History

This page summarises the history of our church. More information about the history of the church and parish is available in the form of a booklet, produced by the church, entitled A short Guide and History.

The need for a church in the Groves area began after the 1851 Census. The parish was formed from areas of St Maurice- Monkgate and St Olave- Marygate. Work on the Church and accompanying School began soon after the census and this was completed by August 1854 when the church was consecrated and opened by the Archbishop of York. The church cost £2370 originally but is now valued at some 200 times this amount.
The architects brief was to be able to seat 500 people, a common congregation figure for the church in the 1860's. The main pews, three galleries and other seating officially seated 501. Up to half of these seats were free to poorer members of the parish, a generous portion in Victorian England. The rich would pay for seats nearer to the front of the church, helping to pay the Vicar's sallary. Even today, the majority of the congregation sit towards the back of the church. Alterations have meant that a total of 120 pew spaces have been lost since the church was built.
St Maurice Church was closed in the early 1960's and was demolished soon after. Many items from the church came to St Thomas' and the parishes amalgamated, St Maurice's Chapel was set up as a reminder of this.
In the churches centenary year, a new East window was built, also commerating the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.