Before the Bomb Fell

Even before the blitz, the 'bombed out' church was still a singularly special place...

Art gallery, cinema, dance space, Irish famine memorial - even boat yard – we’ve seen St Luke’s Church as many things over the past few years, but now a new online exhibition celebrates the fact that, before the bomb hit in 1941, the elegant 1831 construction at the top of Bold Street (home, incidentally, to the world’s first ever metal framed bell tower, fact fans) was a thriving place of worship.

And one of SevenStreets’ favourite new Liverpool websites - St Luke Liverpool – now has the proof…

Stunning, never-before-seen images of St Luke’s beautifully ornate interior – its richly carved altar, pews, vaulted ceiling and stained glass offer a poignant glimpse of a handsome, and sizeable place of worship – and yet another example of the devastation of The Blitz (you’ll have to visit the site to see them, of course…).

The photographs were taken during the centenary of the church in 1931. They’re from the private collection of Mrs. Jean Parry, daughter of Revd. Powell-Miller, Vicar of St. Luke’s – and they’re astonishing.

The site, a collaboration between Jonathan Wild and Bryan McCahey is a treasure house in its own right, and definitely worth a visit.