St Marys Church, Knowsley Village

Tucked away in Knowsley Village, Merseyside, St Mary's Church has been at the heart of local worship since it was consecrated in 1844. Built for the 13th Earl of Derby to a design by architect Edmund Sharpe, the church cost around £20,000 at the time, a sum worth well over £2 million today. It's now a Grade II* listed building, recognised for its architectural importance in the Gothic revival style. The church has grown over nearly two centuries. Transepts were added in 1860 by Edward Paley, and a memorial chapel to the 14th Earl of Derby followed in the 1870s, with a monument by sculptor Matthew Noble. Inside you'll find quatrefoil piers, carvings of Queen Victoria and the Archbishop of Canterbury on the chancel arch, stained glass by Shrigley and Hunt, Lavers and Barraud, and Powell and Sons, and a three-manual organ built in 1913 by Rushworth and Dreaper of Liverpool. Last September, the church closed for two months of accessibility works: automatic glass doors, ramps to the altar, a refurbished kitchen, and pews replaced with chairs to open up a central aisle. During those works came a remarkable discovery. The Derby family crypt, sealed for years beneath stone flags, was uncovered and fitted with a new opening hatch and lighting. It's the resting place of several Stanley family members, including Edward Smith-Stanley, 14th Earl of Derby, who served as Prime Minister three times. The crypt opened to the public for the first time during Heritage Open Days, with guides on hand to walk visitors down the stone steps. St Mary's sits within the diocese of Liverpool and the deanery of Huyton, and remains an active Anglican parish church. Leading the congregation today is the current vicar, the Reverend Hugh Lea-Wilson, who continues the church's long tradition of worship and community life in Knowsley. Whether you're drawn by its history, its architecture, or its newly rediscovered crypt, St Mary's Knowsley offers a rare combination of Victorian craftsmanship and a living, active faith community.