Description

BIRKENHEAD

SJ28NE ST JAMES'S ROAD
789-1/3/143 Church of St James
28/03/74

GV II

Parish church. Begun 1845 by C.E.Lang, finished 1858 by Walter
Scott. Coursed and squared rubble with Welsh slate roof. Nave
with two aisles, transepts and chancel, north-west tower and
spire. Early English style. Buttressed western gable with 6
arcaded lancets, alternately blind and glazed. Rose window
over with chevron moulding. 3-stage tower with clasping
buttresses terminating in pilaster-shafts at upper level.
North doorway with paired shafts. Lancet windows above, and
triple-arched bell chamber lights. Corbel table. Spire with
lucarnes. Gabled porch to south west, with steep moulded arch
with paired shafts. 5-bay aisle divided by gabletted
buttresses, with wide lancet windows with shafts. Triple
lancet windows to clerestory. Plain corbel table over aisle
and clerestory. Paired lancets with shafts and quatrefoil over
to transept. North aisle and transept similarly detailed. East
walls of transepts have raking arcaded trefoiled windows to
former gallery, and flying buttresses to nave. Chancel divided
by buttresses into 3 unequal bays with paired plain lancets. 3
stepped lancets to east window. Interior: Nave arcade of 5
bays with cylindrical shafts with alternately ring moulded and
foliate capitals. Heavily moulded arches. Clustered shafts to
transept arch and eastern responds. Pilasters support main
roof trusses which are scissor braced with side purlins.
Paired trusses to west, and to each side of transepts.
Clustered shafts to chancel arch. Octagonal stone pulpit with
enriched foiled panels. Oak reredos with central traceried
niche housing cross flanked by paired traceried panels with
angels on riddle posts, and surmounted by enriched frieze. Oak
reredos to altar in south transept dated 1913 and removed from
St Mary's church (q.v.). Marble font, a circular basin with
squared shafts at cardinal points mounted on mosaic floor. Oak
screen along west wall with coving and foliate frieze. Copper
light fittings in nave. Stained glass in east window, Jones
and Willis, 1913, figures of Saints James and John either side
of Christ.
(The Buildings of England: Pevsner N and Hubbard E: Cheshire:
Harmondsworth: 1971-).

Listing NGR: SJ2968989970

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St James' Church, Birkenhead at Wikipedia
• St James' Church, Birkenhead official website
• Wikidata Q15979367

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides): Written by Charles O'Brien, 2014 Edition, Publisher: Yale University Press [Hardcover]
• 
  London 4: North: North v. 4 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Berkshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990: Updated version