The Church of St Paul, Liverpool Central in the County of -- Lancashire --

St. Paul's Church, St. Paul's Square, Liverpool Central
1769 - 1901

	St. Paul's Church, St. Paul's Square, Liverpool Central

St. Paul's Church, St. Paul's Square (the site of the present Liverpool Stadium, behind the old Exchange Station) was built under the terms of the St. John's and St. Paul's Churches Acts of 1762 and 1767 (see 'An Act for building two new churches and providing burial places within the town of Liverpoole etc. 1762, 2.Geo III, cap. 68 and 'An Act for enlarging the term and powers granted by an Act of [1762]...', 1767, 7 Geo III, cap. 80).

St. Paul's Church was completed in 1769, the architect being Timothy (sometimes gives as Thomas) Lightoler (see Howard Colvin 'A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600 - 1840', 1978, pp. 520, 521). According to the Faculty Book, 1878 - 1902 (Liverpool Record Office reference 352 CEM 1/18/1, p.121).

St. Paul's churchyard 'was closed for interments by Order in Council dated the seventh day of April One Thousand eight hundred and fifty four'. St. Paul's last burial register, 1854 - 1856, however notes that the 'Last Burial in St. Paul's [took place] on October 22nd 1856 the Burial Ground being then closed by Act of Parliament., the number of Burials - 12,333' (283 PAU 4/4).

The use of St. Paul's Church gradually declined. According to the 'Liverpool Echo', 2nd March 1931 'In the days of its prime, St. Paul's was in the fashionable centre of Liverpool, and the coaches of wealthy merchants .... would draw up at its iron gates .....' but the area had become 'desolate in a wilderness of warehouses, with the tall Georgian houses surrounding St. Paul's Square, each inhabited by two or three families ...' The church was closed in 1901. The last marriage register, 1878 - 1901 (283 PAU 3/12) refers to '.... the permanent closure of the Church of St. Paul, Liverpool, under the provisions of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Act, 1910...' The site of the church and churchyard was acquired by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Company, later part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway Company.

The site had been intended for the extension to Exchange Station but the church, now derelict was still standing in 1930. In the summer of that year the dangerous state of the church became obvious when a thirteen year old boy was killed in a fall from the roof beams of the church while searching for a pigeon's nest. The L.M.S. Railway Company gave notice of intention to pull down the church and early in 1931 St. Paul's Church was 'decently demolished' (see Liverpool Record Office Topographical News cutting: St. Paul's, St. Paul's Square).

Source

Records and History courtesy of Liverpool Record Office, Liverpool Libraries.