Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Clapham, Bedfordshire

{{Short description|Historic church in Bedfordshire, England}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}

File:Church of St Thomas of Canterbury Clapham Bedfordshire.JPG

Church of St Thomas of Canterbury (also Clapham Parish Church, or Thomas à Becket) is a parish church and Grade I listed building in Clapham, Bedfordshire, England. It became a listed building on 13 July 1964.{{cite web|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-36899-church-of-st-thomas-of-canterbury-clapham |title=Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Clapham|publisher=British Listed Buildings|accessdate=1 December 2011}} Though the church can be traced back before AD{{nbsp}}1000, there is no record of the original patron saint, Thomas Becket having been so well accepted.{{cite book|last=Arnold-Forster|first=Frances|title=Studies in church dedications: or, England's patron saints|url=https://archive.org/details/studiesinchurchd01arno_0|accessdate=1 December 2011|edition=Public domain|year=1899|publisher=Skeffington & son|pages=[https://archive.org/details/studiesinchurchd01arno_0/page/358 358]–}} The church is built in the Anglo-Saxon style, possibly early 10th century. There are narrow semi-circular-headed windows. The upper story is Early Norman. The parapet is 17th century. The remainder of the church was entirely rebuilt in 1861,{{cite book|author1=British Archaeological Association|author2=Royal Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland|title=The Archaeological journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IIDQAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA456|accessdate=1 December 2011|edition=Public domain|year=1881|publisher=Royal Archaeological Institute.|pages=456–}} by Sir George Gilbert Scott.{{cite web|url=http://www.galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk/webingres/bedfordshire/vlib/0.digitised_resources/clapham_churches_st_thomas.htm|title=Clapham St. Thomas of Canterbury|work=bedfordshire.gov.uk|accessdate=2 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518054446/http://www.galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk/webingres/bedfordshire/vlib/0.digitised_resources/clapham_churches_st_thomas.htm|archive-date=18 May 2012|url-status=dead}} It features a chancel, nave, and two aisles. The tower, which dates to the 11th or 12th century,{{cite web|url=http://www.crsbi.ac.uk/search/county/site/ed-bd-claph.html|title=St Thomas of Canterbury, Clapham, Bedfordshire|work=Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland|publisher=King's College London|accessdate=2 December 2011|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121223003800/http://www.crsbi.ac.uk/search/county/site/ed-bd-claph.html|archive-date=23 December 2012|url-status=dead}} measures {{convert|26|m}} in height.