Interior of Sefton Parish Church, Lancashire

Sefton Church is located in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside. It was thought to have been founded by the Molyneux family in about 1170, who were local landowners in Sefton. Sir Howard Colvin (1919 - 2007) who sold this watercolour to the Walker Art Gallery in 1984 described this view as very similar to a photograph that can be found in WD Caröe and EJA Gordon's book 'Sefton' 1893, p. 11, but it shows velvet pulpit cloths and some other details of furnishings that differ from the later photograph. Architect and author of the book, William Douglas Caröe (1857 - 1938), was hired to undertake a major restoration project in the early 20th century. The artist of this watercolour is unknown, however it was probably made before the photograph was published in 1893.