Church Of St Thomas Including Wall, Gates And Gateway

The Church of St Thomas is a complex building with elements dating back to the 14th century, but largely rebuilt in the late 18th century between 1791 and 1793 by James Allen. The church is constructed of Bath stone ashlar and render, with a roof that is not visible. It features an aisled nave and a northwest tower. The architectural style is Neoclassical, although the tower retains a Perpendicular Gothic character.

The chancel gable sits on a high plinth, featuring paired Ionic pilasters supporting an entablature. A semicircular archivolt contains a six-light window, which was enlarged in 1888 from its original semicircular form. Above the window is a cherub with folded wings and swag ornamentation, with panels on either side and a pediment above. Chapels flank the nave, with the south chapel exhibiting Ionic pediments and pilasters framing a recessed round-arched doorway, topped by a panelled soffit. The north aisle consists of six bays with semicircular-arched windows above a plat band, and a gable-end parapet ramped to the pediment at each end. A similar arrangement exists on the south aisle, with an additional window in the west end. The western gable is pedimented, above a rendered porch with a semicircular-arched doorway featuring imposts, a carved cherub key, a batswing fanlight, and a cornice; and a window with plain impost and key above.

The three-stage tower is topped by a tall three-light window on the west side, and similar two-light windows on the second stage and in the belfry. It has clasping pilasters with buttresses, panelled at the belfry with ogee heads and pinnacles below the parapet. A corner stair turret is octagonal, terminating in a spirelet with paired blind trefoil panels and a crocketed top. An open parapet with crocketed pinnacles at the corners completes the form.

The interior, which was undergoing repair at the time of survey, reportedly contains a nave of five bays supported by square columns and a tunnel vault, and a West gallery on Roman Doric columns. A fine tripartite reredos dates to 1716, incorporating Corinthian columns. A font, by Wood, converted to a lectern has a Greek cross plan and a shallow fluted bowl.

Subsidiary features include a curved ramped wall with square, chamfered piers and wrought-iron gates situated between the tower and the south aisle, and a round-arched gateway and gate to the north of the chancel.

Historically, the original Late Gothic church was demolished in 1791. Allen’s design for modernizing the tower was not carried out.