Bootle Church

This church is an impressive redstone building, cruciform in shape with a sturdy west tower. It is on the busy A595, which carries heavy traffic through Bootle village and is better viewed from a short distance away in order to appreciate its handsome exterior.

Map and Gallery:

 Location Map

 The ancestry of the building has not been exactly determined but it has Norman masonry in the nave. Much of what is now seen dates from Victorian restorations. The transepts are from 1837 and the tower from about 1860-1880 and it is probable that the arched entrance to the transepts also date from then.

 Entry is through the west door into the porch area at the base of the tower and through glass doors into the nave. In front of you is a long nave, leading to a chancel arch with arched bays at the entrance to the transepts and a chancel with carved oak choir stalls

 Overhead is a very high ceiling with heavy exposed beams and elaborate brass paraffin lamps, now tastefully converted to electricity. Bearing in mind that the church was completely reconstructed in Victorian times, and possibly contrary to one's expectations, there is not an excess of memorial tablets and only a limited amount of stained glass.

 This is a large building. It easily accommodates its furnishings and memorials without overcrowding. Instead there is a feeling of cohesiveness and holiness.

 Among other features of interest are:-
-- The stone font on its large plinth and with its elaborate, carved "witches hat" cover. The font is thought to be 16th century but there is some doubt as to its antiquity.

-- The long embroidered pew cushions.

-- The stained glass windows in the north and south transepts, even if only to see whether you agree with Pevsner's view that they are terrible.

-- The tablet on the south transept setting out the extra seating, including "free places", made available by the 1837 extensions. The practice of allocating pew numbers to specific families was subsequently abolished.

-- On the south wall of the chancel a small brass tablet to Sit Hugh Askew who died in 1562. He was knighted at the Battle of Musselburgh in 1547, the last battle between English and Scots in the border disputes. He lived at Seaton Hall, one mile north of Bootle, awarded to him at the time of the Reformation for his exploits at Mussleburgh and elsewhere.