Campaigners think they may be able to save the doomed Whiston Hospital Chapel from demolition - by moving it to the other side of town.
Members of WHICH, the Whiston Hospital Initiative for Cultural Heritage, are pushing for the 124-year-old chapel to be dismantled brick-by-brick and moved to the Knowsley Cemetery on Fox's Bank Lane.
Permission has already given for the chapel to be demolished, making way for 16 car parking spaces.
Campaigners believe the building was the first ecumenical Christian chapel in the country, a point they say gives the site unique historical significance. Its opening in 1882 was fraught with controversy, as Catholics and Protestants were being encouraged to worship together for the first time.
WHICH are hoping that the Hospitals Trust, building contractors Taylor Woodrow and Knowsley Council will meet to discuss the situation and agree to have the materials carefully transported and stored at the Knowsley Cemetery. They will then begin a campaign to secure funding to rebuild it on the new site.
Knowsley Council has long planned to have a multi-faith chapel at the Cemetery.
"The idea is both simple and imaginative, and would receive support from the major faiths," said WHICH Secretary Michael Lane.
They are now appealing for locals to support the idea by signing a petition against the demolition.
- You can find out more about the campaign by calling WHICH Secretary Michael Lane on (0151) 480 0364
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