Church Of St Thomas Of Canterbury

The Church of St Thomas of Canterbury is a parish church dating to circa 1300, with alterations in the early 17th century and restorations in 1892 and the mid-20th century. It is constructed of rubble with ashlar dressings and has slate roofs, featuring decorative ridge tiles and a slate-hung bell turret.

The church comprises a continuous two-bay nave and a single-bay chancel, along with a west bell turret and a south porch. The north elevation of the nave and chancel features a 14th-century ogee-arched light, a pair of 19th-century lancets, and a small loophole window at the west end. The south elevation has a circa 1600 window of two lights with a square head, a similar 19th-century window (visible externally) east of the porch, and a pair of circa 1300 lancets. Two corbels are positioned to the left of these lancets. The C17 west bell turret is square with rectangular, louvred bell chamber openings, a pyramidal roof, and a weathervane. The 19th-century south porch is gabled and timber-framed on a rubble base, characterized by overhanging eaves on shaped brackets, moulded bargeboards, a pendant finial, and arch-braced tie-beam construction with four cusped pointed openings in each side elevation above rendered panels. The 14th-century doorway has chamfered jambs and a pointed head.

Inside the church, there is no chancel arch. The chancel features a chamfered, pointed arched recess for an organ in the north wall. At the west end, the bell turret rests on moulded posts, with the eastern posts forming a cusped pointed archway and narrower archways flanking them to create a screen with exposed timber-framing and rendered panels above. The nave roof has alternating arch-braced collar and tie-beam trusses, with two tiers of cusped wind-braces and moulded wall-plates. The chancel roof is similar, displaying arch-braced collar trusses. A 19th-century cusped, ogee-arched arcaded rood screen with linenfold panelling is also present. The font, likely dating to the 14th century, has an octagonal bowl with curved undersides on an octagonal stem and a 19th-century base. A four-sided timber pulpit is of the 19th century. The nave contains some 16th-century pews, each with trefoiled heads to the bench ends.

Various memorials are found within the nave. A notable early 19th-century memorial supports a swan-necked pediment and fluted pilasters, dedicated to Mary Watkins, who died in 1801, by Richard Burgoyne, with a later addition commemorating John Watkins, who died in 1891, by R Davies. Further memorials exist for Elizabeth Watkins, died 1846, and William Watkins, died 1833, possibly also by R Davies. A floor-slab in the nave marks the burial of Thomas James, who died in 1713.