Church Of St Thomas A Becket

Church of St Thomas a Becket

A parish church of 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th-century date, with the chancel rebuilt in 1881. The building is constructed of coursed limestone rubble and ashlar with slate roofs, quoins and a moulded ashlar plinth. It comprises a west tower, nave, aisles, chancel and south porch.

The unbuttressed west tower rises in three stages. The west face displays a single chamfered pointed lancet, above which are three chamfered ashlar bands. The north face is blank, while the south face contains a pointed arched blocked doorway with a projecting stair having set-offs and three tiny windows. The third stage has a single two-light bell opening to each face, set in pointed arches with flowing tracery and a hood mould with stops. Above runs a chamfered ashlar band with rudely carved gargoyles, then battlements decorated with quartrefoils containing shields, and four crocketed corner pinnacles. The tower is topped by an octagonal crocketed stone spire with lucarnes and a finial surmounted by an iron weather cock.

The north aisle has a pointed chamfered lancet to the west, and to the north five gabled buttresses with set-offs and an off-centre pointed arched doorway in a chamfered surround with hood. To the right is a pointed chamfered lancet. To the left are two two-light segment-headed windows with reticulated tracery in deeply chamfered surrounds. To the east is a single three-light pointed arched window with reticulated tracery in a chamfered surround. Above is a three-bay clerestory with pairs of pointed arched windows with flowing tracery in moulded and chamfered surrounds with continuous hoods, topped by coped battlements with gargoyles and crocketed pinnacles to the east.

The chancel's north wall has a tiny round-headed lancet in a chamfered surround. The east wall contains a three-light pointed arched window with unusual panel tracery, and the gable wall is coped with a cross finial and moulded kneelers. The south wall has a central priest's door in a chamfered pointed arched surround with hood mould and foliate stops, with pointed chamfered lancets either side.

The south aisle has to its east a three-light pointed window with reticulated tracery in a chamfered surround with a hood. To the south is a deeply chamfered plinth and two buttresses with set-offs, plus two flat-headed two-light reticulated tracery windows in chamfered surrounds. To the east is a slate wall tablet to the eight children of the Harmston family, dated 1844 and signed by Barnett of Hedlington. To the west stands the porch, with a shallow pitched gable roof and flush round arched opening. The south aisle's west wall has a single tall lancet in a chamfered surround with remnants of a dogtooth hood.

Inside the porch are stone benches and a round arched doorway with a fine double arched surround. The inner arch has double roll-moulded joints with moulded imposts and a double zig-zag moulded arch. The outer arch has columns with cushion capitals (though the shafts have now gone), an impost band and a zig-zag moulded arch.

Interior

The three-bay nave arcades feature pointed double chamfered arches on quatrefoil keeled shafted piers and responds with moulded capitals, bases and hood moulds with curved label stops. The north-east respond has been replaced by a now mutilated carved corbel. Another double chamfered arch leads from the west end of the north aisle into the present vestry.

A 15th-century octagonal bowl and stem font has diamond-shaped panels. The tower arch is chamfered and pointed, partly obscured by the rood stair. The former steep pitch roof line is visible on the upper wall. The double chamfered and pointed chancel arch has keeled responds with a single stiff-leaf and single moulded capitals, with moulded bases.

A curved 15th-century wooden screen occupies the chancel. A double pointed arched and chamfered piscina and a similar single arched sedilia are present. The 19th-century wooden roof sits on carved ashlar corbels. 19th-century wooden choir stalls and reredos are fitted, with an encaustic tile floor.

A cupboard with wooden surround made up of pieces of 17th-century carving is installed. The nave has a 10th-century panel ceiling, and the aisles have 19th-century wooden roofs. 19th-century wooden benches, some with 15th-century curved bench ends, are present. Various 19th-century wall tablets to the Cooke family are visible. The chancel has a priest's chair made up from various pieces of 15th-century curved bench ends.