Church Of St Thomas

SJ 40 NW GREAT HANWOOD C.P. A488 (south side)

4/130 Church of St Thomas - 13.6.58 GV II

Parish church. Mainly 1856, but-incorporating some medieval, C17 and C18 fabric. Red brick - mainly C19 but some C17 brick in nave and C18 brick to chancel - on roughly coursed sandstone plinth (probably medieval), ashlar dressings and quoins with machine-tile roof and dentilled eaves cornice. Nave with polygonal chancel under same roof and belfry at west end; north porch, south-east vestry and north-east organ chamber. Nave: in 5 bays on north, paired lancets with circular openings above in third and fifth bays from west with blocked opening between, gabled porch in second bay with another paired lancet to west; south side also has 3 paired lancets, the westernmost cutting the infill of a blocked doorway; paired lancet in west wall and circular window above with 4 pierced trefoils; tile-hung late C19 belfry with pyramidal roof. Polygonal chancel with C19 Gothic windows, east one of 3 lights; shallow lean-to organ chamber (1890) on north with paired lancet, gabled vestry to south. Interior: mainly mid-C19 appearance, plain oak roof in 5 bays; some re-used C17 panelling in sanctuary which has the words "holy.holy.holy" painted on back wall; mid-C19 stained glass in chancel and south-east window of nave by David and Charles Evans, late C19 stained glass in other nave windows on south; mid-C19 box pews and C12 sandstone font with moulded rim and scalloped underside on late C19 pedestal. Monuments: a collection of early to mid-C19 wall tablets and memorials to various members of local families in both nave and chancel. B.o.E., p.133; D.H.S. Cranage, The Churches of Shropshire (1894-1908), p.859, and Appendix p.992.

Listing NGR: SJ4436909614