The Norman Church of St. Thomas of Canterbury

Built about 1100, probably by Robert d’Oilly, the great Norman Baron and staunch supporter of William the Conqueror who rewarded him with 60 manors including Garinges (Goring). The Church is typically Norman except the North aisle, which was added by the Nuns of the adjacent Augustinian Priory. At first they used the Church, but found it inconvenient, so the north aisle became their chapel. This too had drawbacks and before long, they demolished the apse, built their own Church at the east end and divided the two by a stone screen.

The Abbey plans, dated 1892-3

At the Dissolution, the Nunnery Church was destroyed and the stone screen extended upwards to form the East wall of the Parish Church. In 1888, this was replaced by the present apse, built on the original foundations. A major refurbishment of the interior was undertaken in the same year.

From the bridge at Goring

Note the Norman Tower and Spiral Staircase

Click on photo for enlargement

From the East End

Showing the restored Apse

Click on photo for enlargement

St. Thomas of Canterbury

Millennium Project - Fund Raising Proposals

At the Parish AGM in 1996, it was suggested that "the Millennium" was an opportunity for us to think about preparing the fabric of the Church for the needs of (at least the start of) the next millennium, and that this should be our thanks to those who have maintained, supported and developed St. Thomas' Church for the best part of the last millennium. The sum of £100,000 was mentioned.

Over the next six years the ideas and plans have been developed, through Rob Howard's hard work, and extensive consultation into the current plans reported elsewhere by Rob Howard. We are fortunate to have Rob, who is an Architect in our congregation. We are now, hopefully, in the final stages of consultation and obtaining the necessary permissions from the Diocese, English Heritage and Councils.

The PCC and the "Millennium Fund Committee" discussed the project at length and have consulted widely. Our intention is to raise the majority of the funds in a four year period, and the complete amount over eight years.

The current estimate summary is around £315,000 at 1998 prices. This includes various contingency allowances, but we need to bear in mind that we are dealing with a very old structure which may hide a few surprises. We should always bear in mind that the final sum we may be asked to raise could be significantly higher. The effect of inflation alone will mean that if we start work in 2002 (four years on, as our current fund raising proposal dictates) then we will be looking to raise £383,000.

We have set our overall target at £400,000.

The experience of other Churches has been that the majority of the sum has been raised by the direct efforts of the congregation, in particular the two Churches dedicated to St. Mary, one at Cholsey and the other at Charlbury.

St. Mary's Church at Cholsey raised £400,000 for a complete refurbishment - "Removing the "Victorian Clutter and revealing the Norman Church". £20,000 came from grants, £15,000 from fund raising events and the remaining £365,000 (90%) from direct giving.

St. Mary's Church at Charlbury raised £385,000 for a similar scheme (which has been part of our inspiration) of which £280,000 (73%) came from direct giving, the remainder from events and some modest grants.

If you are in the area, both Churches are well worth a visit, Cholsey is around 5m north og Goring on the A323, and Charlbury is around 10m North of Oxford, off to the west of the A34, Stratford-upon-Avon road.

Whilst we will do everything we can to obtain grants, we must plan on the basis that the vast majority of the money will have to come from us via direct giving and some hard work on other fund raising activities. We should consider any grants we obtain to be a welcome bonus that will enable us to achieve our target sooner, rather than being a cornerstone of our fund raising.

If you feel that you can support us, please do. We hope to persuade as many as possible, both inside the Church community and in the community at large, to take an ongoing responsibility for some part of the fund raising. In this way, we hope to bring the whole fund-raising project down to a manageable size, taking the adage that "the best way of eating a whole elephant is to take one bite at a time".

The fund raising is expected to begin in earnest towards the end of 2000, once all the plans have been finalised and we have obtained all the necessary approvals. Your support can take many vital forms. Apart from the obvious form of committed financial support through covenants, gifts, legacies and other donations, there are many non-financial ways in which everyone can help.

Not least of all we would ask for your support in prayers and worship.

Please send any donations to "St. Thomas of Canterbury PCC", c/o The Vicarage, Manor Road, Goring-on-Thames, Reading, England.

Notes for Visitors to The Church

Some of the more interesting features of the present Church are

	CIRCULAR COLUMNS - built in late 12th or early 13th centuries.
	NORTH AISLE - built as a chapel by the Nuns; Piscina at East end.
	ROOD SCREEN - 1920. Made of oak from HMS Thunderer, a bomb-ketch, which fought under Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar.
	ORGAN - 1888. First pipe-organ used here, cost £541.
	CHOIR STALLS - 1888.
	LOVEDAY BRASS - 1401. North wall of Choir (originally on floor of North aisle) ; to Elizabeth, daughter of John Loveday who owned the Manor of Elvendon (Goring).
	WHISTLER BRASS - North wall of sanctuary. The family acquired the manor of Gatehampton (South of Goring village, past the railway station) in 1558. Many generations lived there. The brass commemorates Hugh Whistler (died 1615) and his family. A member of the family emigrated to the USA and may have been the ancestor of the famous painter.
	VESTRY - Mediaeval tiles. Discovered in the churchyard and fixed to the West wall. Mainly 13th century, forming part of the floor of the Nuns’ Church.
	BRASS OF HENRY de ALDRYNGTON - 1375. South wall of Chancel. Inscription in Norman French. First husband of Elizabeth Loveday (see Loveday Brass).
	CLOISTER DOORWAY - Now blocked, in South wall. Led to Nuns’ cloister. Floor must have been at least 2 feet lower originally.
	BASSOON - mounted on West wall. Owned and played by W. Critchfield. Last used 1810; presented by his grandson H. Harvey 1924.
	MUSICIAN’S GALLERY - originally sited above west door, but was removed in the 19th century, and there is now no trace of it.
	OLD BELL - above West doorway. One of the oldest inscribed bells in England. Cast around 1290 and rung here for over 600 years. Removed from belfry and mounted 1929. There is a ring of eight bells in the Tower, all recast or new in 1929. Oldest originally cast in 1556 (Reading).
	FONT - Norman. Restored to its original place in Church, 1937, with new cover and base. It had been “dumped” at Gatehampton for almost 90 years.
	CORBELS - remains on exterior of South wall; supported cloister roof.

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