St Mary’s, Walton on the Hill

St Mary’s, Walton on the Hill, was all but destroyed in the Liverpool Blitz of May, 1941. Although the Victorian tower survived, the nave and chancel were obliterated, and had to be rebuilt in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Although Walton is now busy a district of Liverpool, St Mary’s was the original centre of the parish, the mother church of the entire West Derby hundred. It appears to be built on a rounded mound, suggesting a Saxon foundation or even pre-Christian religious origin.

When it was rebuilt between 1947 and 1953 by architects Quiggin and Gee, a decision was made to pay tribute to its ancient and medieval origins while not merely aping the older styles, much as the Victorians had done. It is quite clearly modern (i.e. twentieth-century) within, but also quite obviously a part of the gothic architectural tradition. Steel frames and concrete vaulting characterise the internal space. It is ancient and modern; it is old yet young; it has a long pedigree yet feels wonderfully new.

In many respects, St Mary’s encapsulates the gospel itself. The message of salvation through Jesus Christ is timeless and eternal, yet it is historical and ancient. As Paul reminds the Thessalonians in 1:2:13, it is the word of God not the word of men; it continues to work in those who accept it.

If anyone tells you that the good news of Jesus is out of date and old fashioned, don’t believe them. Likewise, anyone dismissing it as newfangled or novel should themselves be dismissed with similar alacrity.