The Grade II listed Welsh Presbyterian Church on Princes Road, Toxteth was once the tallest building in the city
No applications have been lodged for a Liverpool church that developers pledged to restore “to its former glory”. The Welsh Presbyterian Church on Princes Road, Toxteth, remains in a dilapidated state and roofless following three decades of abandonment.
Once Liverpool’s tallest structure, the church was purchased by private developers in 2022, who vowed to “transform the Welsh Church into a space that can be treasured by the community for generations to come”. Those remarks were made following the collapse of a substantial section of the temporary roof in 2023.
Since that time, no planning applications have been submitted by the developers, Audsley Holdings Ltd, who utilised the building as security for a loan last year, according to publicly accessible records.
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Local residents said the structure is “pure danger” as they worry the Grade II listed church, with its 200ft spire, will collapse.
‘It’s disgusting they’ve let it get to that state’, reports the Liverpool Echo.
The ‘Welsh Cathedral’ sits at the entrance to the south of the city, standing guard over the broad boulevard that cuts through the centre of Toxteth. Tourist coaches travel along the Beatles trail daily.
A substantial opening in the temporary roof can be seen from a considerable distance back towards Princes Park. Stained glass windows are shattered, walls are deteriorating, weeds force gaps between blocks of Welsh granite, and rat holes are evident in the walls of the Sunday school at the rear of the church. Mary Thompson, 74, who has resided behind the church for decades, said: “It’s disgusting they’ve let it get to that state; it’s being used as a dumping ground, it’s a complete eyesore, and it’s such a shame.
“It’s pure danger as well, the structure is rotting. They will need to flatten it, which is such a shame for such a beautiful building.”
Neighbour Lillian Langton, 90, told the ECHO: “It’s going to fall down, and if the steeple goes down it will land in the middle of the road. Nothing’s been done.”
Another resident told the ECHO: “The church was lovely inside when the Brotherhood was there. It was beautiful. The Welsh Cathedral, built by the Welsh people who came to this area and were so important. If this was in another area, Allerton or Woolton, it wouldn’t be allowed to be left like that.
“It’s sad that it’s been left to wrack and ruin. People used to come down and take the Welsh granite away. It’s a beautiful building and something needs to be done about it; but this is Liverpool 8 – that’s the way it goes here.
“When friends visit me they ask why there’s a derelict church at the end of the row of houses.”
Brotherhood of the Cross and Star
The church was sold in 1982 to the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, a Nigerian religious movement that identifies itself as a “Kingdom founded on the rule of love” and a “physical manifestation” of a new form of “theocratic government” outlined in the bible. Followers believed the founder, Olumba Olumba Obu, to be a God incarnate.
Its website states: “The Head of this Government is His Holiness Olumba Olumba Obu, The King of kings and The Lord of lords. He is the Leader of The Unified Universal Theocratic Council and The Head of Administration of BCS Worldwide.”
The Brotherhood was established by Olumba Olumba Obu in 1956, with the first UK chapter being set up in London in 1974. The Brotherhood still operates two churches in London and one in Moss Side, Manchester, but the Welsh church has been vacant since around 1992.
In 2002, the council issued an urgent works notice to the Brotherhood due to concerns that part of the church might collapse. In 2005, £100,000 worth of work was undertaken using funds from the £1m pot allocated to Liverpool’s conservation department by the Northwest Development Agency. The Brotherhood was then asked to reimburse the money.
In 2008, The Brotherhood of the Cross and Star was taken to court by Liverpool City Council to recover a £345,000 sum owed to the city for repairs made to the church.
That same year, the council considered issuing a repairs notice to the owners, giving them two months to commence repairs or risk losing their ownership.
The church paid £380,000 to the council in 2009. Later that year, the Brotherhood agreed to sell the building to the council for £50,000 – the amount it would cost the council in legal fees to acquire it under a compulsory purchase order.
The ECHO contacted the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star’s office in London this week. The phone rings out before a voice over the crackling line invites the caller to leave a message. There are a few beeps before a robotic voice says ‘memory full’, and the call disconnects.
The ECHO received no response to its emails to the Brotherhood.
Merseyside Building Heritage Trust
In 2013, the church was sold to Merseyside Building Preservation Trust (MBPT) for £1. Feasibility studies were undertaken, and a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund was planned for full restoration works in 2015.
The Trust had been involved in efforts to save the church for two decades. However, by 2015, plans for full restoration had been abandoned. The Trust was working with Baltic Creative on a £7m development that would see the shell restored and a three or four-storey “timber pod” built in the body of the church to host creative businesses.
