St Mary's Church, Knowsley, Gothic Revival church in Knowsley, England
St Mary's Church is a Gothic Revival church in Knowsley featuring sandstone walls and stone tile roofs, crowned by a three-stage tower with a broach spire. The building has richly decorated windows in its transepts and displays multiple memorial mosaics along the chancel walls.
The church was designed in 1843 by architect Edmund Sharpe for the 13th Earl of Derby and later enlarged by Edward Paley, who added the transepts in 1860. These expansions reflect the growing importance of the site throughout the 19th century.
The church holds a rare wooden bench dating from 1646 and royal arms from an earlier period that visitors often overlook. These preserved items show the long history of the place and its connection to local aristocratic families.
The site is listed as Grade II and holds war graves from both World Wars in its churchyard, which visitors should be aware of when exploring. Visitors should note that regular Anglican services take place here and may affect access to different parts of the building.
The chancel arch displays remarkably carved figures of Queen Victoria and the Archbishop of Canterbury positioned above decorative stone piers. This unusual combination of religious and worldly power is rarely seen in English churches.
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