CUSTODIANS of Liverpool’s famous bombed-out church believe they have made an important discovery – an original stained-glass Liver Bird.

The image of a cormorant is on a window next to what was formerly the main entrance to St Luke’s Church, on Bold Place.

It has already been dubbed the “first Liver Bird” by those convinced it pre-dates those created by Carl Bernard Bartels for the Royal Liver Building by almost a century.

The discovery was made while work was being carried out to clear an area known as the “forbidden zone”, which is closed to the public for safety reasons.

Jonathon Wild, who runs his own website on the history of St Luke’s, said the stained-glass Liver Bird dated from the 1830s, and had not been seen publicly since World War II.

He added: “As this area is out of bounds to the general public due to the condition of the walls, it is very unlikely that anyone has actually spotted this window since the building was regularly used as a church before it was bombed in the war.

“Because this section of the church is off limits, it was only by chance that it was spotted.

“The window has to be an original feature, and I believe this to be one of the oldest Liver Birds in existence, especially in stained glass.”