Welsh Presbyterian Church

The Welsh Presbyterian Church stands on Princes Road in Liverpool’s Toxteth district. Built between 1865 and 1867 by architects W. & G. Audsley, it is a Grade II listed building with a tall steeple that once made it the city’s highest structure. The church was designed in High Victorian Gothic style, using rock-faced rubble and a patterned slate roof. Its T-shaped plan includes a nave, transepts, and a striking tower with buttresses and a broach spire. Inside, marble piers support galleries at the west end and transepts, while the nave has a barrel roof. The church’s history reflects Liverpool’s Welsh community and changing religious use. Originally a Welsh Presbyterian place of worship, it later became home to the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star in the 1980s. After decades of neglect, the Merseyside Building Preservation Trust secured funding to restore it as a community hub. Plans aim to revive the building before further decay makes restoration impossible. Visitors find a grand but empty interior with galleries, marble columns, and a slate flèche above the crossing. The exterior features angle buttresses, paired louvred bell openings, and a canted stair tower on the south transept. Though still derelict, the church’s architecture remains impressive, with intricate stonework and a soaring spire. Its future as a community space offers hope for preserving this landmark.