Art
The Church has a long history as a patron of the arts. Various forms of art are represented at St Nick’s, each of them drawing us into worship of God through beauty or religious iconography. Around the church building you will see a number of different styles, and the walls of the Parish Centre are lined with prints and paintings showing the church throughout the centuries.
Icons
Our most traditional artistic features are the two Romanian icons in the Nave. On the south side is an image of Our Lady, and on the north of St Nicholas. Behind the altar, is an icon of the crucifixion painted by the Romanian icon-writer Tatiana Nichita and blessed by the Archbishop of York on Ash Wednesday (6 March) 2019 on his visit to the Parish Church. The image shows the traditional themes of this icon, including the sun and moon (darkness covers the earth at the time of Jesus’ death – Matthew 27.45), and writing proclaiming Jesus Christ as the King of Glory. Beneath his feet we see the skull of Adam, the first to sin, but the broken stone of the tomb shows that the cross overcomes sin and death (cf Romans 5.17).
Sculpture
The largest piece in the church is Arthur Dooley’s (1929-94) sculpture of Our Lady of the Quay in the Maritime Chapel, which is reminiscent of the first Chapel built on this site in the 13th century. There is a smaller work by Dooley in the Sacristy called Easter Lily, depicting the Virgin and Child. Also in the Sacristy is a baptism bowl and ewer by the renowned ceramic artist Julia Carter Preston (1926-2012), and there is another of her works displayed in the Refectory.
By the Garden door in the Nave is a wooden sculpture by Greg Tricker (b.1951) called the Grail Boat. The legend of the Grail is that the Christ Journey ends with a journey, the journey of Joseph of Arimathea with the Grail to Britain. With him on this small boat, miraculously moved through the waters by a presiding angel, are other friends of Jesus, in particular Mary Magdalene. The sculpture is on long-term loan from a local businessman.
The Font
The vision for a new font has developed over some time as part of a wider scheme to redevelop the Narthex. The PCC realised that we need a versatile font for a versatile building. The design by David Wilson of Dovetailors of Leeds is derivative of one which they built for Christ the King, Battyeford, W. Yorkshire, and the bowl is carved from a block of York stone. The stained glass panels were designed and made by artist Katharine Bayes. The three panels represent Creation (the Father in the Trinity), Fire – representing the passion of Christ (but it could also be the Holy Spirit!), and the Waterfall (Holy Spirit in the Trinity). The font was blessed by the Bishop of Liverpool on the Feast of Candlemas 2019.
In the Gardens…
In the Gardens…
Look out for three bronze sculptures in the Gardens: the Blitz Memorial, the MV Derbyshire Memorial, and the Homeless Jesus.
In 2017 we launched an exciting new artistic project called the Liverpool Sculpture Prize (formerly the Liverpool Plinth). In collaboration with the Liverpool BID Company we hold an annual competition for 12-month sculpture installations either in the Gardens or on an empty plinth above Chapel Street to animate an area which connects the Pier Head with the city’s commercial district. There is more information about current and previous winners here.
Cattrall Screen
The Cattrall Screens (installed in 1984 in memory of Harvey Cattrall) separate the Narthex from the Nave. They were engraved to the designs of David Peace, whose work is also found in Westminster Abbey. The engravings are rich in symbols connected with the Church, and are designed to give a striking view of the hanging Rood through the plain glass chalice on the central doors.