and a third by William Wilson of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

. The three- manual pipe organ was moved to the present church from Renshaw Street. It had been built in 1869 by William Hill and Son, and repaired between 1873 and 1883 by

Gray and Davidson Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

. It was rebuilt in 1910 by

Rushworth and Dreaper Rushworth and Dreaper was a firm of organ builders, and later general instrument suppliers associated with Paul McCartney based in Liverpool. The manufacturer was founded in 1828 by William Rushworth, operating until 2002. Upon its liquidation, ...

, and overhauled by the same firm in 1937.

Vestry and library

To the east of the chancel are the

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

and the library. These were commissioned by Sir John Brunner and contain ceiling paintings by

Gerald Moira Gerald Edward Moira (26 January 1867 – 2 August 1959) was an English painter who became best known for his murals. Gerald Moira was born in London, the son of a former Portuguese diplomat who became a miniature painter. He first exhibited at ...

. In the vestry the paintings are in four oval panels, and depict the

virtues Virtue ( la, virtus) is moral excellence. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. In other words, it is a behavior that shows high moral standard ...

of Fortitude,

Temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

, and

Charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * C ...

. The library ceiling reflects the allegory of the ''Triumph of Truth''. It depicts the images of philosophers, writers and religious figures, and incorporates a portrait of Brunner. The main figure represents Truth held by

Father Time Father Time is a personification of time. In recent centuries he is usually depicted as an elderly bearded man, sometimes with wings, dressed in a robe and carrying a scythe and an hourglass or other timekeeping device. As an image, "Father Ti ...

. Originally depicted naked, the artist was persuaded to clothe her in "classical but revealing drapery".

Hall and cloister

To the east of the library is a

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

leading to the

church hall A church hall or parish hall is a room or building associated with a church, generally for community and charitable use.

. These were designed by Percy Worthington and have been designated separately from the church at Grade I. They form an L-shaped plan, with the hall standing parallel to the church. Like the church, they are in red brick, with stone dressings and slate roofs. This part of the complex was paid for by Sir John Brunner and the son of Henry Tate. The cloister contains memorials moved from the previous chapels. They include a

bust Bust commonly refers to: * A woman's breasts * Bust (sculpture), of head and shoulders * An arrest Bust may also refer to: Places * Bust, Bas-Rhin, a city in France *Lashkargah, Afghanistan, known as Bust historically Media * ''Bust'' (magazin ...

William Roscoe William Roscoe (8 March 175330 June 1831) was an English banker, lawyer, and briefly a Member of Parliament. He is best known as one of England's first abolitionists, and as the author of the poem for children ''The Butterfly's Ball, and the G ...

by John Gibson; memorials to Edward Rathbone who died in 1834, also by Gibson; to William Rathbone, who died in 1868, by J. H. Foley; to Charles Beard, who died in 1888, by J. E. Boehm; and to William Rathbone, who died in 1902, by C. J. Allen. The hall "has the appearance of a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

banqueting hall". It is in five irregular bays; its roof is arch-braced, and it contains an arcade on its west side incorporating a large fireplace. Over the fireplace are the carved arms of the Brunner and Tate families. Rising from the centre of the open-timber roof is a lantern surmounted by a

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, fro ...

with an

ogee An ogee ( ) is the name given to objects, elements, and curves—often seen in architecture and building trades—that have been variously described as serpentine-, extended S-, or sigmoid-shaped. Ogees consist of a "double curve", the combinat ...

-shaped roof. On the south side of the hall is a canted

bay window A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room. Types Bay window is a generic term for all protruding window constructions, regardless of whether they are curved or angular, or ...

, and on the east side is a smaller circular bay window.

External features

Together, the buildings are grouped around three sides of a central garden. The authors of the ''

Buildings of England The Pevsner Architectural Guides are a series of guide books to the architecture of Great Britain and Ireland. Begun in the 1940s by the art historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner, the 46 volumes of the original Buildings of England series were publish ...

