Church of St Thomas, Dudley

The Church of Saint Thomas is a parish church in the town of Dudley, in the West Midlands county in England.

St. Thomas', Dudley
Parish Church of Saint Thomas
St. Thomas' Church in Dudley, viewed from the North
St. Thomas', Dudley
Location within the West Midlands
52.5085°N 2.0866°W / 52.5085; -2.0866
OS grid referenceSO942900
LocationDudley, West Midlands
CountryEngland
DenominationAnglican
History
StatusParish church
Foundedc. 1182
DedicationSt Thomas and St Luke
Earlier dedicationThomas Becket
EventsRebuilt in 1815
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade II* Listed
Designated14 September 1949
Architect(s)William Brooks
StyleNeo-Gothic
Years built1815 - 1818
Construction cost£12,650
Specifications
MaterialsBath Stone
Administration
ParishDudley; St. Thomas
& St. Luke
ArchdeaconryDudley
DioceseWorcester
ProvinceCanterbury
Clergy
Bishop(s)Martin Gorick, Bishop of Dudley[1]
ArchdeaconNikki Groarke[2]

Known locally as 'Top Church', as opposed to the 'Bottom Church' of St. Edmund's, it was originally established in the 12th century,[3] when it was dedicated to Thomas Becket who had been murdered a few years before. The church is mentioned in a Papal Declaration of 1182, which granted it to the nearby Priory of St. James.[4] At some point in its history, the church's dedication changed to the Apostle St Thomas.[4] The current building dates from the 19th century. It was rebuilt in 1815 under an Act of Parliament after the existing building was declared unsafe, for a cost of £12,650.[5]

On 7 September 1940, the Luftwaffe dropped a bomb opposite the front of the church, blowing out most of the windows and leaving shrapnel damage which is still evident today.[6]

The church is in the Anglican Diocese of Worcester, despite the town of Dudley being transferred into the county of Staffordshire in 1966, and later the West Midlands county upon its creation in 1974. The church's original parish, Dudley St. Thomas, was abolished in 1969 to form the current Dudley St. Thomas & St. Luke Ecclesiastical Parish.[7]

The church building was granted Grade II* listed status in 1949.[8]

References
  1. "Martin's consecration as Bishop of Dudley". The Diocese of Worcester. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  2. Setchell, Sam. "London Vicar to be new Archdeacon of Dudley". The Diocese of Worcester. Archived from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  3. "Saint Thomas's Church" (PDF). Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  4. Chandler, G.; Hannah, I.C. (1949). Dudley as it was and as it is today. London: B.T. Batesford. pp. 57–63.
  5. "Parishes - Dudley". A History of the County of Worcester. British History Online. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  6. "St Thomas & St Luke 'Top Church',Dudley Welcome". discover.dudley.gov.uk/. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  7. "Dudley St Thomas - Worcester". Parish Records. Worcester Branch of the Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
  8. "Parish Church of St Thomas - Dudley". Grade II* Listed Buildings in Dudley. British Listed Buildings Online. Retrieved 4 November 2012.
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