The Church of St Thomas, Liverpool Central in the County of -- Lancashire --

St Thomas' Church, Park Lane
1750 - 1905

	Map of the Parish of St Thomas

An extract of the records held al Liverpool Record Office……..

In December, "a number of gentlemen living principally to the south and east of the Old Dock" agreed that if Rev. W. Martin, one of the Parish Curates, "would become their minister they would build a church". By the end of 1746 £2,300 had been subscribed towards building the church and John Okill (c. 1687-1773), timber merchant, had promised a site, of which the Town Council granted a reversion early in 1747.

In 1748 the Liverpool Corporation Act provided for the building of the new church and laid down that its advowson and patronage should belong to the Town Council and that seats and pews should be vested in the subscribers to the building. The new church, St. Thomas, Park Lane, was consecrated and opened in July 1750.

Early in 1871 the church underwent a number of alterations, one of the objects of this being "to open up the church and make it more available to the poor". This was desirable "considering the alteration which has taken place in the district of St. Thomas's and the change in the character of the population...".

In 1885 St. Thomas' churchyard was closed and part used for street improvement, the remainder to be laid out as ornamental gardens. (See Inscriptions of gravestones removed at Liverpool Record office Ref No. 352 CEM 1/17/1).

By 1900 sixty five per cent of the population of the parish was estimated to be Roman Catholic and in 1903 The Bishop of Liverpool's Commission to enquire into the spiritual needs of the Diocese recommended the closure of St. Thomas' Church. The Liverpool and Wigan Churches Act, 1904 confirmed this recommendation and the church was closed on 31 December 1905. The parish was absorbed into that of St. Michael, Upper Pitt Street, and the then incumbent of St. Thomas', Rev. G. Peters, was transferred to the new district of St, Thomas, Wavertree.

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