St Thomas' Church, Garstang
St Thomas' Church is an Anglican church in Garstang, a market town in the English county of Lancashire. It is an active parish church in the Diocese of Blackburn and the archdeaconry of Lancaster. The church was built in 1770 as a chapel of ease to St Helen's Church in nearby Kirkland and was later assigned its own parish. It has been designated a Grade II listed building by English Heritage.
History
Historically, the township of Garstang was part of the ecclesiatical parish of the same name. Garstang's parish church was St Helen's Church, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) away in the township of Kirkland. A chapel of ease to St Helen's was built in the township of Garstang in the 15th century.[1] The chapel was dedicated to the Holy Trinity. By the 18th century, this chapel had fallen into disuse.[2]
In 1770, a new chapel was built on a different site in the town and dedicated to St Thomas; the architect was Richard Gillow.[1] In 1879, a chancel was added to the church, probably by Lancaster based architecture firm Paley and Austin.[n 1] In 1881, St Thomas' became a parish church in its own right.[2] Around this time, the churchyard was enlarged.[4]
Architecture
St Thomas' Church is built of sandstone rubble and its roofs are slate. The plan consists of a nave with a tower to the west, a chancel and a transept to the north.[5] The tower is square with extensions to the north and south. It has round-headed bell openings.[1]
The three-light east window contains a stained glass image of Saint Thomas, designed by Carl Almquist of the Lancaster based firm Shrigley & Hunt.[1] There is also a depiction of the Ascension of Jesus by the same firm.[6] There is a bronze sculpture of Christ in the chancel, designed in 1974 by Josefina de Vasconcellos.[1]
In the churchyard, there are the remains of a Medieval sandstone cross. It has a rectangular base and shaft.[7]
Assessment and administration
English Heritage designated St Thomas' a Grade II listed building on 17 April 1967.[5] The sandstone cross base and shaft in the churchyard have also received a Grade II designation.[7] The Grade II designation—the lowest of the three grades—is for buildings that are "nationally important and of special interest".[8] Hartwell and Pevsner (2009) describe the church as a "cheap uninspired job".[1]
St Thomas' is an active parish church in the Anglican Diocese of Blackburn, which is part of the Province of York. It is in the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the Deanery of Garstang.[9]
See also
References
- Notes
- ^ Although Price (1998) lists St Thomas' as one of Paley & Austin's works,[3] Hartwell & Pevsner (2009) mention only a chancel added in 1875 by Longworth & Gardner.[1]
- Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g Hartwell & Pevsner (2009), pp. 302–03
- ^ a b Farrer & Brownbill (1912), pp. 311–13
- ^ Price (1998), p. 82
- ^ "The Parish Church of St Tomas, Garstang — History", Official website, http://www.stthomasgarstang.co.uk/?History, retrieved 1 August 2011
- ^ a b "Church of St Thomas", National Heritage List for England (English Heritage), http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1361933, retrieved 1 August 2011
- ^ Waters (2003), p. 73
- ^ a b "Cross Base with Part of Shaft, West of Tower of Church of St Thomas", National Heritage List for England (English Heritage), http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1163590, retrieved 1 August 2011
- ^ "Listed Buildings", National Heritage List for England (English Heritage), http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/listing/listed-buildings/, retrieved 1 August 2011
- ^ "Church Details: Garstang St Thomas", blackburn.anglican.org (Diocese of Blackburn), http://www.blackburn.anglican.org/parish.asp?theid=96703, retrieved 1 August 2011
- Bibliography
- Farrer, William; Brownbill, J., eds. (1912), "Townships — Garstang", A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 7 (Constable), OCLC 59626695, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=53245
- Hartwell, Clare; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2009) [1969], Lancashire: North, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, ISBN 0300126670
- Price, James (1998), Sharpe, Paley and Austin: A Lancaster Architectural Practice: 1836-1942, Centre for North-West Regional Studies, ISBN 1862200548
- Waters, Bill (2003), Stained Glass from Shrigley & Hunt of Lancaster and London, Lancaster: University of Lancaster, ISBN 1862201404
External links
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