Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Clapham, Bedfordshire

St Thomas' in 2025

Church of St Thomas of Canterbury (also Clapham Parish Church, or Thomas à Becket) is a parish church and Grade I listed building in Clapham, Bedfordshire, England. It became a listed building on 13 July 1964.[1] Though the church can be traced back before AD 1000, there is no record of the original patron saint, Thomas Becket having been so well accepted.[2] The church is built in the Anglo-Saxon style, possibly early 10th century. There are narrow semi-circular-headed windows. The upper story is Early Norman. The parapet is 17th century. The remainder of the church was entirely rebuilt in 1861,[3] by Sir George Gilbert Scott.[4] It features a chancel, nave, and two aisles.

Church tower

The church tower, which dates to the 11th or 12th century,[5] measures 26 metres (85 ft) in height and houses 5 bells, which are still occasionally used for weddings and ceremonies. The tower is widely recognised as one of the best and most remarkable remaining examples of Early Saxon architectural work in England.[6]

Leadership

As of August 2025, St Thomas' current vicar is the Reverend Stephen Liley, who has served there since 2002. In 2017, he was appointed as an Honorary Canon of St Albans Cathedral.[7]

Medieval wall paintings

The majority of the walls bearing these paintings were removed during the restoration conducted by George Gilbert Scott.

See also

References

  • This article includes text incorporated from F. Arnold-Forster's "Studies in church dedications: or, England's patron saints" (1899), a publication now in the public domain.
  • This article includes text incorporated from British Archaeological Association's "The Archaeological journal" (1881), a publication now in the public domain.
  1. ^ "Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Clapham". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  2. ^ Arnold-Forster, Frances (1899). Studies in church dedications: or, England's patron saints (Public domain ed.). Skeffington & son. pp. 358–. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  3. ^ British Archaeological Association; Royal Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (1881). The Archaeological journal (Public domain ed.). Royal Archaeological Institute. pp. 456–. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  4. ^ "Clapham St. Thomas of Canterbury". bedfordshire.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 18 May 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  5. ^ "St Thomas of Canterbury, Clapham, Bedfordshire". Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland. King's College London. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  6. ^ "Clapham Parish Church". Clapham, Bedford Community Website. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  7. ^ "Appointments (17 Nov. 2017)". Church Times. Retrieved 13 August 2025.

52°09′39″N 0°29′23″W / 52.1609°N 0.4898°W / 52.1609; -0.4898


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