The second church, also known as Greenbank Church, was consecrated on 11th November 1814. It was built on a site on Hall Hill, opposite Upton Hall on what is now Old Greasby Road.

Building of the church began in June 1813 but was not completed until September 1815, no work was carried out for 5 months during this period. No architect was employed and much of the material from the Norman church was used in the construction. The cost of constructing the church was £728 17s 3d, and it was often reffered to as a temporary church.

The second Parish Church, Greenbank Church

The church is described as being wider than the Norman Church, it was a plain limewashed building, ihe only notable feature being that it contained a private pew belonging to the Cust family of Leasowe Castle, whose coat of arms decorated the door of the pew.

In the 1830s a house was built for the Reverend John Simpson, Perpetual Curate. The house was paid for jointly by William Webster of Upton Hall and the Trustees of Queen Anne's Bounty. It was located on Ford Road and the three acres of land it occupied was given by William Webster.

The last service was held in this church on 26th April 1868, but the building was used as a mortuary for the township until July 1886 when the church wardens petitioned to take the chuch down as it was in a ruinous condition. Demolition was carried out in June 1887, the cost being covered by voluntary contributions.

During the demolition a number of carved stones were found, these are beieved to have come from the Norman Church.

As with the Norman Church, this church had a burial ground. Both these burial grounds remained in the care of the parochial church council until 1958, when they were closed and became the responsibility of the Birkenhead Corporation.

The site of the Greenbank Church is now occupied by an undertaker, although much of the original boundary walls of the site are still standing.

 

The Site of Greenbank Church in 2008

In the early 1970s, Mr Shadrack, a history teacher from Moreton Middle School, was walking through Upton Village. As he passed the Greenbank Funeral Parlour workmen were knocking down part of the old boundary wall to enable a new footpath to cross the site, Mr Shadrack noticed that one of the stones was carved and was given permission to remove it and use it in his history lessons.

Moreton Middle School closed in the early 1980s and the stone was found and taken to the Williamson Art Gallery where it was identified as part of a medieval grave slab. It is believed that the stone was brought from the site of the old Norman Church.

List of Vicars

•           - 1825 .. .. .. Roger Jacson [1]
• 1826 - 1831 .. .. .. Robert Mosley Feilden [2]
• 1832 - 1837 .. .. .. Frederick Barker [3]
• 1838 - 1840 .. .. .. Maxwell Shayre
• 1840 - 1841 .. .. .. John Hullett
• 1842 - 1846 .. .. .. John Gregson
• 1846 - 1847 .. .. .. Offley Crewe
• 1847 - 1856 .. .. .. Thomas Bell
• 1856 - 1862 .. .. .. John James Moss
• 1862 -         .. .. .. Johnston Hamilton Acheson

[1] Also rector of Bebington.
[2] Also rector of Bebington.
[3] Later became Bishop of Sydney and Metropolitan of Australia