Church of St Thomas is a Grade I listed building in the Isle of Wight local planning authority area, England. First listed on 1 October 1953. A Victorian Church.
Church of St Thomas
- WRENN ID
- stony-hall-burdock
- Grade
- I
- Local Planning Authority
- Isle of Wight
- Constituency
- Isle of Wight West MP: Richard Quigley (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 1 October 1953
- Type
- Church
- Period
- Victorian
- Address
- Church of St Thomas, St Thomas's Square, Newport and Carisbrooke
- OS grid reference
- SZ 499 891
- Coordinates
- 50.6998, -1.29376
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Church of St Thomas is a parish church that was rebuilt between 1854 and 1855 by S W Dawkes of Cheltenham, showcasing a Decorated style influenced by Pugin. It is a large structure located at the center of St Thomas's Square, featuring a prominent west tower. The church is constructed of rubble with ashlar dressings, and the stonework shows significant weathering. The tower has diagonal buttresses, and there are buttresses flanking the aisles, which have separate roofs that embrace the tower.
The west door is notable for its sculptural decoration and tall ogee arch. Inside, the church boasts a fine early Victorian interior that retains several exceptional 17th-century furnishings. Among these is a font from 1636, which has a small bowl with a cover supported by very heavy large scrolls. The pulpit, also from 1636 and crafted by Thomas Caper, features upper panels depicting the Seven Virtues and lower panels illustrating the Seven Liberal Arts, along with a bracketed bookrest, back panels, and a tester. The reading desk incorporates parts of the original screen and is contemporary with the pulpit, likely also made by Caper.
There is an alabaster monument to Sir Edward Horsey, who died in 1582, featuring a recumbent effigy on a half-rolled-up map, with a strap work background flanked by two columns and crowned by three achievements. Princess Elizabeth, daughter of Charles I, is buried here, marked by a white marble recumbent effigy created by Baron Marochetti, which was given by Queen Victoria in 1856. There is also a memorial to Prince Albert, featuring his head in profile, also by Marochetti. Above the chancel arch, there is an elaborate display of the Royal Arms of Queen Victoria, decorated with flags.
Local climate
Church of St Thomas receives an average of 800 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 54% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 87% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 7 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 95% of listed buildings. Of these, 3 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
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- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
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