Newport Minster

Saints Thomas Minster or Newport Minster is civically recognised as the main Anglican church on the Isle of Wight. Unusually, it is dedicated to both Thomas Becket and Thomas the Apostle.

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, Anglican Bishop of Portsmouth.

Princess Elizabeth of England, daughter of Charles I and Henrietta Maria is buried to the church. A memorial was given by Queen Victoria in 1856 and made by Carlo Marochetti.[

References:

• Wikipedia

Address

Saint Thomas' Square 13A, Newport, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom

Details

Founded: 1854-1855
Category: Religious sites in United Kingdom