The Oratory, Liverpool
| The Oratory | |
|---|---|
 The Oratory | |
| Location | Liverpool,England |
| Coordinates | 53°23′56″N2°58′24″W/ 53.3988°N 2.9732°W |
| OS grid reference | SJ 354 895 |
| Built | 1829 |
| Architect | John Foster |
| Architectural style(s) | Greek Revival |
| Governing body | National Museums Liverpool |
Listed Building– Grade I | |
| Designated | 28 June 1952 |
| Reference no. | 1063282 |
  Location in Liverpool | |
The Oratorystands to the north ofLiverpool Anglican Cathedralin Merseyside, England. It was originally the mortuary chapel toSt James Cemetery,and houses a collection of 19th-century sculpture and important funeral monuments as part of theWalker Art Gallery.[1]It is aGrade I listed buildingin theNational Heritage List for England.
History
[edit]The Oratory was built in 1829, and used for funeral services before burials in the adjacent cemetery. It was designed byJohn Foster.When the cemetery closed, the building fell into disuse. In 1986 it came under the care ofNational Museums Liverpool,and is used to contain a collection of sculptures and statues.[2]
Architecture
[edit]The building is in the form of a GreekDorictemple. At each end is aporticowith six columns. There are no windows and the building is lit from above. Inside, acofferedceiling is supported byIoniccolumns. Pollard andPevsnerconsider this to be Foster's best surviving building.[3]On 28 June 1952 it was designated as a Grade I listed building.[4]In the National Heritage List for England it is described as "one of the purest monuments of the Greek Revival in England".[4]Around the Oratory arecast ironrailings and gatepiersthat have been listed at Grade II.[5]
Collection
[edit]Inside the building is a collection of monuments, mainlyNeoclassicalreliefs,many of which were brought here from demolished buildings in the 1980s. These include a monument dated 1834 given to the Nicholson family byFrancis Chantrey,one to William Earle, who died in 1839, byJohn Gibson,to Dr William Stevenson, who died in 1853, by J. A. P. Macbride, to William Hammerton, who died in 1832, by Gibson, to William Ewart, who died in 1823, by Joseph Gott, to Emily Robinson, who died in 1829, by Gibson, and toAgnes Jones,who died in 1868, byPietro Tenerani.[3]There is also a statue ofWilliam Huskissonby Gibson that was formerly in the Custom House.[4]
See also
[edit]- Grade I listed buildings in Liverpool
- Grade I listed churches in Merseyside
- List of public art in Liverpool
- Architecture of Liverpool
References
[edit]- ^"The Oratory",Walker Art Gallery,retrieved17 March2015
- ^Pye, Ken (2011),Discover Liverpool,Liverpool: Trinity Mirror Media, p. 50,ISBN978-1-906802-90-5
- ^abSharples, Joseph; Pollard, Richard (2004),Liverpool,Pevsner Architectural Guides, New Haven and London:Yale University Press,pp. 243–244,ISBN0-300-10258-5
- ^abcHistoric England,"The Oratory, Liverpool (Grade I) (1063282)",National Heritage List for England,retrieved19 August2012
- ^Historic England,"Railing and Piers to The Oratory, Liverpool (Grade II) (1359856)",National Heritage List for England,retrieved19 August2012
