Description

NESTON

SJ2778 SCHOOL LANE, Parkgate Village
794-1/4/90 (South side)
05/09/95 Church of St Thomas

GV II

Congregational chapel, now parish church. 1843. Coursed
dressed, red sandstone with stone dressings; slate roof with
stone copings and moulded kneelers; square turret-like finial
to east gable.
EXTERIOR: single tall storey; 5-bay continuous nave and
chancel on low weathered plinth, but east and west windows
blocked on north and south elevations. Lancet windows, under
Gothic hoodmoulds, have steeply weathered sills, splayed
reveals and three tiers of cast-iron petaloids under apex
quatrefoils.
Stepped lancets in the west gable-end are blocked as in an
oculus in the gable apex. Gothic headed east door, of plain
oak boards, under hoodmould in slightly projecting porch with
crenellated capping. This is surmounted by a lancet window
with similar proportions and glazing to those in the nave.
The porch is flanked by small narrow flat headed windows with
splayed reveals and heads and steeply weathered sills
containing simple metal casements.
The gallery window is flanked by plain shield projections and
there is a wall-mounted bell to the south. A framed, ledged
and braced chancel door, north is approached up four steps
with a plain metal handrail and is surmounted by a half depth
blocked window. Ogee moulded eaves gutter supported by stone
corbels.
INTERIOR: continuous nave and chancel but with all the
sanctuary windows blocked. Oak altar with front divided into
three panels. Cross and crown of thorns motif to centre under
a pentafoil head and flower, foliage, shell, motifs to sides
under ogee arched heads. Light oak communion rail with reeded
supports in pairs, ogee arched heads to opening and shell
spandrels.
1948 panelled oak memorial pulpit also with the shell motif
and a dentil capping. Oak lesson readers desk with modest
carving. Two benches placed lengthways with panelled front
rail. Oak benches generally. Rear gallery supported by two
octagonal timber columns is fronted by crossed moulds to form
three diamond shapes flanking a centre circle. A pipe organ
occupies the north end of the gallery.
The combined nave/chancel roof is supported by four simple
arched trusses off stone corbels. These have circle and dagger

perforations at wallplate level.
A single 6-panel door, with small centre panels and cusped
trefoil heads to upper panels, leads to the porch which has
similar doors to the gallery steps, vestry and small utility
room.

Listing NGR: SJ2790378248

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St Thomas' Church, Parkgate at Wikipedia
• St Thomas' Church, Parkgate official website
• Wikidata Q7595535

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Old House Care and Repair
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990