Clapham
St. Thomas of Canterbury

Places > Clapham > Churches and Meeting Houses

Clapham Church tower is 26 meters high and may be Saxo-Norman in date (Taylor, 1982). The tower may originally have had a defensive role as the only entry was by a triangular headed doorway approximately 7 meters above ground level. The nave arcades were originally thirteenth century.

The church was largely rebuilt in 1861/2 by Sir George Gilbert Scott.

On the walls of the south porch are colourful mosaics depicting biblical scenes.  The four scenes (two on each wall) were placed by the four daughters of Jeremiah William Haddock in commemoration of his time as incumbent from 1861-1913.

Sources

• Bedfordshire by James Dyer (Shire Publications, 1995)
• Bedfordshire churches in the nineteenth century, part 1, parishes A-G edited by Chris Pickford (BHRS, Vo. 73, 1994)
• Leaflets and pamphlets in the Local Studies Collection at Bedford Central Library
• The Church of St. Thomas a Becket, Clapham by H.M Taylor, The Archaeological Journal Vol 139, 1982
• Victoria County History of Bedfordshire

St. Thomas of Canterbury, by Bedfordshire Libraries, 2006

Page last updated: 23rd January 2014