St Mary

St Mary's was consecrated in 1854, having been designed by A.H. Holme, a prolific architect of mid-Victorian Liverpool, for the residents of Grassendale and Cressington Parks. The church is of local sandstone and the broached north-west steeple is an important landmark on the main road from Liverpool to Widnes. The interior features one of the earliest known uses of laminated timber beams to form the crossing between transepts and this in turn allows a wide, aisleless nave with good visibility from all points. The church has an interesting collection of stained glass windows, including three east windows by Evans (1884) and west window by J.E. Nuttgens (1953).

The church is a significant and well-loved building at the heart of a community which is in an economically deprived area. In December 2014 the church discovered a serious outbreak of dry rot within the unusual buried timber stud, lath and plaster internal wall construction and roof structure as well as leaking wall head gutter.

After repairs have been completed the church will provide more opportunities for all ages to meet in a community setting, including midweek tots groups and for older people in care settings. The history of the building and local people will be shared through written materials, guided tours, theatrical productions and an up-to-date guide book.