Former Church Of St Thomas

The former Church of St Thomas, now a recreation and day care centre, was built between 1837 and 1839 by John Latham. It is constructed of sandstone ashlar with a slate roof and is designed in a Romanesque style, characterised by round-headed openings throughout. The church comprises a six-bay nave with north and south aisles, an east tower, and a small, five-sided apsidal chancel.

The nave and aisles feature pilaster strips, and the nave has a corbel table to each bay. The aisles have simple round-headed windows in each bay. The north aisle is accessed via a gabled porch with a more elaborate Norman-style doorway, featuring set-in shafts with cushion capitals. The west front is dominated by a large Norman-style arch with two orders of moulding, including set-in shafts, a multi-layered zig-zag band, and a nail-head band; above this are windows on two levels, a small three-light window, and a large wheel window finished with nail-head enrichment to the eaves and an apex cross.

The three-stage tower is embraced at the base by vestries with hipped roofs. The first two stages have string courses and clasping pilasters, with windows on each side featuring set-in shafts and roll-moulding. The belfry stage is slightly set back, with a string course, roll-moulded corners, and windows with two recessed lights, shafts, and nail-head and roll-moulding to the arch. The apsidal chancel has corner shafts with carved caps, a string course, plain frieze, and a nail-head cornice, with one window to each side.

Internally, the church retains cylindrical piers of the arcades, although arches are now blocked at the first floor. Massive, inverted conical corbels support the east and west tower arches, which are now partially concealed. An upper floor has been inserted, and a large two-light window is located at the east end of the first floor, incorporating a column and imposts. Numerous stained glass windows are also present, conveying group value.