'' series comment that this gives a " collegiate feel", a reference to an architectural quadrangle. The grading citations state that they form "one of the most elaborate Non-conformist ensembles in the country". The gardens are enclosed by a wall and gates that are designated at Grade II. The walls are in brick, with a stone

plinth A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ...

coping Coping refers to conscious strategies used to reduce unpleasant emotions. Coping strategies can be cognitions or behaviours and can be individual or social. Theories of coping Hundreds of coping strategies have been proposed in an attempt to ...

and dressings. The original church entrance gates and the railings were designed by the architects, and constructed by George Wragge. The railings were removed during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. The gates were renovated and rehung in 1988, but were stolen a few weeks later.

Present day

Regular services are held in the church, and both the church and the hall are used for a variety of functions, including concerts and dances. Children are introduced to the church by a ceremony of Blessing (rather than by

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

). Weddings and funerals are arranged by the church. On 6 May 2012 it became the first place of worship in the United Kingdom to register a

for a same-sex couple.

Gallery

File:Ullet Road Unitarian Church, Liverpool (6).JPG, West front File:View towards Ullet Road Unitarian church hall.jpg, Exterior of cloister and church hall File:West window, Ullet Road church.jpg, Stained glass in western Rose window File:Nave of Ullet Road church looking to rear.jpg, Nave looking west File:Nave of Ullet Road church.jpg, Nave looking east File:Chancel of Ullet Road church.jpg, High altar, reredos Last Supper carved by H.H. Martyn of Cheltenham, stained glass designed by Edward Burne-Jones and executed by William Morris File:Northwest chancel window, Ullet Road church.jpg, NorthWest window in apse, depicting "suffer the little children". Memorial to George Melly (d. 1894) File:East window, Ullet Road church.jpg, The east window in apse, by Burne-Jones/Morris Co. depicting Jesus as the Tree of Life, surrounded by the evangelists. File:Northeast chancel window, Ullet Road church.jpg, Northeast widow in apse, by Burne-Jones/Morris Co. depicting the ascension. Memorial to George Holt (d.1896) File:Organ, Ullet Road church.jpg, The choir stalls and organ File:Font, Ullet Road church.jpg, The font File:Vestry of Ullet Road church.jpg, The Vestry File:Library of Ullet Road church 2.jpg, The Library File:Cloister of Ullet Road church 2.jpg, The Cloister File:Cloister of Ullet Road church.jpg, The Cloister File:William Roscoe memorial, Ullet Road church.jpg, Memorial to

, in cloister, carved by John Gibson File:Edward Roscoe memorial, Ullet Road church.jpg, Edward Roscoe Memorial, in cloister, by John Gibson File:William Rathbone (d. 1868) memorial, Ullet Road church.jpg,

William Rathbone V William Rathbone V (17 June 1787 – 1 February 1868) was an English merchant and politician, serving as Lord Mayor of Liverpool. Life The notability and prosperity of the Rathbone family of Liverpool was tied to the growth of that city as a ma ...

memorial in cloister, by

John Henry Foley John Henry Foley (24 May 1818 – 27 August 1874), often referred to as J. H. Foley, was an Irish sculptor, working in London. he is best known for his statues of Daniel O'Connell in Dublin, and of Prince Albert for the Albert Memorial in Lond ...

File:Henry Booth memorial, Ullet Road church.jpg, Memorial to

Henry Booth Henry Booth (4 April 1788 – 28 March 1869) was a British corn merchant, businessman and engineer particularly known as one of the key people behind the construction and management of the pioneering Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&M), the ...

, in cloister File:Charles Beard memorial, Ullet Road church.jpg, Memorial to Charles Beard, Minister of the church, in cloister, by

Joseph Edgar Boehm Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm, 1st Baronet, (6 July 1834 – 12 December 1890) was an Austrian-born British medallist and sculptor, best known for the " Jubilee head" of Queen Victoria on coinage, and the statue of the Duke of Wellington at Hyde Par ...

File:Benson Rathbone memorial, Ullet Road church.jpg, Memorial to Benson Rathbone, in cloister File:William Rathbone VI memorial, Ullet Road church.jpg, Memorial to William Rathbone VI, in cloister, by C.J. Allen

References

Bibliography

* * {{Liverpool B&S Churches in Liverpool Grade I listed buildings in Liverpool Unitarian chapels in England Liverpool, Ullet Road Unitarian Church Churches completed in 1898 Gothic Revival church buildings in England Gothic Revival architecture in Merseyside 17th-century Protestant churches Art Nouveau architecture in Liverpool Art Nouveau church buildings in the United Kingdom 1898 establishments in England