Church of St Thomas

SJ 85 SW 5/45

KIDSGROVE C.P. The Avenue (east side) Church of St. Thomas

GV II

Parish church. 1837, perhaps by Mrs. Kinnersley of Clough Hall (demolished) with a chancel of 1853 by Scott. Red and blue brick (English bond) and slate roof; chancel of chisel dressed freestone with ashlar quoins and dressings, and plain tile roof with shaped tile bands and stone coped verges. West tower clasped by a pair of western annexes which continue the roof line of a three 1/2-bay nave; two-bay chancel.

West tower of four stages with a battlemented parapet. Pointed west door with returned dripstone and raised key. Small window above with three pointed lights and a square dripstone. The third stage has clocks within moulded circular surrounds. Lancet belfry windows. Each of the western annexes flanking the tower has a western lancet.

Nave: Lancet windows with returned dripstones and raised keys. Buttresses at the bay divisions.

Chancel: Pointed windows with Geometric tracery and scroll moulded dripstones terminating in carved heads or naturalistic foliage. Scroll moulded sill string continued over a central pointed south door as a dripstone. Gabled buttrusses at the bay divisions and corners.

Interior: The nave has a decorative plaster fringe at the top of the walls and king-post roof trusses with Perpendicular tracery. Panelled west gallery on slim cast iron columns of quatrefoil section with moulded capitals. The gallery carries an organ decorated with Gothic tracery. High pointed chancel arch with several roll and fillet moulded orders on cylindrical columns with moulded capitals; hoodmould terminating in carved heads. The chancel windows have pointed rere arches with roll and fillet moulded hoods terminating in bunches of stiff leaf.

Fittings: five-bay marble reredos with trefoil headed panels and central crocketed hood. Contemporary altar table and rail: octagonal shafts with moulded capitals. Panelled stalls of similar date. Pulpit probably by Scott: marble columns with capitals of naturalistic foliage, and octagonal panels containing the symbols of the Evangelists. C19 octagonal font with panelled sides and ball flower ornament.

Listing NGR: SJ8382154110