St Thomas the Martyr, Bristol
Encyclopedia
St Thomas the Martyr is a former Church of England
parish church
on St Thomas Street in the Redcliffe
district of the English
port city of Bristol
.
It has a 14th century tower, but the nave was rebuilt 1791–93 by James Allen. A substantial reordering was carried out by William Venn Gough
between 1878 and 1880, and the top of the tower was remodelled with spirelet, pinnacles, and pierced parapet by Gough in 1896–97.
Four paintings for the reredos
were commissioned from the German artist Fritz von Kamptz in 1906, and are now housed in the south aisle.
Although the church survived the "Bristol Blitz
" of the Second World War, the congregation declined after the war and the church was finally declared redundant. It is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
, having been vested
in the Trust on 17 February 1988.
The organ was built by John Harris in 1729, and attracted the admiration of Handel
.
It has been designated by English Heritage
as a grade II* listed building.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
on St Thomas Street in the Redcliffe
Redcliffe, Bristol
Redcliffe, also known as Redcliff, is a district of the English port city of Bristol, adjoining the city centre. It is bounded by the loop of the Floating Harbour to the west, north and east, the New Cut of the River Avon to the south...
district of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
port city of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.
It has a 14th century tower, but the nave was rebuilt 1791–93 by James Allen. A substantial reordering was carried out by William Venn Gough
William Venn Gough
William Venn Gough was an architect responsible for a number of prominent buildings in Bristol. His works include the Cabot Tower, Colston's Girls' School, Trinity Road Library, and Port of Bristol Authority Docks Office, now Queen Square House, in Queen Square.From 1872 he had an office at...
between 1878 and 1880, and the top of the tower was remodelled with spirelet, pinnacles, and pierced parapet by Gough in 1896–97.
Four paintings for the reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
were commissioned from the German artist Fritz von Kamptz in 1906, and are now housed in the south aisle.
Although the church survived the "Bristol Blitz
Bristol Blitz
Bristol was the fifth most heavily bombed British city of World War II. The presence of Bristol Harbour and the Bristol Aeroplane Company made it a target for bombing by the Nazi German Luftwaffe who were able to trace a course up the River Avon from Avonmouth using reflected moonlight on the...
" of the Second World War, the congregation declined after the war and the church was finally declared redundant. It is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
, having been vested
Vesting
In law, vesting is to give an immediately secured right of present or future enjoyment. One has a vested right to an asset that cannot be taken away by any third party, even though one may not yet possess the asset. When the right, interest or title to the present or future possession of a legal...
in the Trust on 17 February 1988.
The organ was built by John Harris in 1729, and attracted the admiration of Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
.
It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a grade II* listed building.
See also
- Churches in BristolChurches in BristolThe English city of Bristol has a number of churches.The churches listed are Anglican except when otherwise noted.- External links :*...
- Grade II* listed buildings in Bristol
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in South West England