Saint Oswald and Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Chester
Saint Oswald and Saint Thomas of Canterbury, Chester |
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The former Benedictine Abbey of St
Werburgh, now
the Cathedral, housed the ancient Parish Church of Saint Oswald which
ministered to the people of this city Parish until the consecration
of the present Parish Church of Saint Thomas of Canterbury in 1872.
(Architect: Sir George Gilbert Scott.) This church was built to serve
the Parish of Saint Oswald in the newly built residential area to the
north of the city walls.
The church contains many fine stained
glass windows, the West window by Charles Eamer Kempe, and a
magnificent carved reredos by Deacon.
The Parish name of Saint
Oswald was lost at the formation of the Chester Team Parish in 1973.
On the 1st March 2005 the Team Parish of Chester
was
dissolved into two new parishes.
The new parish is called Saint
Oswald and Saint Thomas of Canterbury, this restores the ancient
patron of the Parish and incorporates the patron of the Parish
church. The remaining part of the Team Parish of Chester forms the
Parish of Saint Peter with Saint John the Baptist.
There is a
long and well-established tradition of Anglo-Catholic worship.
The
Church is located in a densely populated part of Chester. Many of the
residents are students living in rented accommodation and attending
the adjacent University of Chester, which was founded as a
Church of England Theological College during the Anglo-Catholic
awakening in the 1830s.
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 The Chancel and High Altar |
WORSHIP AT ST
THOMAS OF CANTERBURY |