St Thomas’ Church, South Wigston is a

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

South Wigston South Wigston is a large village to the south of Leicester, England. It is outside the city boundary, forming part of the Oadby and Wigston district of Leicestershire. The population of the ward rose slightly from 7,471 at the 2001 census to 7,4 ...

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

History

The foundation stone was laid on 26 July 1892 by Thomas Ingram and it was consecrated on 2 February 1893 by Rt. Revd. Mandell Creighton the Bishop of Peterborough. It was built in brick with a Westmorland slate roof by Henry Bland to the designs of the architect

Stockdale Harrison Stockdale Harrison (1846-10 November 1914) FRIBA was an architect based in Leicester best known for Usher Hall, Edinburgh. History Stockdale Harrison was born in November 1846, the son of William Harrison (1813-1873) timber merchant, and Mary ...

at a cost of £3,600 (). It was long and wide. The tower was added in 1901.

Parish status

The church is in a joint benefice with *All Saints' Church, Wigston Magna *St Wistan's Church, Wigston Magna

Organ

The church contains a pipe organ dating from 1895 by Stephen Taylor of Leicester. It was paid for by Thomas Ingram at a cost of £500 () and dedicated on 26 September 1875 by Bishop Mitchinson. A specification of the organ can be found on the

National Pipe Organ Register The British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS) is a British organisation and registered charity which aims to promote study and appreciation of all aspects of the pipe organ. Further, it acts as a lobbying body to raise awareness of organ issue ...

The Bells

A peal of eight bells was cast in 1901 by

John Taylor & Co John Taylor Bell Foundry (Loughborough) Limited, trading as John Taylor & Co and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry, Taylor's of Loughborough, or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell foundry. It is located in Loughborough, ...

. On 26 December 1904, seven ringers set a new world record when they rang a peal of 17,184 double Norwich Court Bob, breaking the record set in 1898 at Kidlington by the Oxford Guild. One of the ringers broke down after 10 hour 35 minutes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Thomas Church South Wigston Church of England church buildings in Leicestershire Grade II* listed buildings in Leicestershire Churches completed in 1893