Exterior of the Church 1873
This church which has been erected by the members of , and is the only place of worship in this town connected with the Society of Jesus, is now so far completed that it is proposed to open it on Monday week December 4th for Divine service. The building was commenced early in March 1843, and the projectors have struggled since that time during seasons of great stress but by great perseverance the work is now far advanced and when completed will form a splendid monument of of the piety and zeal of that body of Christians to who it belongs. The church is an exceedingly splendid one and will be a great ornament to the town. A Lecturer at the Collegiate Institution some time ago said it was the noblest specimen of ecclesiastical architecture which Liverpool possessed
The architect is Mr SCOLES of London and the work has been superintended by Mr HILDICK of this town. The building is of the style of the early decorated Gothic period and is erected of blue limestone, hammer dressed and coursed, the quoins, tracery etc.being of beautiful freestone. The church is 150 ft long by 60 ft wide. The nave is 30 feet wide, the side aisles 15 feet wide each,. The roof is supported on each side of the aisle by seven pillars of beautifully polished Drogheda limestone. It is worthy of notice that although the weight of the pillars have to support is great such is the quality of the stone that the diameter necessary is only two feet. The pillars rest on circular pedestals and have ornamental capitals of freestone. The roof which is oak panelling is fifty feet high.
The body of the church is lighted by means of eighteen windows. At the north end of the nave there is a splendid window in the form called St Catherine’s Wheel and the whole of the gables are finished with beautiful crosses, richly carved in stone. The chancel at the south is lighted by three large windows. The interior walls are dressed with freestone and at the east side there are fourteen apartments or vestries to be used as confessionals. At the north-west corner there will be a gallery for the choir and for the present an organ will be temporarily fitted. The church is calculated to hold from 1,500 to 1,800 persons
At the north-west corner stands an immense tower eighty feet high. The top is finished with open tracery or battlements and here the spring of the spire commences. The spire will also be eighty feet in height but it’s erection will be delayed for some time . The principal front is in Salisbury street and the north door faces a new street (Haigh street) The whole building will be enclosed by means of a stone wall and railings
“……The floors, except where the nave benches had been laid o a wooden flooring were of stone flags: the side aisle benches rested on tiles: all the windows down the passages and in the chancel were of a greenish tint: no altars had as yet been erected, though Mr SCOLES had designed all the details which time alone would see carried out. Not even the temporary High Altar had been delivered by the date of opening and a dresser had to be substituted in a hurry.
The day of the opening was December 4th 1848 – the transferred feast of St Francis Xavier owing to the 3rd December being the first Sunday in Advent. And it rained torrents which considerably lessened the anticipated attendance. Solemn High Mass was celebrated in the presence of the Rev. Dr BROWN, the sermon being preached by Fr. William COBB SJ. In the evening Vespers were chanted and an eloquent sermon was preached by Fr Andrew BANNON SJ. But on Sunday 8th December the weather was clement and the church was packed for similar services, when both Father CARROLL and Fr SUMNER preached for the first time. The spiritual work ha now begun and the first baptism took place on 17th December at an adapted font which had bee placed where today stands the pieta. The name of the boy baby first baptised in this church was Richard COLLARD of Everton Village, who ha been born on the 10th December”
The people who joined together to form the St Francis Xavier Society and collected monies towards the building of the church are listed on the following webpage
Collectors and Members of St Francis Xavier Society 1840
Fascinating book about the History of the parish of St Francis Xavier written by Johnny Kennedy
Caryl Williams 1998-2008 www.old-liverpool.co.uk Old Liverpool