South Liverpool: Mossley Hill

	Mossley Hill Church Properly entitled the Church of St. Matthew and St. James, this imposing building on the top of Mossley Hill is 'one of Liverpool's best Victorian churches' (Quentin Hughes). It was financed by the bequest in the 1868 will of its benefactor, the wealthy Liverpool merchant Matthew James Glenton. It was completed in 1875 but the nave was damaged by bombing in 1940. Restoration work was completed in 1953.
	Mossley Hill Church
	Mossley Hill Church The church dominates the skyline for miles around.
	Sudley House, Mossley Hill Built in the early 1800s for Nicholas Robinson, a corn merchant merchant who was Lord Mayor of Liverpool in 1828, Sudley became the house of Victorian ship owner and merchant George Holt in 1883. It was bequeathed to the city by his daughter Emma in 1944. The interior is virtually unchanged since the 19th century and houses a fine collection of paintings and furniture. It is usually quiet and there are plenty of places to sit and ponder the lifestyle of the Victorian wealthy. The artists represented include Turner, Corot, Reynolds, Gainsborough, Millais, Rossetti and Holman Hunt. For all the big names, my clear favourite is the marriage portrait by the underrated George Romney of the feisty looking Charlotte Bettesworth (Mrs. John Sargent).
	The Garden at Sudley House, Mossley Hill This delightful small garden runs down the hill to the south of Sudley House. There is also a terrace garden at the back of the house with formally laid out flower beds. Here you can sit and enjoy the elegance of the location and the fine views over the River Mersey.
	The Lake, Greenbank Park, Mossley Hill Greenbank Park was originally part of the grounds of nearby Greenbank House, former home of the Rathbone family. In 1897, Liverpool Corporation purchased an area of the grounds, part of which is now Greenbank Park, subject to an agreement that they maintain the land as open space or recreation ground for the general public. The park had the first Old English Garden and boating lake among Liverpool's parks. The lake is situated on the course of the ancient Lower Brook.
	Greenbank House, Mossley Hill The original Greenbank House dates from the early 18th century and from 1788 was the home of Liverpool's eminent Rathbone family. Upon William?s death in 1809 the property was sold to his widow Hannah Mary, who carried out the substantial alterations to the buildings that we see now in accordance with her husband?s wishes. The decorative tracery on the facade is another example of the early and pioneering use of cast iron in Liverpool. It is reminiscent of many houses in the Southern States of the USA, but we got there first! It now belongs to the University of Liverpool and is pleasantly situated in the grounds of the Greenbank site halls of residence. It has personal significance for your writer through being the location of our wedding reception.
	Penny Lane, Mossley Hill Penny Lane is, thanks to the Beatles, one of Liverpool's most famous streets, but is otherwise unremarkable. The bank and the shelter in the middle of the roundabout are still there at the north-eastern end, a place where bus routes from Allerton and Woolton converge on the way into Liverpool city centre and allegedly where John Lennon and Paul McCartney used to meet up when headed that way. The south-western end, where our picture was taken, contrasts strongly with its leafy, semi-rural atmosphere.
	St. Barnabas's Church, Mossley Hill The present brick and red sandstone church was completed in 1914, replacing an earlier church of the same name (but nicknamed the Tin Cathedral) that used to be located a short way down Smithdown Road. It was designed by the well known Liverpool architect James Francis Doyle, who unfortunately died before construction work had commenced. Grove House on Penny Lane was subsequently purchased as a new Parochial Hall and Sunday School; it was sold in 1965, when it adopted its present name of Dovedale Towers. As a young boy, Paul McCartney was in the choir at St. Barnabas's.