St Hilary's Church is in the town of Wallasey, Wirral, Merseyside, England. It consists of a church built in 1858–59 and the separate tower of a former medieval church. Both the church and the tower are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated Grade II listed buildings. The church is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Wallasey. History The present building is believed to be the sixth church on the site. The first church is thought to have been built in Saxon times and was probably built of timber and of which there is no trace. Several stones have been found of a Norman structure on the site. It is thought that a new church was built between 1162 and 1182 by William de Waley. This was rebuilt and a tower added during the reigns of Edward I and Edward II. The next rebuilding was in the age of Henry VIII when the tower of 1530 was reconstructed. In 1757, the church was described as ruinous and it was rebuilt. This structure was accidentally burnt down in 1857, reputedly because the sexton over-stoked the heating boiler, and bacon being cured in the boilerhouse began to drip fat, causing the old prayer mats beneath them to catch fire. Because Wallasey had no fire service, a messenger had to be dispatched to Birkenhead, and by the time the fire brigade arrived the structure was beyond saving. The church was rebuilt as a separate building in 1858–59, leaving the tower as a freestanding edifice. The architects of the present church were W. and J. Hay. Architecture Exterior The church is built in stone with a slate roof. Its plan consists of a nave with clerestory, north and south aisles under lean-to roofs, a crossing tower with transepts, and a chancel with a north vestry and a south chapel. The separate tower is built in stone and its lower parts date from the 13th century. It is in three stages with diagonal buttresses. On the north and east faces are blocked arches. The louvred bell openings have three lights and at the top is an embattled parapet with gargoyles. Interior The roof is arch-braced in type. In the chancel is a two-bay organ loft to the north and a two-bay chapel arcade to the south. The wooden reredos has