Church of St Thomas the Martyr, Upholland 2.75

The Church of St Thomas the Martyr is in School Lane, Upholland, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Ormskirk, the archdeaconry of Warrington, and the diocese of Liverpool. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.HistoryThe building was founded in 1307 as a college for a dean and twelve secular priests by Robert de Holland, who was secretary to Thomas Plantagenet, Earl of Lancaster. However, in 1319 the college was converted into a priory by Walter Langton, Bishop of Lichfield, because of charges of misbehaviour by the priests. Upholland Priory was part of the Benedictine order, and was the last foundation of that order in England. The priory was closed in 1536 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, but part of its church continued in use for worship. A tower had been added during the 15th century, and the chancel became what is the nave of the present church. The interior of the church was reordered in 1772, when galleries and box pews were installed, and a plaster ceiling was added. Upholland became a separate parish in 1882, with St Thomas' as its parish church. The aisles were restored during the 19th century. In 1882–86 the chancel was added by Basil Champneys, with a crypt beneath it acting as a vestry. Champneys also removed the galleries.