|
Our speaker entertained us with a very informative talk about the parish of St. Thomas the Martyr which is just outside the city walls to the west. Probably the first suburb it grew up between the Abbey of Osney and the castle from the 12th century. The Abbey was a very large complex, founded in 1129 and dissolved in 1542, of which only a small building is left.
The parish was always very lively with many people living in "yards" with very poor sanitation and a continual risk of flooding. In the19th century there were many lodging houses and a large number of Italian immigrants. The workers were attracted by the many industries which developed, mills, building and the canal wharfs. When the railway came the navvies lodged in the area.
The major business during the 18th 7 19th centuries was brewing with three main firms, the Eagle, the Lion and the Swann. Frank Cooper's Marmalade factory was established there.
There was a horse hospital, part of which is now a pub. Three schools were established around the church but they declined into poor state of repair and a fund was started to get a new building which was started in 1904.
St. Thomas is remembered not only in the name of the church but in St. Thomas Street and Beckett Street.
|
