Fascinating story behind why Church Street was given its name

A city centre street everyone in Liverpool has walked down, Church Street, is known for many things.

A hub for shoppers with high street retailers such as River Island, Next and Marks and Spencer, Church Street has transformed over the years - but have you ever wondered where the church is?

On any given weekend you will find hundreds of shoppers moving through the hustle and bustle of Church Street, passing by the man in the multicoloured suit and admiring the crazy performers congregating in the centre.

But, you may never have spotted the church that gave the street its name.

According to Chris Cannon of Hidden Liverpool , St Peter’s church once stood where the entrance to Liverpool ONE is now - and it wasn’t just any church either, it was actually Liverpool’s Anglican pro-cathedral, a church that serves as a temporary cathedral while the true one is being built.

St Peter's church was based on Church Street (Hidden Liverpool)

The church itself was opened in 1880 by Queen Victoria at the same time that she granted status of city to Liverpool and became the seat of the new bishop until a ‘real’ cathedral was built.

In 1919, the Anglican Church sold the land occupied by St Peter’s church to Liverpool Corporation to build funds for the new cathedral - it was then sold on to Woolworths.

St Peter’s Church was demolished in 1922 - but that doesn’t mean all traces of the church have been lost.

There are several subtle hints to the church’s existence along Church Street, including the names of the surrounding streets such as Church Alley and Peter’s Lane.

The throughway to Peter’s Lane from Church Street is even called Keys Court, a reference to the Keys of St Peter - and if you look high above the entrance to Keys Court nowadays, you’ll see a carving of those very keys.

Outside Keys Court there is a small brass cross which marks the entrance to the church (Hidden Liverpool)

For those seeking to look even closer, there’s an even smaller indication of the church’s existence hidden on the flagstones of Church Street.

Embedded in the pavement outside of Keys Court, there is a small brass cross, made from melted-down alter rails of the demolished church - which marks the entrance to the church in years gone by.

A map of where the church would have stood (Hidden Liverpool)

Hidden Liverpool even created a map to show just where the church was - the red outline marks the church, the blue is the line of the building that stands there now and the yellow star marks the brass cross embedded in the pavement.

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