St Thomas's Church, Salisbury

St Thomas's Church stands just west of the city's market place. The street leading from the north gate of the cathedral close to St Thomas's churchyard was laid out when the cathedral was built in the 13th century, and gained the name High Street in the 14th century. == History and architecture ==

The first church on the site is thought to be a small wooden chapel built 1219 by Bishop Poore as a place of worship for those working on the site of the new cathedral. This was soon replaced by a stone building, The church had its own parish by 1246. In 1447 the chancel collapsed, leading to extensive rebuilding and enlargement; a fragment of 13th-century masonry remains at the west end of the south arcade of the chancel. The replacement chancel was longer and higher and was partly paid for by Salisbury's merchants, among them William Swayne who was three times mayor of the city. The chancel aisles were also rebuilt, and Swayne provided a chantry chapel in the south aisle (now the Lady Chapel). On the north side the Godmanstone and Hungerford families provided the north-east chapel, and Swain built a house for chantry priests (now the vestry) beyond it. The 15th-century roofs are embellished with carving and many figures of angels; Orbach calls the nave roof "ornate and dainty". The great west window is from the same period. The tower has an east-facing clock, with a pair of quarter-jacks – wooden figures holding halberds which appear to strike the bells. They were installed in 1581, at the same time as the quarter bells, although the present figures date from the late 17th to late 18th century. == Interior ==

in 2021 Nikolaus Pevsner called the interior of the church "sumptuous". Above the chancel arch is a large 15th-century doom painting, "one of the best surviving" according to Orbach, which depicts Jesus and the twelve apostles above portrayals of heaven and hell. The painting was hidden below whitewash in 1593 during the Reformation. It was uncovered in 1881 and the paint was heavily retouched by Clayton and Bell. In 1850–1860 the tall boxed pews were removed from the chancel, and the high altar and oak screens added. The window above the altar, depicting early Christian figures, was renewed in 1856. A new organ was bought for the church around 1568 The Samuel Green organ which had been presented to the cathedral by George III in 1792 was transferred to the church in 1877. It was restored and enlarged in 1897, and its most recent complete restoration was in 2020. == Parish ==

When a parish was created for the newly founded St Edmund's Church in 1269, the city (outside the cathedral close) was divided into three parishes: St Thomas, St Edmund and the earlier St Martin's. In the 19th century the position became a perpetual curacy until 1875, when the incumbent gained the status of a vicar. == References ==