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About this place
St Joseph's Church in Blundellsands is a Grade II listed Catholic church on Warren Road in Crosby, Merseyside, in north-west England. It makes a quiet stop for anyone interested in Victorian church architecture and the history of Liverpool's coastal suburbs.
How did Blundellsands get a Catholic church?
From the 1850s Blundellsands grew into a prosperous suburb of Liverpool. The Blundell family of Crosby Hall, who were Catholic, drove its development. In 1885 Colonel Blundell and his sister Frances gave £1,000 towards a new church, and the commission went to the architect A. E. Purdie. Construction is dated to 1885-6.
What does the building look like?
The church is built of sandstone rubble under slate roofs, in the Early English style. The plan has a nave with north and south aisles. At the west end of the north aisle sit a porch and a small turret, while the south side has a diagonal porch and an apsidal chapel at the west end. Each bay of the nave has a quatrefoil clerestory window.
What happened later?
Father Cahill, the third priest-in-charge, arrived in 1890 and built the neighbouring presbytery the following year. In 1892 an east window showing scenes from the life of St Joseph was installed, based on designs by Hardman & Powell. Archbishop Whiteside formally opened the church on 15 September 1907, when the alabaster high altar was also unveiled.
Why visit?
According to the Taking Stock survey of Liverpool Archdiocese churches, this is Purdie's only church in the archdiocese, even though he worked widely for the Catholic Church. Architecture fans therefore get a rare chance to see his work in one place. Nearby stands St Mary's in Little Crosby, also linked to the Blundells and built in 1845-7.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the church? On Warren Road in Blundellsands, part of Crosby in the Sefton borough of Merseyside.
Who designed it? The architect A. E. Purdie, in 1885-6.
What style is it? Early English Gothic, in sandstone with slate roofs.
Is it a listed building? Yes, it is listed at Grade II.
Who funded the building? Colonel Blundell and his sister Frances, of the Blundell family of Crosby Hall, gave a significant donation.
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