The Bombed Out Church is hosting a Christmas bar and light show

MEET me on the steps of the Bombed Out Church (in your Christmas jumper.) Following on from the successful summer garden bar, St Luke’s is bringing you a festive winter bar and woodland themed light display this month.

The winter garden bar offers festive drinks, from boozy hot chocolates to spiced cider and mulled wine

The Magic Chancel light display features snowflake projections designed by local primary school children in response to the question “what’s most important to you?” You can also see an exhibition of plans for St Luke’s community-based cultivation and improvement of the gardens for the church, and pick up some tips on supporting wildlife at home. 

St Lukes Bombed Out Church Liverpool Winter Bar Outside Poinsettia
It's just not Christmas without a poinsettia Image: SLBOC

The winter garden bar is underneath a clear-roof heated marquee within the picturesque setting of the grounds and offers festive drinks, from boozy hot chocolates to spiced cider and mulled wine. Snacks will also be available and hot food from pop-ups on Saturday and Sunday.

The festive bar and Magic Chancel light display is open Thursday to Sunday until 19 December. On Friday 10 December at 7pm there will be a special performance from the Cantanti choir. Deck the halls with gin and tonic, fa la la la la.

Set slap bang the heart of the city, St Luke’s Church, known locally as the ‘Bombed Out Church’, is one of Liverpool’s most stunning venues, hosting a wide range of music, arts and cultural events across the years, famously with its roof missing.

Built between 1811 and 1832, St Luke’s was designed by father and son, John Foster, Senior and John Foster Junior. In Addition to being a parish church, it also functioned as a concert hall until 1849.

Just after midnight, on 6 May 1941, during the May blitz of World War Two, the church was hit by an incendiary device. The large fire that ensued swept through the building, causing its stained glass to burst from within, its roof to collapse, and several of its bells to cascade down the tower to the ground.

Ultimately, having endured for several days, the blaze left little more than the church’s stonework standing. In the aftermath of the war, St Luke’s was left in its ruined state as a memorial to casualties in the armed forces and the civilian population.

14042021 St Lukes Bombed Out Church Garden Bar
St Luke's summer garden bar was a big hit Image: Confidentials

Overgrown and inaccessible, the site lay derelict for over 60 years, before being cleared, and transformed by a series of cultural events, reopening the space to the public.

As well as the popular Garden Bar, St Luke’s has hosted the Liverpool Theatre Festival, and the Independent Liverpool outdoor cinema. In 2014, the historic monument was immortalised in the song On the steps of the Bombed Out Church by Silent Sleep.

Bookings for St Luke’s festive garden bar are now open online. No booking is required for the Magic Chancel but donations are taken at the door.

St Luke's Church, Leece Street, Liverpool L1 2TR

Follow Vicky Andrews on Twitter @planetvicster

Read next: Space-themed light spectacular is coming to Liverpool Cathedral

Read again: The Liverpool food and drink gift guide: Christmas 2021

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