Tower Of Thornton Church

The Tower of Thornton Church is a Roman Catholic church tower dating from the 18th century. It is constructed from coursed squared gritstone and ashlar, featuring three stages with offset diagonal buttresses. The tower has single-light windows on the first and second stages, and paired lights on the belfry stage, all adorned with pointed hoodmoulds. It includes an eaves cornice and a battlemented parapet.

The first parochial chapel on this site was built around 1460 by John Walworth, who was the Forester to the Archbishop of York and lived at Raventoft Hall. Following the split between the Anglican and Catholic churches, Raventofts became a significant center of Catholicism in the area, with the priest of Thornton church residing at the hall. By 1720, the church was in poor condition and was likely replaced around 1790 by a presbytery built in Bishop Thornton village, which included a chapel in the attic. A new Catholic church was constructed next to the presbytery in 1809, while the Anglican church was built in 1888.