St Helen's Church, Sefton

St Helen's Church, Sefton
Sefton Parish Church from the south
Map
53°30′16″N 2°58′16″W / 53.5044°N 2.9712°W / 53.5044; -2.9712
OS grid referenceSD 356 012
LocationSefton, Merseyside
CountryEngland
DenominationAnglican
Websitewww.achurchnearyou.com
History
StatusParish church
DedicationSaint Helen
Consecratedc. 1170
Architecture
Functional statusStatus
Heritage designationGrade I
Designated11 October 1968
Architectural typeChurch
StylePerpendicular
Administration
ProvinceYork
DioceseLiverpool
ArchdeaconryKnowsley and Sefton
DeanerySouth Sefton
Clergy
RectorVacancy
Vicar(s)Rev Ali Chesworth
Laity
Churchwarden(s)Vacancy

St. Helen's is a parish church of the Church of England in the village of Sefton, Merseyside, England. It is within the diocese of Liverpool, the archdeaconry of Knowsley and Sefton, and the deanery of Sefton.[1]

A church has stood on the site since the late thirteenth century, but the earliest parts of the current building are the tower and the east bay of the north aisle, which are fourteenth century. The remainder of the building dates principally a rebuilding undertaken between c. 1489 and c. 1587, when three successive members of the Molyneux family held the office of rector. An extensive restoration was undertaken between 1907 and 1922 by W. D. Caröe.

St Helen's is notable for its carved Tudor woodwork, including seven screens which are described in the Buildings of England series as a "gorgeous display" and the "great glory of the church".[2] The church is one of two Grade I listed buildings[3] in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton,[4] and has been included in Simon Jenkins' book England’s Thousand Best Churches,[4] and Alec Clifton-Taylor's list of "best" English parish churches.[5]

  1. ^ Deanery of Sefton, Diocese of Liverpool, retrieved 30 November 2008
  2. ^ Pollard, Richard; Nikolaus Pevsner (2006), The Buildings of England: Lancashire: Liverpool and the South-West, New Haven & London: Yale University Press, pp. 580–584, ISBN 0-300-10910-5
  3. ^ Historic England, "Church of St Helen, Sefton (1075852)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 19 August 2012
  4. ^ a b A Message from the Rector, Sefton Parish Church, retrieved 30 November 2008
  5. ^ Clifton-Taylor, Alec (1974), English Parish Churches as Work of Art, London: Batsford, p. 246, ISBN 0-7134-2776-0