Old Christ Church, Waterloo

Christ Church was built between 1891 and 1899 to replace a former church built in 1840 whose structure had become unsound. The foundation stone was laid on 17 October 1891, the nave and baptistry were built between 1891 and 1893, and the chancel was added the following year. In 1899 the tower was built. A competition was held to select the architect, but this failed to find an acceptable design, and the commission was given to the Lancaster firm of Paley, Austin and Paley. The contractors were George Woods and Sons of Bootle, and the church cost £21,956 (). The church was dedicated in April 1893, and on 2 December 1899 it was consecrated by Bishop Royston, an assistant bishop in the Diocese…

The architectural historians Pollard and Pevsner in the Buildings of England series express the opinion that this is one of the "very finest" churches designed by the firm of Paley, Austin and Paley. The church is constructed in Old Red Sandstone from Bootle quarry, and is roofed with green Westmorland slates. Its plan consists of a five-bay nave with north and south aisles and a clerestory, a chancel with a south chapel and a north transept, and a northeast tower with vestries to its east. At the west end is a polygonal baptistry, and porches have been incorporated into the west ends of the aisles. The nave measures 96 ft by 29.5 ft, the aisles are 14 ft wide, the chancel is 40.5 ft by 30…