St. Thomas' Church, Nottingham facts for kids

St. Thomas' Church was a special building in Nottingham, England. It was a church that belonged to the Church of England. This church stood on Park Row from 1873 until 1926.

History of St. Thomas' Church

The church building was first built by a group called Wesleyan Methodists. Their leader was Richard Mercer, who was a bookseller. They started building it on June 5, 1854. The building opened in April 1855. It was known as 'The Wesleyan Congregational Free Church' or sometimes Mercer's Chapel.

In 1873, the Church of England bought the building. They made some changes to it with the help of an architect named Thomas Chambers Hine. After these changes, it became known as the Episcopal Church of St. Thomas. A special ceremony, called a consecration, was held on April 22, 1873. The Bishop of Lincoln, Christopher Wordsworth, led this ceremony.

You can find a complete history of the church on the Southwell and Nottingham DAC Church History Project website.

Leaders of the Church

Here is a list of the main leaders, called incumbents, who served at St. Thomas' Church:

• 1873–1884 Walter Senior
• 1884–1888 Thomas Cleworth
• 1888–1894 Joseph Halloran
• 1894–1907 Martin Read
• 1907–1926 Charles Davis

The Church Organ

In 1882, a special musical instrument called a 2-manual organ was put into the church. It was made by a company called Charles Lloyd and Co.

Organ Players

Here are some of the people who played the organ at St. Thomas' Church:

• W.Telford Cockrem (around 1882)
• Henry Houseley (1882–1888)
• Frederick George Ainsworth Wyatt (1888–1918) - He later became the organist at All Saints' Church, Nottingham.
• Cecil T Payne (1918 - 1926)

Church Closure and Demolition

In 1926, St. Thomas' Church joined with another church nearby, St. Matthew's Church, Talbot Street. The building of St. Thomas' Church was then taken down in 1930.