St Thomas (St Thomas the Apostle's) is an area of

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 ...

and formerly a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

and

registration district A registration district in the United Kingdom is a type of administrative region which exists for the purpose of civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths and civil partnerships. It has also been used as the basis for the collation of ...

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 ...

, England, on the western side of the

River Exe The River Exe ( ) is a river in England that source (river), rises at Exe Head, near the village of Simonsbath, on Exmoor in Somerset, from the Bristol Channel coast, but flows more or less directly due south, so that most of its length lie ...

, connected to Exeter by Exe Bridge. It has a number of pubs, places of worship, several schools and a large shopping precinct. The population, according to the 2001 census, is 6,246, increasing to 6,455 at the 2011 Census. In 2023, St Thomas was named one of the best places to live in Devon, noting its great dining, riverside walks and transport links. Having been described as the 'Battersea of Exeter'. St Thomas ward is currently politically represented by County and City Councillor, Rob Hannaford and City Councillor Adrian Fullam. It originally consisted of two detached parts, the main part of which was the former village of Cowick, to the west of the

. The urban area built up here but was not originally part of Exeter. The other part, about a mile to the west of the main body of the parish, contained the hamlet of Oldridge and was transferred to the parish of Whitestone in 1884. St Thomas the Apostle became an

urban district An urban district is a division generally managed by a local government. It may also refer to a city district, district, urban area or quarter Specific urban districts in some countries include: * Urban districts of Denmark * Districts of Germa ...

in 1894 with the passing of the

Local Government Act 1894 The Local Government Act 1894 ( 56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The act followed the reforms carried out at county leve ...

, and was incorporated into the

municipal borough A municipal borough was a type of local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...

of Exeter in 1900. The name survives for the central area of Exeter west of the river. A St Thomas Rural District existed from 1894 to 1974. St Thomas is served by

Exeter St Thomas railway station Exeter St Thomas railway station is a suburban railway station in Exeter, England, serving the suburb of St Thomas and the riverside area. The station is elevated on a low viaduct with entrances on Cowick Street and is the only station in Ex ...

Parish Church of St Thomas the Apostle

The parish church of St Thomas stands outside the city walls of Exeter, immediately to the south-west of the city and separated from it by the

. It is larger than any of the parish churches formerly encompassed by the city walls, thus within the city of Exeter proper. The mediaeval church burned down in 1645 during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, and was rebuilt before 1657. An arcade survives from the earlier church of 1412, but the present exterior is Gothic of 1646 with a north aisle of ''circa'' 1810 and a chancel of 1829. There are three varieties of Gothic style here, 17th century, Decorated (ca. 1810), and Perpendicular (Victorian).

John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman, (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architect ...

said little about it in his ''Collins Pocket Guide to English Parish Churches: the South'' (1968): only "fittings".

Historic estates

Historic estates situated within the parish of St Thomas include: *Bowhay House located on Dunsford Road. *Cleve House, on Exwick Lane, seat of Thomas Northmore (c.1643-1713) a Barrister-at-Law, a Master in Chancery and a Member of Parliament for

Okehampton Okehampton ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 7,313, which was slightly more than the 7,104 recorded at the 2011 census. Th ...

in Devon 1695-1708, whose monument survives in St Thomas's Church. * Cowick Barton located on Cowick Lane, formerly a Benedictine monastery *Hayes Barton, located at the junction of Flowerpot Lane and Okehampton Street, dating from the late 13th century. *

Floyer Hayes Floyer Hayes was an historic Manorialism, manor in the St Thomas, Exeter, parish of St Thomas on the southern side of the City of Exeter in Devon, England, from which city it is separated by the River Exe.Risdon, 1811 Additions, p.374 It took ...

for several centuries until the mid-1600s the seat of the Floyer family, located on the east side of Alphington Street.

Notable people

George Gliddon George Robbins Gliddon (1809 – November 16, 1857) was an English-born American Egyptologist. He worked as a United States vice-consul in Egypt and assisted Muhammad Ali Pasha's plans to modernize Egypt by attaining sugar, rice, and other mills ...

(1809–1857), an English-born American Egyptologist. *

Walter Skinner FBI Assistant Director Walter Sergei Skinner is a fictional character portrayed by American actor Mitch Pileggi on ''The X-Files'' and its short-lived spin-off '' The Lone Gunmen'', both broadcast on Fox. In the science fiction-supernatural s ...

(1913–1994), first-class cricketer

References

Genuki: ''St Thomas the Apostle''A Vision of Britain Through Time : ''St Thomas the Apostle Civil Parish''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Thomas, Exeter Areas of Exeter Former civil parishes in Devon