Church Of St Mary, Lowe House

The Church of St Mary, Lowe House is a Roman Catholic Parish church situated on the North Road in St Helens, Merseyside. It was founded in 1924 and staffed by the Society of Jesus until 1981. It is a Grade II listed building with Romanesque and Gothic features. HistoryOriginThe church is named St Mary's Lowe House because it was built on a piece of land that was occupied by Lowe House. It was given in 1793 by Winefred Eccleston née Lowe, the widow of John Gorsuch Eccleston, the owner of Eccleston Hall, in Eccleston, outside St Helens. FoundationOn that piece of land a chapel was built to accommodate the growing Catholic population in the town. The church itself was built in 1924. The foundation stone was laid by the Archbishop of Liverpool, Frederick William Keating on 11 May 1924. The scale was decided on by Fr Reginald Riley SJ who wanted a larger size church for the local Catholic community. He was parish priest at the church from 1912 to 1946. The church was opened three years later, in 1929, and was designed by Charles B. Powell, an Irish architect who did other architectural work for the Jesuits in Dublin. It is colloquially referred to as 'The Basilica of St Helens' and 'The Poor Man's Cathedral' by people in St Helens, because construction of the church was funded by donations from the local population during a time of economic struggle.

The Church of St Mary, Lowe House is a Roman Catholic Parish church situated on the North Road in St Helens, Merseyside. It was founded in 1924 and staffed by the Society of Jesus until 1981. It is a Grade II listed building with Romanesque and Gothic features. HistoryOriginThe church is named St Mary's Lowe House because it was built on a piece of land that was occupied by Lowe House. It was given in 1793 by Winefred Eccleston née Lowe, the widow of John Gorsuch Eccleston, the owner of Eccleston Hall, in Eccleston, outside St Helens. FoundationOn that piece of land a chapel was built to accommodate the growing Catholic population in the town. The church itself was built in 1924. The foundation stone was laid by the Archbishop of Liverpool, Frederick William Keating on 11 May 1924. The scale was decided on by Fr Reginald Riley SJ who wanted a larger size church for the local Catholic community. He was parish priest at the church from 1912 to 1946. The church was opened three years later, in 1929, and was designed by Charles B. Powell, an Irish architect who did other architectural work for the Jesuits in Dublin. It is colloquially referred to as 'The Basilica of St Helens' and 'The Poor Man's Cathedral' by people in St Helens, because construction of the church was funded by donations from the local population during a time of economic struggle.