St Cuthbert's Church is an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

church in

Churchtown, Merseyside Churchtown is a suburb of Southport, Merseyside, England. Historically in Lancashire, it is surrounded by Crossens, High Park, Merseyside, High Park and Marshside, Sefton, Marshside in the ancient parish of North Meols on the northern fringe of ...

, a village that is now a suburb of

Southport Southport is a seaside resort, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. It lies on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain, West Lancashire coastal plain and the east coast of the Irish Sea, approximately north of ...

in the English county of

Merseyside Merseyside ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial and metropolitan county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south, the Wales, Welsh county of Flintshire across ...

. It is an active

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

in the

Diocese of Liverpool The diocese of Liverpool is a diocese of the Church of England in North West England. The diocese covers Merseyside north of the River Mersey, south-west Lancashire, western Greater Manchester, and part of northern Cheshire. Liverpool Cathedral ...

and the

archdeaconry An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that of mo ...

of Warrington. It has been designated a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

by English Heritage. Historically, St Cuthbert's was the parish church of the

ecclesiastical parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

North Meols North Meols () is a civil parish and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in the West Lancashire district of Lancashire, England. The parish covers the village of Banks, Lancashire, Banks and the hamlet of Hundred ...

and was within the boundaries of the historic county of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

History and administration

There has been a church on the site of St Cuthbert's since at least as far back as the time of King

Stephen Stephen or Steven is an English given name, first name. It is particularly significant to Christianity, Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; he is w ...

(d. 1154). It was the

of the

, in the historic county of

. The current church was built 1730–39 to replace the original structure, which had burned down. Alterations were made in 1806. In 1908–09, architect Isaac Taylor extensively restored the church, leaving little trace of the 1806 work. The

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

dates form this restoration. St Cuthberts is a Grade II listed building. The church has some very interesting features which include wooden carvings from St Peter's Church in Liverpool, many memorials to the Fleetwood and Hesketh families who owned most of the local area including the family seats of

Meols Hall Meols Hall is a historical manor house in Churchtown, Merseyside, dating from the 12th century with a 16th-century tithe barn restored for wedding receptions and ceremonies. History Meols Hall dates back to the late 12th century when the manor ...

in Churchtown and

Greaves Hall Greaves Hall was a country house on the outskirts of Banks, Lancashire, Banks in Lancashire, England, built in a Tudorbethan style for Sir Thomas Scarisbrick, 1st Baronet, Thomas Talbot Leyland Scarisbrick in 1900. History Thomas Scarisbrick born ...

in Banks. The stained glass windows in the church are from the 20th century. St Cuthbert's was designated a Grade II

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, a battlefield, medieval castles, Roman forts, historic industrial sites, Lis ...

on 21 September 1951. The Grade II designation—the lowest of the three grades—is for buildings that are "nationally important and of special interest". An active church in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

, St Cuthbert's is part of the

, which is in the

Province of York The Province of York, or less formally the Northern Province, is one of two ecclesiastical provinces making up the Church of England and consists of 14 dioceses which cover the northern third of England and the Isle of Man. York was elevated to ...

. It is in the

of Warrington and the

Deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of ...

of North Meols.

Tide

The sea at Southport in the past used to inundate much of what is the seafront today, and it is believed that St Cuthberts Church was constructed on a small hill which protected the church from flooding. Sea defences protect Southport and its suburbs from floods today.

The Stocks

To the left of the churchyard entrance, adjacent to the church wall on St. Cuthbert's Road, are the old village stocks which date from 1741. They have become a landmark within the village and are an original feature to the village.

Hesketh Family

The Hesketh family, who inhabit the village's manor house,

, have a family crypt at St Cuthberts.

Graves

It is believed that the founder of Southport William Sutton is buried at the church as it is the oldest church in the town.

References

;Footnotes ;Bibliography * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Churchtown, St Cuthbert's Church Anglican Diocese of Liverpool Buildings and structures in Southport Church of England church buildings in Merseyside Grade II listed churches in Merseyside