St Thomas à Becket Church - Cliffe High Street, Lewes, UK
N 50° 52.466 E 000° 01.116
31U E 290251 N 5640096
St Thomas à Becket church is located at the east end of Cliffe High Street at the junction with Malling Street. The 13th/14th century, Anglican church, is on the north side of Cliffe High Street.
Waymark Code: WMRRG2
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/29/2016
Views: 2
The church's website gives a brief history that advises:
St Thomas’ is steeped in history. Built as a chapel for Cliffe in South Malling parish, the dedication to St Thomas à Becket reveals the link to Canterbury through Malling Deanery, and suggests the chapel was founded in the late 12th Century.
Evidence shows the church had at least one aisle in the 13th century, and the chancel may keep the dimensions and even some walls of its possible 12th century predecessor. Following the reconstruction of the church, in the 14th century, the plan of the western part of the church is almost square – the arcades are the best evidence of this. The late 15th century tower is of flint, which appears as an irregular chequer pattern in certain lights. There were galleries in both aisles by the 18th century.
The church, as it is today, is the result of 19th century restoration. The vestry (originally from the 19th century) was extended in 1930 (Meads). An attractive brick-courtyard and Cliffe Hall were added in 1990.
The church is Grade II* listed with the entry at the Historic England website telling us:
Church. C12, C14, C15, restored 1879 and 1885. Flint and stone with stone quoins and dressings. Horsham slab and plain tiled roofs. West tower with nave, north and south aisles with south porch and chancel with north vestry. Three-stage west tower with diagonal buttresses, divided by string-courses with string-course also to plain parapet of brick-banded flint with coping. Pyramidal roof of plain tiles and octagonal north-east stair-turret. C15 two-light belfry openings very much renewed. Single light on west side of second stage. First stage with large reworked C15 window over west door with C19 three-centred arch, carved foliage in spandrels and hoodmould. Separately-roofed aisles with two C19 windows each, to south symmetrically arranged about central two-storey porch, blind above, with C15 moulded door- way below with doubled boarded and ribbed doors. Lower chancel with single C19 Perpendicular-style window to south and similar though larger window to east.
Interior: C19 tower arch. Three-bay arcades with octagonal piers and capitals and hollow-chamfered arches. Similar, but larger, tower-arch.
Fittings: Tudor royal arms, (Queen Elizabeth, 1598).