Denomination Church of England Parish Newport Phone +44 1983 559257 | Churchmanship Broad Church Vicar(s) Kevin Arkell Province Province of Canterbury | |
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Dedication Thomas the Apostle and St Thomas Becket Address St Thomas' Square, Newport PO30 1SL, UK Diocese Anglican Diocese of Portsmouth Burials Elizabeth Stuart, Edward Horsey, William Holland Similar Church of St John the Baptist - N, St Thomas of Canterbu, All Saints' Church - Ryde, Christ Church - Sandown, Newport Roman Villa | ||
Sts Thomas Minster, Newport Minster or The Minster Church of Sts Thomas, until 2008 Sts Thomas Church, is civically recognised as the main Anglican church on the Isle of Wight.
Contents
History
The original late 12th-century church was dedicated to St Thomas of Canterbury (Thomas Becket) (1118–1170). Later, under the rule of King Henry VIII of England (1509–1547), when Becket was declared to have been a traitor, the Canterbury part of the name was dropped. Its name and the ambiguous dedication to St Thomas was thereafter, over time, assumed by many to refer to Thomas the Apostle.
From the 18th century its deterioration made any renovation futile, and funds were raised for a new church on its site. The new church was built over the years 1854 and 1855 to a design by the architect S. W. Dawkes of Cheltenham. Reflecting the building's history, but arguably unusual, the new church was dedicated on the feast of Thomas the Apostle to both him and St Thomas of Canterbury. The tower contains a ring of 12 bells.
To honour its importance in Island and civic life, but conferring no official status within the Church of England itself, the church was designated as a Minster at Easter 2008 by its diocesan bishop Kenneth Stevenson, Bishop of Portsmouth.
Burials
Organ
The organ is an architectural pipe organ positioned in the west gallery.
The original organ was built in 1870 by Forster and Andrews, and replaced by in 1925 by Conacher Sheffield & Co Ltd which was rebuilt itself in 1957 by J.W. Walker incorporating some pipework retained from the original Forster & Andrews organ.