Nothing materialised from the plans. In 2018, proposals were submitted by Stephen Yip to transform the church into a hub for his KIND charity for disadvantaged and deprived children. But the scheme collapsed partly because of failure to secure funding from the Government’s Levelling Up fund for regeneration projects around the country. Mr Yip commented at the time: “Our plans for the old church were amazing and would have won awards. This is a 153-year-old building which has been derelict for so long. We were going to give it back to the city.
“The church has been part of my life. I was pushed past it when I was a child in a pram, and I’ve pushed my own kids past it in their prams. I’m heartbroken about it. This was going to be our legacy to the city, but now it won’t be.”
The Church was purchased by Audsley Holdings in 2022.
The ECHO has attempted to contact Merseyside Building Preservation Trust for comment but has received no response.
Audsley Holdings
The directors of Audsley Holdings comprise doctors from Manchester and St Helens alongside directors of local hotel businesses. The company has yet to lodge a single planning application with Liverpool City Council concerning the site, four years after acquiring the church.
Neighbour Janet Dainton recalls the roof collapsing in high winds in 2023. She remarked: “All the other churches are done up. If something was done with it it would be great. It could be a community centre.” Following the collapse, Dr Mustafa Rabia, the public representative of the group, stated: “Following interest from residents in the area, we wanted to assure those local to the former Welsh Presbyterian Church that we are currently working closely with our teams of expert surveyors and architects on how we can best preserve this Liverpool landmark. As a building that has historic links with the community and is associated with the personal stories of many, it is vital that this site is restored to its former glory and we are privileged to be able to take on this work as its new guardians.
“It is true that the building, recently acquired by ourselves, is in a fragile state due to years of neglect, having been unoccupied for over 20 years. However, with the help of our expert partners and with significant investment from us, it is our aim to transform the Welsh Church into a space that can be treasured by the community for generations to come. We are approaching the final stages of our proposals, in preparation for presentation to Liverpool City Council. It is our aim to engage with local community groups throughout this planning process and we look forward to sharing our thoughts on the future of the former Welsh Presbyterian Church with the people of the city.”
The ECHO has made several attempts to contact the directors of the firm. Audsley Holdings previously communicated with the ECHO through a PR agency.
When approached, the agency confirmed it no longer acts for the company and did not possess contact information for the directors. The directors have relocated from addresses in Merseyside identified through publicly accessible records.
Numerous telephone numbers discovered by the ECHO for the directors are no longer in service. No reply has been received from those that remain active.
The company’s registered office is that of an accountancy practice in the city centre. The ECHO hand-delivered correspondence to this location and was given assurance it would be forwarded to the firm’s directors, but to date no response has been received.
‘This is catastrophic for the community’
Sonia Bassey MBE, who runs L8 Matters Community Land Trust, told the ECHO: “It’s in a prime location in Liverpool 8, and the land value alone must be in the millions. Audsley Holdings have had it for four years and they’ve done nothing to it.
“I suspect they are waiting for it to fall down and I’m not aware of any enforcement that’s being imposed in the current situation. The roof has now completely gone.
“The building was gifted to the Merseyside Building Preservation Trust for £1, and it shouldn’t have been allowed to be sold to a private developer; it should have come back to the community.” Sonia commented: “I’m not aware of any consultation or activity they’ve undertaken in the community. They say they want it to be for community use, but I’m not aware of any consultation engagement that they’ve undertaken with the local community about plans or what they would propose it would be.
“I don’t think anyone’s seen any plans or any aspirations for the site, or any visuals of what it could look like. It’s a massive shame that the Welsh heritage is going to be destroyed when that building is lost.
“There’s such a history around that building and its congregation. For it then to just disappear because it’s fallen down would just be really wrong.”
A spokesperson for Liverpool City Council stated: “The former Welsh Presbyterian Church on Princes Road is a privately owned, Grade II listed building. The council does not own the site.
“We understand local concerns about the former Welsh Presbyterian Church and continue to monitor the building’s condition closely and are in contact with the owner regarding repairs.
“Previous proposals to bring the building back into use did secure planning permission, but were not taken forward after full funding could not be secured.
“The building was disposed of by the Council 13 years ago to the Merseyside Building Preservation Trust – an independent not‐for‐profit organisation whose purpose is to save and restore historic buildings that are at risk. As a charity, it does not operate to generate profit for shareholders.
“The site is now in the ownership of a private developer, who has previously indicated an intention to bring forward new proposals. However, no new planning application has been submitted to the council at this time.
“The council will assess any future proposals in line with planning and listed building legislation and will continue to take appropriate action where necessary in relation to public safety.
“The council’s priority now is to work positively with the current owner to find a sustainable solution.”
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