St. James, Bootle

Introduction

In 1896 the tower was completed to a different design with an octagonal stop stage.

History

In 1900 Mrs R.E. Lynch paid for the furnishing of the sanctuary, with a marble altar and reredos, marble panels lining the walls, altar rails, and a stained-glass window of the Ascension. In 1902, an anonymous donor paid for an altar and stained glass in the Lady Chapel. In 1922 a peal of bells cast by O'Byrne of Dublin was installed in memory of Canon Kelly. In the early 1930s a new marble Sacred Heart altar and steps were fitted, by an Italian craftsman.

In 1941 the east windows of the sanctuary and the Lady Chapel were destroyed in the blitz, but the church otherwise escaped serious damage. Post-Vatican II reordering involved the creation of a dais and introduction of a nave altar in front of the communion rails. Since 1987 the parish has been served by the Salesians of Don Bosco. The end of 2019 saw the completion of a major scheme of structural and masonry repairs to the tower.

In 1893 the congregation gave the Stations of the Cross and the marble pulpit. The font was moved to the new altar area and the baptistry converted to a memorial chapel. The tower is 120ft tall and had been plagued by structural defects to its bell chamber floor and bell frame structure, as well as substantial erosion to its external sandstone walling. In 2012 bell ringing had to be stopped due to safety concerns, and in 2017 structural investigations determined that the bell chamber floor would eventually collapse if remedial works were not undertaken. The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded the parish a grant of circa £190k for the repair project.

Architecture and furnishings

The church comprises a nave with aisles, a south west tower, a chancel, and north and south chapels. The five-bay nave has three-light windows with Geometrical tracery between deep buttresses, while the clerestory has paired windows with Y-tracery. The tower features an octagonal top stage with octagonal pinnacles, two-light louvred bell openings, gargoyles, and an embattled parapet. Inside, tall six-bay nave arcades alternate circular and octagonal piers, and the roof has moulded collar trusses.

The chancel and chapels have rib vaults, and there is a marble continuous altar rail and reredoses. The chancel reredos contains 15 statues in niches, and the altar has an arched ciborium.

Parish life

The parish is linked with All Saints Catholic Primary School and The Salesian Academy of Saint John Bosco. The parish is in the Archdiocese of Liverpool, which extends from the Mersey to the Ribble and encompasses parts of Lancashire, north Cheshire, Greater Manchester and the Isle of Man. The parish has a parish catechist among its clergy.

Sacraments and pastoral care

A baptism team in the parish handles baptism requests. The parish is in the care of the Salesians of Don Bosco, a religious congregation founded by St John Bosco for the care of young people.