St. Luke’s, Liverpool

Susie Stubbs
StLukesChurch, image courtesy of venue

A semi-derelict church is a reminder of Liverpool’s history – and an outdoor cinema, music and arts venue.

A subterranean network of tunnels, purpose unknown. A granite pyramid inside a churchyard, the final resting place of a man who insisted he be buried above ground. Liverpool is a city well versed in architectural oddity, yet for all its building-based quirks, perhaps its most poignant is St. Luke’s church.

From a distance, this 19th-century church at the apex of Bold Street is handsome but otherwise unremarkable. Close up, it is anything but. It is bombed out. It has no interior. It is a building that took a direct hit from a German bomb in 1941 and which has, ever since, stood burned out and roofless, a skeletal memorial to the victims of the Blitz. Liverpool suffered more than most during WWII. Its port and location made it vital to the British war effort – and a magnet for German bombs. It was the most heavily bombed city outside London; the incendiary bomb that dropped on St. Luke’s in May 1941 was one of many.

So, after the war it made sense to preserve what was left of St. Luke’s: its walls and glass-less windows, surrounded by a small park, acting a reminder to thousands of Liverpool lives lost.

St Luke’s is now commonly known as ‘The Bombed Out Church’ and hosts a variety of outdoors theatre, concerts, films and even a Garden Bar.

Corner of Berry Street and Leece StreetLiverpoolL1 View map
Visit Now

Accessibility

No wheelchair access

Services and Facilities

Tours, outdoor cinema screenings, arts events

What's on near St. Luke’s, Liverpool

Until
ActivityLiverpool
Old Dock Tours, Liverpool

The Old Dock tour is a treat for younger and older visitors alike, fans of Liverpool’s maritime past, and anybody curious about local history.

£8.50 with concessions
Until
ComedyManchester
Creatures of the Night Comedy Club

An insanely committed seven-nights-a-week, Creatures of the Night Comedy Club opens its doors (20.30-22.30 typically, though please check) for evening after evening of side-splitting comedy.

from £5.00
Until
ComedyManchester
The Comedy Vault

Every Monday night upstairs at Fierce Bar, The Comedy Vault hosts an outrageously funny open-mic night. Come and try your hand or just to watch and laugh.

free entry
Until
ComedyManchester
Comedy Balloon

Every Wednesday at Ape & Apple, Manchester’s official underground comedy club, Comedy Balloon’s friendly and warm comedy night takes place.

free entry

Where to go near St. Luke’s, Liverpool

Ripley's Believe It Or Not
Blackpool
Museum
Ripley’s Believe It Or Not

Located at Blackpool Pleasure Beach resort, this museum of oddities is the perfect place for families to discover the strange, the unusual and the extraordinary.

Image courtesy of Saoko Cocktail Bar.
Blackpool
Restaurant
Saoko Cocktail Club

This cocktail bar may be the new kid on the Blackpool block, but it’s already renowned for its excellent service and imaginative drinks that offer an ‘experience and a story’.

Little Black Pug by Ian Jones.
Blackpool
Restaurant
Little Black Pug

Head to Balckpool’s Little Black Pug for an historic, laid-back, family-friendly pub with a huge malt whiskey collection.

Ian Jones.
Blackpool
Shop
Aunty Social

Both a lifestyle store and a community arts hub, Aunty Social showcases the very best of Blackpool’s creative community. A great spot to pick up lovingly-made gifts.

Exterior of fish and chip shop
Blackpool
Restaurant
Harrowside Fish & Chips

Winner of the Good Food Award’s coveted Chippy of the Year award on multiple occasions, Harrowside is a great choice for fish and chips in Blackpool.

Ladies eating Fish and Chips
Blackpool
Restaurant
C Fresh

C Fresh is an old school, decidedly affordable chippy near Blackpool prom, consistently busy with locals – a sure-fire sign it’s doing something right.

Twisted
Blackpool
Restaurant
Twisted Indian Street Food

Blackpool’s number one Indian restaurant, Twisted Indian packs a flavour punch and isn’t afraid to mix the traditional with the modern. Their motto? ‘Being normal is boring.’

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in Manchester and the North

Alongside experimental performance, new writing and free arts festivals, we take a look at some of the Christmas shows happening in the North.