Speke: St Aidan
Overview
Grid reference: SJ 448 835
Despite planning beginning before the outbreak of the Second World War the church was not built until 1956 to designs by local architect Bernard Miller. St Aidan’s is a large red brick building on a central island site. The nave has seven bays and is wide and tall with a copper roof curving in a barrel-vault. The aisles are shallow and almost equal in height with continuous clerestorey style windows with the copper roof undulating over each one. Below this the walls are totally blind.
Visiting and facilities
Building is open for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Nave, narrow aisles and chancel, west gallery, west end facilities.
Dimensions:
The nave is approximately 32m (105ft) x 14m (45ft) (including the aisles). The chancel is approximately 7m (23ft) x 4m. (13ft)
Description of Archaeology and History
St Aidan’s was a gift from Charles Albert Gladstone as a monument to his great grandfather, Sir John Gladstone who had himself been responsible for three churches in the Diocese. Despite planning beginning before the outbreak of the Second World War the church was not built until 1956 to designs by local architect Bernard Miller. The building was repaired between 1985 and 1990 and won a Civic Design Award for the work. During these works the west end was partitioned to create a large vestibule with toilets and a kitchen.
Exterior Description
St Aidan’s is a large red brick building on a central island site although sadly lacking a clear entrance. The nave has seven bays and is wide and tall with a copper roof curving in a barrel-vault. The aisles are shallow and almost equal in height with continuous clerestorey style windows with the copper roof undulating over each one. Below this the walls are totally blind.
The chancel is approximately half the height and width of the nave with the same vaulted copper roof. The east wall of the nave proper has the outline of five blind lancets slightly marked with a brick hood.
The chancel is flanked by lower flat roofed vestries which each have a band of small rectangular windows in the north and south walls and two separate openings to the east. The chancel itself has three clerestorey windows on either side each with three lights under a segmental arch. The main east window is tall, thin and rectangular with barely a hint of an arch to the top
The aisles occupy the central five bays of the nave. On the north elevation the aisles drop to low flat roofs for the easternmost bay with a large rose window in the nave wall above. This arrangement is mimicked at the westernmost bay of the nave on the north and south side.
The easternmost bay of the south elevation is taken up with the tower and spire which is clearly the culmination of the building. Standing squarely at the corner of the nave it is plain and unadorned until it reaches the height of the roof; from here the structure attempts a more delicate result. The lantern has large belfry openings between square buttresses to the cardinal points (forming a cross in plan) with arched weatherings joining at a needle spire sheathed in copper. The lattice frame of the belfry openings gives a hollow and light contrast to the squat tower but it is the needle spire which creates a surprisingly elegant apex.
At the west end of the nave the building has a section (which contains the stairway to the gallery internally) projecting with a slightly lower vaulted roof than the nave. The fenestration on the west wall is five tall thin rectangular lancets. There are two flat roofed porches to the north and south and the main entrance is via the north one.
Building Fabric and Features
Stained Glass
1957
The central panel of each clerestorey nave window has abstract coloured glass set in fine cement. Blues and greens are used predominantly on the south side and reds and yellows on the north side. The glass is inspired by examples at Chartres Cathedral in France.
Stained Glass
1957
There are five windows on each side of the nave, working clockwise from the north west corner the themes are:
- Star of Bethlehem
- Anchor of Hope
- Cross of Faith
- Palm leaf of Victory
- Dove of Pentecost
- Crown of Christ the King
- Crown of Thorns
- Corn
- Grapes
- Chalice
Building Materials
Brick
Copper
Interior
Interior Description
The porch leads to a central vestibule with a wide curving stairway to the gallery against the west wall. The font still stands somewhat incongruously in the vestibule which was separated from the nave in the 1980s with glazed screens which are etched with depictions of St Aidan, the Venerable Bede, St Cuthbert and St Oswald.
The nave is majestic and vast in scale although surprisingly well lit from the lofty clerestorey windows. Each window is divided into five lights and the central one of each has stained glass. The ceiling is vaulted and finished with an unusual lamella pattern and now painted in a distinctive ochre colour. The colour scheme is otherwise a fairly drab cream with a dark grey.
The aisles are very shallow, only perhaps a metre in width. The arcading is simple rectangular columns reaching to roof height and linked with a segmental arch at the very top. The easternmost bay of the nave has a dais as a large central platform raised on three steps with a dominant altar. On either side of the dais the aisle arcade changes to become a blind wall with two low segmental arches on either side looking through to the narrow aisle walkway, now with lowered roof, which becomes an ambulatory. Similar low arches link the ambulatory to the arcades from east to west. On the north side, high in the wall, is a rose window and in the north wall of the walkway below there are three small openings providing valuable light.
The chancel arch is segmental in style and reaches to the roof height of the sunken chancel (also known as St Thomas’ chapel), approximately half the height of the nave, and has a deep red, green and gold banded decoration as seen on the gallery. On either side of this arch are lower arches as doorways through to the ambulatory which continues around the central altar space across the back (east) of the raised dais.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
1957
The main altar is on a substantial scale and painted red and black. It is rather crudely made and stands on two intersecting legs. The chancel altar is smaller and a heavy T shape.
Reredos
1957
The tall east window is covered by a long hung green curtain which serves as a reredos.
Lectern
1957
Pine
Font (object)
1957
A large tub font with granite bowl. Decorated entirely with mosaic tiles in a fan design. Brightly coloured with turquoise blue and green mosaics with gold tiles detailing the fans.
Organ (object)
1958
By Rushworth & Draper
Rail
1957
Very plain grey and cream rail matching other sanctuary furniture reaches across the width of the nave and continues in the north and south arches to the ambulatory.
Churchyard
Grid reference: SJ 448 835
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | No |
| Solar Thermal Panels | No |
| Biomass | No |
| Wind Turbine | No |
| Air Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ev Charging | No |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
Quinquennial Inspections
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