Almost drowned at the age of two in a pool of water near his home; rescued at the age of eight from Birkenhead docks; survivor of a virulent strain of typhoid fever at eighteen; and, if that was not enough, afflicted with the life-threatening disadvantages of two brothers and six sisters; it seemed that God was sparing him for a special work!  

Who is this, then?  Archie Henry Boulton, a prosperous and successful builder who became not only one of Liverpool City Mission’s greatest benefactors but was also the Mission’s President for 27 years from 1938 to 1964 and then its Vice-President until his death in 1986.

Although he lived and worked on the Wirral peninsula for most of his life, it was the West Derby area of Liverpool that was woken up by the cries of its latest inhabitant on the 14th November 1884. Two years later his family moved over the water to live in Birkenhead, and it was at Camden Hall, Birkenhead, where he was converted to Christ when he was seventeen. Immediately he began to witness, and shortly after, his lifelong friend Willie Clare was to be his first convert. Then there was no quenching his passion for spreading the gospel.

His first wife, Mary, died in 1959, and ten years later he married Emma, also a strong and generous supporter of the Mission.

It was as a builder he was best known. It was he who developed Bebington on Wirral from a small village set in large open fields dotted with ponds and with no proper roads, into what it is today. It was he who first introduced electricity to Bebington and installed a massive drainage system. He built hundreds of houses in Bebington, Bromborough, Eastham and Prenton. So well built were the houses, that they were known as “Boulton’s little palaces”. He also built several churches on Wirral and a school. He provided jobs for hundreds of people.

In his lifetime Mr Boulton, “A.H.” to those who knew him well, achieved much.  He travelled widely, sailing to the USA, Norway, North Africa and all round the Near East. He had also been acquainted with famous people – he once shared a platform with General Booth in Liverpool. Sir John Laing, the famous builder, also was a close friend and colleague. He received letters from two Prime Ministers, Sir Winston Churchill and Sir Harold Macmillan, written from 10 Downing Street in their own hand, thanking him for services rendered to them, namely “redevelopment of the North West”.

Because he honoured God in every aspect of his life, especially in his business, God rewarded him greatly. His strong belief was that the money he accrued from his successful building enterprises should be used in God’s service. He frequently stated that the more he gave to God, the more God gave him back to redistribute. Mr Boulton was always a faithful steward of God’s money, spending little of it on himself. The use of the word “tithe” was not applicable to Mr Boulton, since he gave almost all of his money to God’s service by setting up trusts to be used solely for God’s work. His stepdaughter and son-in-law, Jennifer and Peter Gopsill, now direct the trusts, continue the support given by Mr Boulton.  Even twenty-one years after Mr Boulton’s death so many individuals and institutions are still enjoying support from the trusts he set up so long ago, including Liverpool City Mission. Today his trusts support work not only throughout the United Kingdom but also all round the world in India, Chile, Mongolia, Morocco, Albania, Romania, to name but a few countries.

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