Church of St Thomas the Martyr, Up Holland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Church of St Thomas the Martyr, Up Holland
Church of St Thomas the Martyr from the northeast
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OS grid reference	SD 523 051
Location	School Lane, Up Holland, Lancashire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Churchmanship	Modern Catholic
Website	St Thomas the Martyr, Up Holland
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	1307
Founder(s)	Robert de Holland
Dedication	Saint Thomas the Martyr
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade I
Designated	7 January 1952
Architect(s)	Basil Champneys (restoration and addition of the chancel)
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic, Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1307
Completed	1886
Specifications
Materials	Stone, slate roofs
Administration
Parish	Up Holland
Deanery	Ormskirk
Archdeaconry	Warrington
Diocese	Diocese of Liverpool

The Church of St Thomas the Martyr is a historic church located in School Lane, Up Holland, Lancashire, England. It's an active Anglican church, meaning it's part of the Church of England. This beautiful building is very important, so it's listed as a Grade I building in the National Heritage List for England. This means it's considered a building of exceptional interest.

History of the Church

The church building was first started in 1307. It was founded by Robert de Holland, who worked for a powerful noble named Thomas Plantagenet. Robert de Holland wanted it to be a college for a dean and twelve priests.

However, in 1319, the college was changed into a priory by Walter Langton, who was the Bishop of Lichfield. This happened because there were some issues with the priests' behavior. This new priory, called Up Holland Priory, belonged to the Benedictine order. It was the very last Benedictine priory to be founded in England.

The priory was closed in 1536 during a time called the Dissolution of the Monasteries. This was when many monasteries and religious houses in England were shut down. Even though the priory closed, part of its church continued to be used for worship.

During the 15th century, a tower was added to the church. What was once the chancel (the area around the altar) became the nave (the main part of the church where people sit) of the building we see today.

In 1772, the inside of the church was updated. They added galleries (upper seating areas) and box pews (enclosed seats). A plaster ceiling was also put in. Up Holland became its own separate parish in 1882, and St Thomas' became its main church.

The aisles (side sections) were repaired and improved in the 19th century. From 1882 to 1886, a new chancel was added by an architect named Basil Champneys. He also built a crypt (an underground room) beneath the chancel, which was used as a vestry (a room for clergy to prepare). Champneys also removed the old galleries.

Church Architecture

The Church of St Thomas the Martyr is built from stone, and its roofs are covered with slate. Let's explore what the church looks like, both inside and out.

Outside the Church

The church has a main area called a four-bay nave, with north and south aisles on either side. It also has a two-bay chancel with a crypt underneath. There's a round stair turret that leads down to the crypt. At the west end of the church, there's a tall tower.

The tower has four levels. It has strong, stepped buttresses (supports) at its corners. The main entrance on the west side of the tower has carvings of faces, shields, figures, and Tudor roses. Above this door, there's a large window with three sections, featuring detailed stone patterns called tracery.

The openings for the bells have two sections and contain louvres (slats) to let sound out. Above these, there's a small top section with clock faces. The top edge of the tower is embattled, meaning it looks like the top of a castle wall, and it has pointed pinnacles at each corner.

Along the sides of the aisles and at their east ends, you'll see 19th-century windows with more of that beautiful stone tracery. The chancel has two-section windows on its sides and a large, impressive five-section window at its east end.

Inside the Church

Inside the church, the arcades (rows of arches) are supported by quatrefoil piers. These piers have a shape like a four-leaf clover.

In each aisle, there are two painted hatchments. These are special boards that show the coat of arms of someone who has died. In the south aisle, you can find a board with the Ten Commandments written on it, along with two lists of blessings. The north aisle displays the Royal arms of King George I.

At the west end of the nave, there's a special pew (a long bench) that belonged to the churchwardens, dated 1679. In the bottom part of the tower, there's a cupboard for the churchwardens, dated 1720. Also in the south aisle, there's a piscina with a double basin. A piscina is a stone basin used for washing sacred vessels.

You can still see small pieces of medieval stained glass in one of the south windows. The beautiful stained-glass windows in the chancel were designed by an artist named Henry Holiday in 1884 and again in 1903–04.

External Features

To the south of the church, you can see the limited remains of the rest of the old priory buildings. These remains are also important and are listed as Grade II and a scheduled monument. This means they are protected by law because of their historical importance.

The churchyard (the area around the church) is also a special place. It contains the war graves of five soldiers who died in World War I. There are also graves for two soldiers and an airman who died in World War II. These graves remind us of the sacrifices made during those wars.

See also

• Grade I listed buildings in Lancashire
• Grade I listed churches in Lancashire
• Listed buildings in Up Holland