St Thomas' Church, East Shefford, Berkshire

Address:
East Shefford, Hungerford, Berkshire, RG17 7EF
How to find us | Access information
Opening times:
Open daily. Key available from honesty box adjacent to gate. Christmas Carol Service Saturday 21st December 3pm. For further information please contact the Local Community Officer [email protected]
  • A simple church of pre-Norman origin, St Thomas' stands in an idyllic spot on the edge of a water meadow beside the River Lambourn. 
  •  Sympathetic restoration works to the floor tiles has been undertaken, some but some still date from the 15th century.
  • In the north wall of the chancel, a Purbeck marble canopied tomb to John & Dorothy Fettiplace dates from 1524, with brass effigies on the wall.
  • A cheeky face looks out from the stone window frame on the outside of the church.
  • Inside, the simple church has modern red tiles juxtaposed with mixed coloured tiles, some of which date from the 15th century.
  • The tomb shows Sir Thomas Sir Thomas Fettiplace wearing armour typical of the period, and his wife wearing an under-dress or kirtle with a full skirt to her ankle.
  • Though they are damaged, the faces of Sir Thomas and Lady Beatrice Fettiplace are still visible on the tomb.
  • In the south chapel, an alabaster tomb of Sir Thomas and Lady Beatrice Fettiplace dates from around 1450. It was created by Thomas Prentys and Robert Sutton of Cellaston, Derbyshire.
  • Repairs to the church in the 1970s revealed several schemes of wall decoration, with the oldest dating from around 1100.
  • Inside, the simple church has modern red tiles juxtaposed with mixed coloured tiles, some of which date from the 15th century.
  • A simple church of pre-Norman origin, St Thomas' stands in an idyllic spot on the edge of a water meadow beside the River Lambourn. 
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Alabaster nobles and wall paintings in a rural idyll

This simple little church, with pre-Norman origins, stands in an idyllic spot beside a water meadow next to the River Lambourn.

Its village has long since vanished, but the spirit of the villagers shines through in the church's simple craftsmanship, glorious Medieval wallpaintings and fabulous tombs. The alabaster statue of local noble Sir Thomas Fettiplace lies alongside that of his wife and gives a rare glimpse of fifteenth-century fashion.

Look out for the lovely Norman tub font, an early Medieval tomb, and fragments of early stained glass.

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