St Thomas' Church, Parkgate

St Thomas' Church, Parkgate
St Thomas' Church, Parkgate
St Thomas' Church, Parkgate Location in Cheshire
Coordinates: 53°17′46″N 3°05′00″W / 53.2962°N 3.0832°W
OS grid reference	SJ 279 783
Location	School Lane, Parkgate, Cheshire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	St Thomas, Parkgate
History
Dedication	Saint Thomas the Apostle
Architecture
Status	Chapel of ease
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	5 September 1995
Architectural type	Chapel
Style	Gothic Revival
Completed	1843
Administration
Parish	Neston
Deanery	Wirral, South
Archdeaconry	Chester
Diocese	Chester
Province	York
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Revd Robert Hammond Robb

St Thomas' Church is in School Lane, Parkgate, Cheshire, England. It is an Anglican chapel of ease in the parish of St Mary and St Helen, Neston, the deanery of Wirral South, the archdeaconry of Chester, and the diocese of Chester.^[1][2] The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.^[3] Because of its earlier associations with the fishing community, it has been called the "Fisherman's Church".^[4]

History

St Thomas' was built in 1843 as a Congregational chapel.^[5] In 1858 it was sold to the Presbyterian church, but the congregation soon moved to a different building leaving St Thomas' empty. The Church of England leased it in 1910, and bought it in 1917, when it became a chapel of ease to the parish church in Neston. By 1994 there were concerns about the stability of the building, it was closed in July of that year, and demolition seemed likely.^[6] The church was listed at Grade II the following year.^[3] In 2001 the Bishop's Trust for the Restoration of St Thomas' Parkgate was established. English Heritage gave a grant of £40,000 and together with fundraising by local groups, a total of £250,000 was made available for the church to be made safe and restored. It was re-dedicated on 4 July 2010 by Revd Peter Forster, Bishop of Chester.^[7]

Architecture

The church is constructed in red sandstone with stone dressings, and a slate roof with stone copings.^[3] The authors of the Buildings of England series describe it as "a small sandstone box".^[5] Its plan consists of a five-bay continuous nave and chancel. Along the sides of the church are five lancet windows, the easternmost and westernmost windows on each side being blocked. There are also blocked stepped lancets at the west end, above which is a blocked round window. At the east end is a short porch and an entrance door, over which is a lancet window. On each side of the porch are small flat-headed windows. On the north side of the church is a chancel door approached by four steps. On the east gable is a finial with the appearance of a turret. Inside the church is a gallery at the rear, and oak furniture, which includes the altar, pulpit, reader's desk and communion rail.^[3] In the corner of the gallery is a small single-manual organ.^[8]

See also

• Listed buildings in Neston

References

1. St Thomas the Apostle, Parkgate, Church of England, retrieved 25 February 2012
2. St Thomas, Daughter Church, Parkgate, Neston Parish Church, retrieved 25 February 2012
3. Historic England, "Church of St Thomas, Neston (1387722)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 25 February 2012
4. Home, St Thomas Parkgate, retrieved 25 February 2012
5. Hartwell, Clare; Hyde, Matthew; Hubbard, Edward; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2011) [1971], Cheshire, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, p. 523, ISBN 978-0-300-17043-6
6. Family & Friends, St Thomas Parkgate, retrieved 25 February 2012
7. Parkgate historic church reopens, BBC, retrieved 25 February 2012
8. Cheshire, Parkgate, St. Thomas (N04425), British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 25 February 2012

External links

Media related to St Thomas' Church, Parkgate, Cheshire at Wikimedia Commons