St Thomas of Canterbury Church, Fulham
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| St Thomas of Canterbury Church | |
|---|---|
 St Thomas of Canterbury Church, Rylston Road | |
 St Thomas of Canterbury Church | |
| 51°28′54″N 0°12′21″W / 51.48168°N 0.20597°W | |
| Location | Fulham, London SW6 |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Religious order | Diocesan |
| Website | https://stthomasfulham.com/ |
| History | |
| Former name | St Thomas à Becket of Canterbury |
| Status | Active |
| Founded | 1847 |
| Founder | Mrs Elizabeth Bowden |
| Dedication | St Thomas of Canterbury |
| Consecrated | 1847 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 1970 |
| Architect | Augustus Pugin |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1848 |
| Administration | |
| Archdiocese | Westminster |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Most Rev. Vincent Nichols |
| Priest in charge | Dennis Touw |
| Assistant priest | Linferd S. Fernandes |
| Deacon | Wayne O'Reilly |
St Thomas of Canterbury Church, also known as St Thomas's, Rylston Road, is a Roman Catholic parish church in Fulham, central London. Designed in the Gothic Revival style by Augustus Pugin in 1847, the building is Grade II* listed with Historic England.[1] It stands at 60 Rylston Road, Fulham, next to Pugin's Grade II listed presbytery, the churchyard, and St Thomas's primary school, also largely by Pugin, close to the junction with Lillie Road in the borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.
The church, founded in memory of J. W. Bowden (1798–1844) by his widow Elizabeth Bowden (1805–1896), was begun in 1847 and is the only complete Pugin church in London.[2] The first purpose-built Roman Catholic place of worship in Fulham since the English Reformation, its foundation stone was laid by Bishop Thomas Griffiths, Vicar Apostolic of the London District in 1847.[3] After the latter's death that same year, the church was opened in 1848 by John Henry Newman.[4] It was intended for the many Catholic families employed in the local market gardens.
Pugin's design was in the Decorated English Gothic of the late 13th to early 14th centuries. Féret, the chronicler of Fulham, describes in detail the interior of the building, emphasising the reredoses of the two side chapels carved in Caen stone and the striking stained glass windows.[3] The north-west tower and pinnacled steeple rises to 142 feet and faces the small cemetery opened in 1849.
Interior
