St Thomas' Church, Stockton Heath

Church in Cheshire, England
53°22′20″N 2°34′57″W / 53.3723°N 2.5825°W / 53.3723; -2.5825OS grid referenceSJ 614 864LocationStockton Heath, Warrington, CheshireCountryEnglandDenominationAnglicanWebsiteSt Thomas' and St Mary Magdalene'sHistoryStatusParish churchDedicationSt ThomasArchitectureFunctional statusActiveHeritage designationGrade IIDesignated23 December 1983Architect(s)E. G. PaleyArchitectural typeChurchStyleGothic RevivalCompleted1868SpecificationsMaterialsSandstone,
Westmorland slate roofsAdministrationProvinceYorkDioceseChesterArchdeaconryChesterDeaneryGreat BudworthParishSt Thomas, Stockton HeathClergyVicar(s)Rev Michael RidleyAssistant priest(s)Rev Monica ThomsonLaityChurchwarden(s)Sheila Barton & Mel Wilson

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] although a full set of bells were not installed until 2016. The current ring of 10 bells consists of 8 bells donated from St. John the Baptist, Bollington[4] supplemented with two new trebles cast by John Taylor & Co.[5] A campaign to keep a tolling bell dating from 1883 dedicated to the wife of John Crosfield (son of Joseph Crosfield) took place in an attempt to retain the bell locally.[6]

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

  • iconCheshire portal

References

  1. ^ a b c d Historic England, "Church of St Thomas, Stockton Heath (1135939)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 10 June 2012
  2. ^ St Thomas, Stockton Heath, Church of England, retrieved 27 January 2011
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ "A new home for the bells from St John's", St Oswald's Blog, 10 April 2016, retrieved 23 November 2018
  5. ^ Alison Collins (19 December 2015), Stockton Heath Bells Cast at John Taylors Foundry, retrieved 23 November 2018
  6. ^ Voice, Civic, "Civic Voice | News | Press Release: Griff Rhys Jones supports campaign to safeguard Warrington Bell", www.civicvoice.org.uk, retrieved 23 November 2018
  7. ^ "NPOR [N04315]", National Pipe Organ Register, British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 3 July 2020
  8. ^ STOCKTON HEATH (ST. THOMAS) CHURCHYARD, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, retrieved 3 February 2013
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