The Church of St Thomas, Seaforth in the County of -- Lancashire --

St. Thomas's Church was built and endowed by Sir John Gladstone, a wealthy Liverpool merchant and father of William Ewart Gladstone, the four-times British Prime Minister. Sir John chose the first incumbent, and successive members of the Gladstone family took a close personal interest in the church's affairs.

The church opened for divine worship on the 6th August 1815 and was a chapel of ease to Sefton Parish Church until 1870 when St Thomas’s became a separate parish.

Built with octagonal tower containing eight pinnacles, the church was enlarged in the 1830’s to meet the needs of an expanding population. A new chancel was built in 1893 at a cost of £1,400 and consecrated by the Bishop of Liverpool on St Thomas’s day (December 21st) of the same year. The seating capacity of the church was then 1,093 persons.

However, the building declined in the twentieth century and was closed in 1976, being declared redundant in 1977 and later demolished. Following the closure, services were held in the adjacent Church Hall. Subsequently, the parish was amalgamated with a nearby living to become the combined parish of Litherland St Andrew with Seaforth St Thomas, the Church Hall of the latter being put up for sale.

Source: Liverpool Record Office, reference 283 THS