Ss. Peter, Paul and St. Philomena’s Church secures Heritage Lottery Fund investment
Ss Peter, Paul and St Philomena’s Church, New Brighton (also known as The Dome of Home) has received a confirmed grant of £138,900 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to repair the roof, provide an accessible toilet and engage visitors, it was announced today.
The project will help make the church weatherproof by repairing some of the roofs, re-pointing the brickwork and replacing some damaged internal plasterwork. In addition to these vital works, visitors will benefit from a new accessible toilet and a range of activities to help them engage with the heritage, art and architecture. Release of a new Guide Book is planned over Easter and will be complimented by a new, professional website. The successful Heritage Tour, launched for the Heritage Open Days in September 2013 at the beginning of the Development Phase of this project, will continue, in order to engage visitors, interested in both local and personal heritage.
The building of the Church of Ss. Peter, Paul and St. Philomena’s Church in the 1930s was a visionary venture that was intended to serve as a beacon for the Christian Faith in Merseyside. Inspired by their parish priest Father Thomas Mullins, the Catholic population of the rapidly growing seaside resort of New Brighton raised funds for a hill top basilica that stands as a striking landmark at the entrance to the Port of Liverpool. Its nickname, ‘Dome of Home’, dates back to the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II, when sailors would recognise they were close to the port of Liverpool when they could see the Church from the Mersey.
Canon Amaury Montjean, French priest and rector of the church commented, “Following the enormous success of our first Heritage Open Days last September, we hope to welcome many more visitors throughout the summer on our Guided Tours.” He added, “Our volunteers have been working really hard to secure the necessary match funding for this £253k, Stage II Heritage Lottery Fund Grant with the help of other funders such as National Churches Trust, Historic Cheshire Churches Preservation Trust and Latin Mass Society. We are indebted to their assistance.”
Councillor Paul Hayes commented, “It is terrific news that the Heritage Lottery Fund are continuing their support for the Dome of Home. This church’s contribution to the heritage of Wirral is substantial and this is widely recognised by members of our community, as shown by the huge public backing the Church received for its bid for ‘Love Wirral’ funding from Wirral Council in January.”