St Thomas' Church, South Wigston

St Thomas’ Church, South Wigston
St Thomas the Apostle, South Wigston
St Thomas’ Church, South Wigston
Location within Leicestershire
Coordinates: 52°34′48.28″N 1°8′9.74″W / 52.5800778°N 1.1360389°W / 52.5800778; -1.1360389
Location South Wigston
Country England
Denomination Church of England
Website wigstonbenefice.org.uk
History
Dedication Thomas the Apostle
Consecrated 2 February 1893
Architecture
Heritage designation Grade II* listed[1]
Architect(s) Stockdale Harrison
Groundbreaking 26 July 1892
Specifications
Length 128 feet (39 m)
Width 44 feet (13 m)
Administration
Parish South Wigston
Deanery Gartree (2nd deanery)[2]
Archdeaconry Leicester
Diocese Diocese of Leicester

St Thomas’ Church, South Wigston is a Grade II* listed parish church in the Church of England in South Wigston, Leicestershire.[3]

History

The foundation stone was laid on 26 July 1892 by Thomas Ingram[4] and it was consecrated on 2 February 1893 by Rt. Revd. Mandell Creighton the Bishop of Peterborough.[5]

It was built in brick with a Westmorland slate roof by Henry Bland to the designs of the architect Stockdale Harrison at a cost of £3,600 (equivalent to £366,431 in 2016).[6] It was 128 feet (39 m) long and 44 feet (13 m) 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 (equivalent to £53,002 in 2016)[6] and dedicated on 26 September 1875[7] by Bishop Mitchinson. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.[8]

The Bells

A peal of eight bells was cast in 1901 by John Taylor & Co.[9] 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.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Historic England, "Church of St Thomas (1073656)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 13 May 2016
  2. ↑ "St Thomas the Apostle, South Wigston". A Church Near You. The Church of England. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  3. ↑ Pevsner, Nikolaus (1960). The Buildings of England. Leicestershire and Rutland. Penguin Books. p. 108.
  4. ↑ "A new church for South Wigston". Leicester Chronicle. England. 30 July 1892. Retrieved 13 May 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  5. ↑ "Consecration of St Thomas' Church, South Wigston". Leicester Chronicle. England. 4 February 1893. Retrieved 13 May 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  6. 1 2 UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  7. ↑ "Organ Dedication at South Wigston". Leicester Chronicle. England. 28 September 1895. Retrieved 13 May 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
  8. ↑ "NPOR K00367". National Pipe Organ Register. British Institute of Organ Studies. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  9. ↑ "South Wigston, Leics. S Thomas Ap". Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers. Dovemaster. 12 December 2006. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  10. ↑ "New World's Bell Ringing Record". Western Times. England. 29 December 1904. Retrieved 13 May 2017 – via British Newspaper Archive. (Subscription required (help)).
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