England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Winchester St Thomas

The Parish

Winchester is one of Britain's oldest settlements reputedly founded by Celtic Britons during the Bronze Age. St Thomas' parish forms western part of the city centre, both inside and partially outside the former boundary walls of the city. Winchester is dominated by two factors, the River Itchen which winds its way through eastern Winchester and the mighty Cathedral which overshadows the whole city. Standing about 40 metres above sea level in what would have been a broad chalk stream valley before settlement came to the city, it is now a bustling metropolis and home to the Hampshire Record Office. Winchester is nowadays a prosperous city and market place for much of central Hampshire. The city was divided into 9 parishes, plus the close of the cathedral and St Thomas was the second largest by population, it covered a most of Winchester west of the Cathedral close, supporting a population of over 3,000 parishioners.

The Church

St Thomas' church sits between Southgate Street and St Thomas Street immediately west of the Cathedral site. The church has now been deconsecrated and has been converted into an exclusive housing development so access is limited to views available from the streets. St Thomas is not an ancient mediaeval building it was erected in the 1840s with the steeple being completed some 12 years later. Despite this recent origin Pevsner is very taken with the building describing it as "the most ambitious Victorian church in Winchester" and describing the detailing as "excellent"; rare praise for this particular period of church construction. The church sits behind a rail-topped brick wall with no parking permitted outside the site and residents parking within the former churchyard. Due to the current restrictions photographic angles are very limited to those views available from the streets, the building best approached on foot.