Outside St Thomas's, Hillgate

This view of the church is from the West.

St Thomas' Parish Church was opened in 1825 having been built as one of a hundred churches funded by grants from the government and regarded as a thanksgiving for victory over Napoleon, hence the name "Waterloo" Churches. St. Thomas was built in the classical style and is now recognised as a building of National importance being Grade 1 Listed.

It was built to front onto Hillgate which was then the main route from London to Manchester and Carlisle, hence the grand portico at the East end, before Wellington Road (A6) was opened soon after.

This view of the church is from the East.

It is in the process of restoration and over the last few years the dedicated congregation have raised funds to renew the roof, restore the tower and cupola and clock faces and include more facilities inside the church, including toilets and a kitchen, to enable it to be used as a venue for concerts and recitals.

Since 2012, St. Thomas has been placed on the English Heritage Buildings at Risk register, and the group "Friends of St. Thomas" was set up in 2013 as a way of securing the future of the church for generations to come.

Visit the Church website for more information.

When I visited the church recently I took several photographs inside the church some of which I will post at a later date.

A contribution to Inspired Sundays.