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St Thomas', Heaton Chapel was consecrated in 1765. There is some dispute about whether or not the original dedication was to St Thomas the Apostle or one of the other St Thomas's. Originally it was known as St Thomas, Heaton Norris. It became a church with is own parish in 1838. In 2005 the five Heaton's parishes were reunited under a team ministry.

From outside the church looks unusual, and has no pretension to beauty. The central part, the Nave, is the oldest, mostly dating to around 1758, although the moulding over the windows, the mullions, and the glass are 1870. The buttresses are also 1870 apart from that nearest to the Chancel, which is 1936.

The entrance to the church was for a time on Buckingham Road, but the original entrance has now been returned to use - this is reached via the Lych Gate, passing the First World War memorial. This original entrance facing Wellington Road North is a 1960 rebuild, with a Wardens Vestry to its left. The door leads into a Narthex from which two doors lead in to the Nave.

The Lych Gate was erected in memory of T Beaumont, for many years a warden. A service of dedication was held at 7.45pm on 17th July, 1890. Originally this had a gas light installed.

Much of this information is from a history of the church originally written in 1979 © Stephen Shaw, the text of which can be found online at Link together with some recent updates.

Created: Wed, 8 Apr 2015, Updated: Sat, 31 Aug 2024