
Memorial details
- Memorial type
- Chapel or Church: Freestanding building
- District
- Blackpool
- Town
- Blackpool
- County
- Lancashire
- Country
- England
- Commemoration
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Lost
- Not lost
- WM Reference
- 72248
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Current location
Close to Victoria Hospital
Blackpool
Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes
Whinney Heys Road
Blackpool
Blackpool
Lancashire
FY3 8NP
England
OS Grid Ref: SD 332 368
Denomination: Undefined
- Description
- This is a grade II listed building built in thanksgiving to commemorate the fact that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lancaster emerged relatively unscathed from WW2. Blackpool was chosen as being centrally located within the Diocese. The building is of white Portland stone.
- Inscription
- Commemoration stone on the exterior of the building, in Latin: DEO OMNIPOTENTI IN HONOREM BEATAE MARIAE VIRGINIS IMMACULATAE DE LA PUR DI. QUAE PER DIES GRASSANTIS BELLI ECCLESIAS HUIUS DIOECESIS ET FIDELES INCLUMES BENIGNISSIMA SERVAVIT TUTELA. HUNC LAPIDEM GRATO POSUIT ANIMO THOMAS EDUARDUS EPISCOPUS LANCASTRENSIS DIE VIII SEPT MCMLV Translated as: ‘By Almighty God in Honour of the pure Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate. This diocese and faith remained safe from raging war. This stone laid by Thomas Edward, Bishop of Lancaster on 8 Sept 1955’
- Inscription legible?
- yes
- Commemorations
- Second World War (1939-1945)
Total names on memorial: 0
Served and returned: 0
Died: 0
Exact count: yes
Information shown: Undefined
Order of information: Undefined
- Second World War (1939-1945)
- Components
- Church
Measurements: Undefined
Materials: Stone - Portland
- Church
- Listing information
- THANKSGIVING SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES
- Grade II*
- This memorial is protected, and listed on the National Heritage List for England maintained by Historic England. View list entry
- More about listing and the protection of historic places can be found on the Historic England website
- Condition
- Thanksgiving Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes
- WMO ID: 125916
- Condition: Good [last updated on 14-08-2019]
- Help update these details if the condition is wrong
- History
- The Shrine of our Lady of Lourdes was built as a war memorial thanksgiving chapel between 1955 and 1957. It was designed by Francis Xavier Velarde (1897-1960) and its construction was funded by contributions from local parishes. According to Wikipedia: The shrine was deconsecrated in 1993, and passed into the ownership of the Historic Chapels Trust a secular charity, in 2000 in a poor state and without an endowment. A £100,000 grant awarded by English Heritage assisted with urgent rescue repairs, completed in April 2008, dealing with the leaking copper roof and improving the rainwater disposal system.
- Trust fund/Scholarship
- No
Purpose: Unknown or N/A - Responsibility
- Historic Chapels Trust
- Reference
- History at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrine_of_Our_Lady_of_Lourdes,_Blackpool Listing detail: historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1387319
This record comprises all information held by IWM’s War Memorials Register for this memorial. Where we hold a names list for the memorial, this information will be displayed on the memorial record. Please check back as we are adding more names to the database.
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This means you may reuse it for non-commercial purposes only and must attribute it to us using the following statement:
© WMR-72248
For queries, please contact [email protected].