Guided Tour
Click on the green dot for a 360° "virtual reality" view of the interior of the church.
At the east end of the church, standing above the high altar, is a beautiful reredos which depicts the crucifixion scene. It was bequeathed by George Larkin in 1896, although originally uncoloured. As a memorial to those who died in the Second World War and in memory of Reverend Viner George Ballance (1935-47) the colour was later added to the reredos as part of the redecoration of the chancel by Laurence King in the late 1950’s. The stone high altar was added as part during this redecoration.
The organ, on the south side of the chancel, was built in 1897 by Norman and Beard and in 1908 benefited from the addition of a gas-engined blower. It is considered to be one of the best instruments in the diocese.
The choir stalls are in regular use, and the lights on the stalls were donated by Jim and Vera Baker in 1994.
On the north side of the chancel is the Lady Chapel, used for weekday masses and at other times kept as a place for quiet prayer. The Blessed Sacrament is reserved in this chapel, to be given to the sick and housebound, and for devotion. On the south wall (on the left-hand side of the picture) is a small Belgian statue of Our Lady Queen of Heaven, which was a gift of Reverend Arthur Challis.
At the front of the nave on the same side as the Lady Chapel there is a shrine to Our Lady, who is depicted standing and holding the infant Christ, who holds a dove, the symbol of peace and of the Holy Spirit. The statue was given by by Laurence and Refna King.
At the front of the south aisle is a statue of St Thomas, which was presented by the children of the parish in 1946, in thanksgiving for the end of the War. Although he was beheaded, he is depicted with a sword through his head.
Banners of St Thomas and of Our Lady may also be on view at the front of the church at festival times. The presence of the Diocesan Arms of St Albans on the banners reminds us that Brentwood was once in that diocese, until the creation of the Chelmsford Diocese in 1914.
Along the north and south walls of the nave are the Stations of the Cross. These stations, which are Victorian, were originally in the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St Helen, and were given in appreciation for the use of St Thomas’ church while the cathedral was being remodelled in the 1970s.
Above the stations is a series of stained glass windows depicting saints and figures from the Old Testament.
Near the west end of the church - and, more significantly, near the main entrance to the church - is the baptismal font. The wrought iron work on the font cover is particularly striking. The font and cover were donated in 1886 by Mr C Tower of South Weald.
To the left of the font in the photograph is the paschal candle, which is lit each year at the Easter Vigil from a newly-kindled fire, and it symbolises the light of of the risen Christ triumphing over the darkness of death. During Eastertide the candle is placed near the altar and is lit for every service; otherwise it is lit only for baptisms and funerals.
The west window, above the gallery, depicts the Martyrdom of St Thomas. This window was given in 1886 by Miss Palmer in memory of her uncle, the Reverend Charles Belli, who had earlier contributed substantially to the cost of rebuilding the church.
Also of interest at the west end of the church are two nineteenth century charity boards, to the left of the west door, and two brasses, the oldest dating from 1673, to the right of the west door. Next to these brasses is the centenary window which marks the life and work of church architect Laurence King
The tower of St Thomas' church, finished five years after the main building, rises above the porch situated at the north-west corner of the church to a height of 170 feet. The spire could, before Brentwood was as built-up as it is now, be seen from all over the town and, on a clear day, it is possible to see as far as East London from the tower. Within the tower is a peal of eight bells cast by Mears and Stainbank of Whitechapel in 1888. The largest bell is the tenor bell, weighing nineteen and three quarter hundredweight. The clock, which has two faces visible from the high street and churchyard and strikes the hour on the tenor bell, was added in 1923.