St Thomas' Church, Stockton Heath
| St Thomas' Church, Stockton Heath | |
|---|---|
 St Thomas' Church, Stockton Heath, from the southeast | |
  St Thomas' Church, Stockton Heath Location in Cheshire | |
| 53°22′20″N 2°34′57″W / 53.3723°N 2.5825°W | |
| OS grid reference | SJ 614 864 |
| Location | Stockton Heath, Warrington, Cheshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St Thomas' and St Mary Magdalene's |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | St Thomas |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 23 December 1983 |
| Architect(s) | E. G. Paley |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1868 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone, Westmorland slate roofs |
| Administration | |
| Province | York |
| Diocese | Chester |
| Archdeaconry | Chester |
| Deanery | Great Budworth |
| Parish | St Thomas, Stockton Heath |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | Rev Michael Ridley |
| Assistant priest(s) | Rev Monica Thomson |
| Laity | |
| Churchwarden(s) | Lynda Heesom & Peter Banyard |
St Thomas' Church is in Stockton Heath, to the south of Warrington, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building,[1] and is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Great Budworth.[2]
History
The present church was built in 1868 on the site of a former church that had been erected in 1838.[1] It was designed by the Lancaster architect E. G. Paley, the main benefactor being Sir Gilbert Greenall. The tower was added later.[3] A tolling bell weighing just over a tonne was donated to the church by John Crosfield (son of Joseph Crosfield) in 1883 in memory of his wife.[4] This bell was removed from the church tower in January 2016[5] and is currently the focus of a fundraising campaign by Warrington Civic Society with the aim of returning it to the town.[6]. A ring of 8 bells from St. John's , Bollington were given to St . Thomas' as we had room to hang them. A further 2 bells were donated to make a ring of 10.[citation needed]
Architecture
It is constructed in pinkish-red sandstone with Westmorland slate roofs. Its plan consists of a four-bay nave with a south aisle under a parallel ridged roof, a south porch, a north transept, a north vestry, a two-bay chancel and a west tower. The tower is in four stages with an octagonal southeast turret and an embattled parapet.[1]
The chancel is decorated with richly coloured patterned tilework and the reredos is of marble and embossed patterned tiles.[1] The organ was built around 1880 by Young and Sons and rebuilt in 1963 by Rushworth and Dreaper of Liverpool.[7]
External features
The churchyard contains the war graves of 31 service personnel, 17 from World War I and 14 from World War II.[8]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Historic England, "Church of St Thomas, Stockton Heath (1135939)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 10 June 2012
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ St Thomas, Stockton Heath, Church of England, retrieved 27 January 2011
- ^ Brandwood, Geoff; Austin, Tim; Hughes, John; Price, James (2012), The Architecture of Sharpe, Paley and Austin, Swindon: English Heritage, p. 222, ISBN 978-1-84802-049-8
- ^ "Civic Society bidding to keep church bell dating back to 1883 in town". Warrington Guardian. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
- ^ "Bid to keep historic church bell in Warrington". Warrington Worldwide. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
- ^ "Griff Rhys Jones backing campaign to save 130 year old Stockton Heath church bell". Wire FM. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
- ^ Stockton Heath, St. Thomas, British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 17 August 2008
- ^ STOCKTON HEATH (ST. THOMAS) CHURCHYARD, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, retrieved 3 February 2013