Listed Building: CHURCH OF ST THOMAS OF CANTERBURY (1375898)

CHESTER CITY (EM) SJ46NW PARKGATE ROAD 1932-1/2/220 (South West side) 10/01/72 Church of St Thomas of Canterbury (Formerly Listed as: PARKGATE ROAD Church of St Oswald (St Thomas)) GV II Parish church. 1869-72. By Sir George G Scott, the nave completed later by JO Scott. Tooled squared snecked red sandstone with roofs of graded grey-green slates, in early C13 style. PLAN: nave and south and north aisles of 5 bays under separate roofs; 2-bay chancel with north chapel; south-east tower with 2 of the intended 3 stages. EXTERIOR: tall plinth; angle and bay buttresses; shafted lancets with block capitals; corbel-table. West front has 7 stone steps to oak double doors on ornate hinges; 2 blank arches to each side; 2 lancets above door, with central and flanking blank arches; circular window with Star of David tracery in gable. The gable to each aisle has a pair of lancets with a sexfoil-lobed round window above; a cross-in-circle finial to each gable. The south aisle has a pair of lancets to each bay. The tower has square turret at south-west corner capped with diagonally-set timber-framed shelter with belled pyramidal roof of copper. Priest's door; a pair of lancets; paired-lancet bell-openings; simple parapet. Ornate rainwater-head and pipe in corner of tower with chancel; a south lancet to chancel. East window of 3 separated lancets; quatrefoil gable window; 2 lancets and an almond-shaped gable window to north chapel; the north side has a lancet and a priest's door in the east bay, a pair of lancets in the west bay. The 3 east bays of the north aisle have paired lancets. The north porch has a pair of lancets in each side; 5 stone steps to archway with pair of simple iron gates with dogbars; pair of oak doors on wrought strap hinges in archway with foliar capitals to responds. INTERIOR: tiled floor to nave; piers of quatrefoil section have stiff-leaf capitals; arched trusses to nave and aisles. Chancel-arch on corbelled responds; encaustic tile floor; arched trusses. West window 1885 by Kempe; rectangular font on 4 colonnettes; pedestal pulpit with polished colonnettes; carved choir-stalls; reredos 1909 by CE Deacon with statues of Saints Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel standing above; reredos 1913 by CE Deacon in the NE chapel. No clerestory. Listing NGR: SJ4021567185