St. Luke’s (Bombed Out Church), Liverpool

Susie Stubbs

Visit now

St. Luke’s (Bombed Out Church), Liverpool

Corner of Berry Street and Leece Street, Liverpool, L1
StLukesChurch, image courtesy of venue
Book now

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.

What's on near St. Luke’s (Bombed Out Church), Liverpool

Sprints
MusicCity Centre
Sprints at The Jacaranda

One of the most urgent voices in alt-punk right now, SPRINTS are heading to The Jacaranda for an intimate in-store show and signing.

From £19.50

Where to go near St. Luke’s (Bombed Out Church), Liverpool

The Bombed Out Church Garden Bar
Liverpool
Bar or Pub
Bombed Out Church Garden Bar

The legendary bombed-out church, otherwise known as St Luke’s Church, has opened a garden bar in its grounds, offering premium drinks via socially-distanced table service only.

food and drink
City Centre
Bar or Pub
Cafe Tabac

Cafe Tabac is the longest running café bar in Liverpool, serving food and drinks to arty locals and curious newcomers.

food and drink
Liverpool
Restaurant
Italian Club Fish

Italian Club Fish on Liverpool’s lively Bold Street aka restaurant central, is a haven for seafood lovers and fans of authentic Mediterranean cuisine.

Liverpool
Restaurant
Maray

Much-loved Liverpool restaurant, specialising in forward-thinking small plate dishes.

record shop
City Centre
Shop
81 Renshaw

81 Renshaw is a record store in Liverpool city centre, selling new and second-hand vinyl from a location with a long musical history

City Centre
Café or Coffee Shop
Bold Street Coffee

A super cool cafe at the top of Bold Street, Bold Street Coffee in Liverpool serves a range of specialist coffee, cakes and sandwiches.

food and drink
City Centre
Restaurant
BAM BOO

BAM BOO delivers a slice of paradise right in Liverpool city centre, with indulgent meals and delicious cocktails.

City Centre
Shop
69A

Junk emporium 69A in Liverpool is the shop that time forgot. It has been peddling vintage wares since 1976.

wine bar
City Centre
Restaurant
The Oracle

The Oracle is a mysteriously classy cocktail bar with magicians performing tricks at your table, right in the centre of Liverpool

Culture Guides

Author portrait
Literature Events in the North

Our latest round-up features plenty of one-off live literature events to wrap your ears about, so get those diaries ticking over...

Cinema in the North

This month we recommend a season of Film noir, cult Australian movies and a huge celebration of DIY community cinema.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

This season’s theatre is gloriously eclectic: from radical cabaret and reinvented classics to new musicals and boundary-pushing performance.

Sprints
Music in the North

10 fresh shows across Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool, threading together noise, ritual, euphoria and release in all their messy, beautiful forms.

Detail of an abstract sculpture, with burned materials and rusty chicken wire at the centre, with rusted metal bars bent around it.
Exhibitions in the North

Chocolate fountains, beautiful batiks and medieval marginalia - this month's supersized Exhibitions Guide has it all.