New Brighton’s majestic landmark church, Ss Peter, Paul and St Philomena’s Church, has won second-round funding of £222,900 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), it was announced today. Thanks to National Lottery players, this project will restore the two beautiful marble side chapels at The Dome of Home.
Several exciting activities have been planned for the project. A team of volunteers have begun preparing a Children’s Audio Tour, with scenarios all based on true events, set in 1940s New Brighton during World War II, and recorded by local drama students from St Marys College, Wallasey Village. This is part of a Heritage Education Pack for primary schools (cross-curricular) and secondary schools for Key Stage 3 History and RE.
Wirral Transport Museum volunteers will provide a vintage bus to help local people and families access The Dome easily and ‘step-into the 1940s’. A ‘Hop-on’ service will operate from designated Merseytravel bus stops along New Brighton promenade on three consecutive Saturdays (26th August, 2nd and 9th September) between 12 noon and 4pm, as part of the Heritage Open Days, to ferry visitors to and from The Dome.
Children will try 1940s style hats, snacks and sample the Audio Tour on their SMART phones or tablet. Marks and Spencer, Cheshire Oaks have donated 25 children’s felt hats, and local milliner, Joan Roberts, kindly converted donated hats to a variety of 1940s styles for the project.
Canon Montjean, rector of the church, is delighted. He said, “The activities in this project promise to be great fun for everyone. Young people will see how the heritage of faith sustained morale through difficulties and what it was like to live here during the Second World War, so soon after this church was built. We anticipate many local, primary and secondary schools taking advantage of this free resource next academic year.”
An unusual, landmark basilica at Wirral’s tip, overlooking Liverpool Bay, Ss Peter, Paul and Philomena’s Church was completed in 1935 as one of the first concrete churches in Britain. It was nicknamed The Dome of Home by sailors returning from Atlantic Convoys during World War II. Years of little maintenance threatened its future, until 2012 when the Bishop of Shrewsbury invited an international, religious order, The Institute of Christ the King, to take over the care of the church. They began an ambitious restoration programme supported by HLF and other funders, bringing it back to life as a Shrine Church for the whole Diocese and a Heritage Centre for the wider local community. Further funding has been secured from National Churches Trust and Wirral Borough Council’s Wallasey Bright Ideas Fund together with local fundraising and private donations.
Canon Montjean added, “Our funders, HLF, NCT and WBC have been so supportive. I want to publicly thank everyone involved. During the first two projects since 2013, we have restored about a third of the roof. This project will stop the water damaging the two side chapels, the structural concrete, plasterwork and windows, so that we can appreciate the beautiful marble especially the blue, lapis lazuli of Our Lady’s Altar.”
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