Trinity with Palm Grove Church

Samuel visualised a brand new church on a greenfield site on the edge of the flourishing town of Birkenhead. To learn the story of the church come and be guided round with a copy of our history trail and windows trail. Welcome to Trinity with Palm Grove today.

Imagine that you are a member of a well to do family. The year is 1860 and you live in the parish of Claughton, Birkenhead. Your home is a Victorian villa and you commute to your business in Liverpool by your horse drawn carriage to Woodside and then by steam ferry across the River Mersey. Birkenhead is a flourishing industrial town based on shipping and shipbuilding, supported by a wide range of activities provided by the services sector. The town is rapidly expanding with incomers from all over Great Britain and Ireland.

By 1861, the population had grown to about 40,000. With the rapid growth in population came the spread of houses and the expansion of the town as the boundary began to take in outlying villages. For the most art, the working class population lived in the many terraced houses in the low lying areas and within walking distance of work with the professional middle classes occupying large Victorian semi detached properties. The gentry, perhaps, having removed from Liverpool, dwelt in the outlying mansions of Claughton and Oxton on the healthier slopes of the Oxton / Bidston ridge.

With the rapid growth of population came the need for churches.

The most well known member of the church was Andrew Comyn Irvine. Andrew, or Sandy as he was later known was a member of the 1924 Everest Expedition. He and George Mallory attempted the final climb to become the first to the top. Both died in the trying and it is not known if they were successful. Sandy Irvine’s Memorial can be found in the sanctuary.