A Brief History (continued)

Services

Sundays

8am         Holy Communion

10am       Parish Communion

11.30am  Holy Communion (1st and                 3rd Sundays only)

4th Sunday in month - Family Communion with 10.30am start

Tuesdays

6pm        Office Hour (for baptisms                and weddings)

7.15pm   Holy Communion

Thursdays

10am      Holy Communion

The original plan for the Priory Church was not finished in the 14th century, a smaller tower than planned being added in the 15th century. It should be understood that the monastic chancel is what now forms the nave of the present church. The original plan was for the tower to form the centre of a crossing, and the west windows of the north and south aisles fill the top part of the arches clearly intended to lead on to the transept of that crossing. the east crossing piers of the planned transepts can be seen on the outside of the north and south aisle west walls. The north and south arcades were originally intended to carry a clerestory above. It may be that this was built and subsequently removed, the excess weight causing the arcades to lean outwards, a phenomenon which can be easily seen inside the church.

Many of the pew ends in the side aisles bear the date 1635 and the initials of the families whom they served. In 1752, the church was reordered with the addition of box pews and galleries on three sides. These were subsequently removed and the uneven floor re-laid. The plaster ceiling was added at this time, and a fine Flemish chandelier hung from the central rose. This is now in the chancel. In the following century, an organ (originally a barrel-organ) was placed in the tower arch, forward of the ringing chamber. Most of the glass is Victorian, but the second window in the south aisle contains an assemblage of medieval glass fragments which have been re-used.

Due to Civil War, it was not immediately established as a parish church until 1822, when Up Holland became a parish. Even so, there had been clergy continuously serving and living in the village since 1310.

In 1882-6, a new chancel was built at the east end of the building, with a crypt beneath which forms the present vestry. An estimate was obtained from Gray and Davison to move the organ into the chancel in 1883. This work was never carried out, but there is a blank arch on the south side of the chancel which could well have been intended as an opening into an organ chamber. The structure became the building that we see today.

New Life Magazine

The churches of St Thomas The Martyr, Up Holland and Christ The Servant, Digmoor publish a monthly magazine that gives you lots of info about what’s on, Sunday readings and what’s happened around the parishes. It only costs 50p, is published at the start of each month.and is available from both churches.

St Thomas The Martyr Parish Church in the 21st Century, taken from the west side in 2002.