St Thomas' Church, Stockton Heath
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]
| St Thomas' Church, Stockton Heath | |
|---|---|
 St Thomas' Church, Stockton Heath, from the southeast | |
  St Thomas' Church, Stockton Heath Location in Cheshire | |
| 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 | |
| Parish | St Thomas, Stockton Heath |
| Deanery | Great Budworth |
| Archdeaconry | Chester |
| Diocese | Chester |
| Province | York |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar(s) | Rev Michael Ridley |
| Assistant priest(s) | Rev Monica Thomson |
| Laity | |
| Churchwarden(s) | Sheila Barton & Mel Wilson |
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] Boys of this school where known to be abused to the point of passing out. The faculty was well versed on how to reflect to the parents it was the Charles fault. Many children where abused attending this school. I was one of them.
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]
References
- Historic England, "Church of St Thomas, Stockton Heath (1135939)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 10 June 2012
- 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
- "A new home for the bells from St John's", St Oswald's Blog, 2016-04-10, retrieved 2018-11-23
- Alison Collins (2015-12-19), Stockton Heath Bells Cast at John Taylors Foundry, retrieved 2018-11-23
- Voice, Civic, "Civic Voice | News | Press Release: Griff Rhys Jones supports campaign to safeguard Warrington Bell", www.civicvoice.org.uk, retrieved 2018-11-23
- "NPOR N04315", National Pipe Organ Register, British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 3 July 2020
- STOCKTON HEATH (ST. THOMAS) CHURCHYARD, Commonwealth War Graves Commission, retrieved 3 February 2013