St Thomas' Church in

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

. It is a Grade I listed building.

History

Originally the site of a 13th-century chapel by Cowick Priory, a church here was consecrated in 1412 but was burnt down in 1645 in the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

. This was rebuilt by 1657. Restorations were carried out by John Hayward in 1871. The building's listing describes its

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

s as 'impressive examples of pre-Victorian Gothic', and describes the tower as 'an important example of Gothic survival in the post-

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

period'. The wooden lectern was brought to the church from

Exeter Cathedral Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The presen ...

circa 1840. It dates from the 14th century and is the earliest surviving cathedral lectern. The royal arms at the west end of the church date from 1682.

Memorials

There is a late medieval-style canopied table tomb to Christina Medley (died 1845) by the London sculptor John Bacon the Younger, who was her father. In the north aisle is an 1838 family pew for the Graves-Sawle family. The largest of the many wall monuments is to Thomas Northmore.

Current day

The church hosts a number of community groups and events.

References

External links

St Thomas' Church, Exeter website
{{DEFAULTSORT:St Thomas' Church, Exeter Grade I listed churches in Devon

Diocese of Exeter Buildings and structures in Exeter English Gothic architecture in Devon