Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Cothelstone
Encyclopedia
The red sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...

 Church of St Thomas of Canterbury in Cothelstone
Cothelstone
Cothelstone is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated in the Quantock Hills six miles north of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district...

, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...

, England dates from the 12th century and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.

It was largely restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...

 in 1864. It includes memorials to the Stawell family including: Sir Matthew de Stawell, died 1379, and his wife Elizabeth, and John Stawell, died 1603, and has been supported by the Esdailes family who have been more recent lords of the manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...

.

The church is closely associated with Cothelstone Manor
Cothelstone Manor
Cothelstone Manor in Cothelstone, Somerset, England was built in the mid 16th century, largely demolished by the parliamentary troops in 1646 and rebuilt by E.J...

 which is also a listed building. Services are held each week using the 1662 Book of Common Prayer

Restoration

Since 2000 significant repair work has been carried out. In 2002 the tower and porch were repointed. In 2006 the roof tiles were removed, new felt put underneath, the original tiles put back and the guttering repaired to keep out the west country weather. In 2008 the church was rewired, the lighting added to and the under-pew heating replaced with a modern equivalent.

All the above was paid for with nearly £45,000 raised within the parish, two small grants from sympathetic charitable trusts, a small contribution from the Diocese of Bath and Wells
Diocese of Bath and Wells
The Diocese of Bath and Wells is a diocese in the Church of England Province of Canterbury in England.The diocese covers the county of Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The Episcopal seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew in the tiny city of...

 and an overseas donation from the Esdailes. Further renovation work is planned to the vestry, which is at the bottom of the tower, and the provision of a lavatory.

See also



The church website is www.cothelstonechurch.co.uk
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK