Church Of St Thomas

Church of St Thomas, Aslockton

A parish church built in 1891 and designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield (1829–99), executed in 13th-century style. The church was consecrated in July 1892.

The external elevations are built in Ancaster stone with red brick lining to the interior. The roofs are covered with plain tiles. The building comprises a nave with bell turret, chancel, north vestry, south porch, south aisle, south transept and organ chamber.

A chamfered string course runs around the building with coped gables topped with crosses. Single side wall stacks and buttresses project from the nave, chancel, south aisle and south transept. The windows are chamfered lancets, most with hood moulds and stops.

The nave is of three bays. Its west end contains a pair of central lancet windows with plate tracery, flanked by single plain lancets. The north side has a central triple lancet window flanked by a double lancet on each side, with quatrefoil heads. Above the nave rises a corbelled bracket carrying a cross-gabled bell turret with finial and cross, featuring a chamfered pointed bell opening.

The chancel is of two bays with a lean-to vestry to the north and a westward-facing door with hood mould. Its east side has a plain lancet window; the north side has two plain lancets to the west. The east end displays a double string course, an eaves band, and three stepped lancet windows with linked hood moulds. A dedication tablet reads "To the Glory of God and in loving memory of Thomas Kenrick Hall, late vicar of Whatton. This church is built AD 1891". The south side has two plain lancet windows with linked hood moulds.

The south porch has battered plinth walls and a timber-framed superstructure with billeted bressumer. It features a four-centred arched doorway with deep hood on brackets and bargeboards. To each side are two leaded lights with four-centred arched heads. The roof is of common rafter construction with collars. The inner doorcase is chamfered and rebated.

The south aisle is of four bays with a double lancet window at its west end and three plain lancet windows to the east of the porch. The south transept contains two lancet windows with plate tracery. The lean-to organ chamber to the east of the south transept has two lancet windows on its south side and two on its east side.

Interior features include a nave roof with strutted queen posts with drop finials, jowled double tie beams, arch braces and collars. The chancel has a matchboarded roof with corbelled eaves and arch braces. The south aisle and roofs to the vestry and organ chamber are arch-braced lean-to structures with tie beams. Nave, south aisle and chancel all have a moulded sill band.

The nave south arcade comprises two round ashlar piers with square chamfered plinths, moulded round bases and octagonal capitals, supporting chamfered and rebated brick arches. The north side includes a window with stained glass signed "P and Q 1956". The south aisle has a rebated pointed arch at its east end.

The chancel arch is chamfered and rebated with chamfered and moulded square imposts, hood mould and stops. The chancel windows also carry hood moulds and stops. The triple window to the east end features ringed shafts and carved spandrel. To the east of the south side is a double window recess containing a corbelled foliate piscina and moulded stone seat, with an arched opening to the organ chamber to its right. The north side of the chancel has an arched opening to the vestry. The east end contains a panelled timber reredos dated 1955.

Fittings include an ashlar and marble font with water-holding base, stem with four flanking shafts, and square bowl with relief carving of net and fish; a cross to the east; an iron-bound wooden cover; an octagonal oak pulpit with trefoil-headed open panels, cross foot and braced handrail steps; a cross-foot lectern with round stem; panelled oak stalls and desks with fretwork panels; linked chairs; a wooden altar rail on elaborate scrolled iron stands; an elaborate Gothic organ case; five ornate wrought-iron pendant lamps and two similar lamps on brackets; and an iron-bound poor box. Memorials comprise a wooden panel War Memorial dated 1954, two 20th-century moulded wood tablets and a 19th-century brass relating to the Marriott Charity.