One of Merseyside’s most unique churches has celebrated its 200th anniversary in style.

St Michael in the Hamlet Church in Aigburth welcomed the Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Rev Paul Bayes, to a celebration service on June 21, the exact anniversary of the day the church was consecrated by the Bishop of Chester in 1815.

Nearly 300 people attended the service, along with three former vicars, with every person present given a hand-made buttonhole of fresh flowers. Afterwards sparkling wine and home-made cakes were served in a marquee in the church grounds.

The Grade I listed building is located close to Liverpool’s historic ‘Cast Iron Shore’, colloquially known as the ‘The Cazzy’, and it was this material which gives the church its distinctive look.

The name was given to the area stretching from the Dingle to Otterspool promenade due to the number of iron works and iron ship building works along the shore as well as the extensive use of the cast iron in buildings. The extent of its use could even be seen in the shore line, as it was stained red from all the remaining ferric oxide in the sand. The ‘Cast Iron Shore’ is even mentioned in the lyrics of the Beatles song Glass Onion.

The church was built by John Cragg, owner of the Mersey Iron Foundry. Cragg was a keen churchman and was always looking for new ways to use cast iron and after building St George’s Church in Everton using cast iron in its structure he planned to use more of it in St Michael’s.

The cast iron in the walls formed a skeleton, the base of which was filled with slate, and the remainder with brick. The windows and door surrounds, the window crestings, the columns, the roof tracery, the arches, clerestory cladding, the parapets, finials, copings, the window tracery and even the church fence, which is separately listed, were made of iron.

A popular name for the church was ‘The Mariner’s Church’ due to the number of sailors buried there. Some of the profession in the church registers include sail-maker, anchor-maker, rope-maker, shipwright. By the time of the centenary of the church the churchyard had been closed to burial for some time, the last burial being in an existing grave in August 1910.

Five houses neighbouring the church also used iron in their construction with Cragg’s own house ‘Abbotsfield’ standing at the west end and two others now converted into student accommodation for Hope University.

A recent award of £97,000 from the Listed Places of Worship Roof Scheme will hope the church reopen an area where a side-roof has failed in order to create new creche facilities.

Rev Canon David Parry, vicar at St Michael in the Hamlet said: “None of us will ever forget the day and I was particularly pleased that more than 80 children took part. It was informal and joyful with lots of music and laughter.

“I am so proud of St Michael’s. It is a unique part of Liverpool with a remarkable and inclusive community spirit whose parish church meets in a world-class heritage building but is a down-to-earth friendly family.”

Each Saturday until October 31 there is free public entry to the church. Visit www.stmichaels-hamlet.org.uk for more information.