Goring : St Thomas of Canterbury

Located in the Goring Cap, between the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills, the early C12 church is little altered and excavations have uncovered the remains of an Augustine priory built in the late C12.

About this church

With its west tower and aisleless nave, the chancel originally had an apse but when the priory was founded here the nuns built their own church and the east end of the parish church was rebuilt with a doorway dividing the two churches.

The early C12 west tower has a Perpendicular bell stage but retains its Norman windows, a circular stair turret, and a west doorway with scalloped capitals. Inside, the tower has a quadripartite vault, its ribs carried on angle shafts with cushion capitals. Impressive arch to the nave with bold decorations. The block openings in the south and west walls of the tower probably linked the church with the priory buildings. Below the south windows of the nave are the corbels which supported the roof of the priory cloister which stood against this wall.

The Norman windows set high in the nave walls remain intact on the south c.1200. The aisle windows are C14 and the porch C15.

Walls monuments and brasses.

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