St Thomas' Church and Vicarage, Keresley

Can't believe that timeline doesn't include my baptism by Rev Bastin!

Or the Altar kneeler that my mum and I made in the 1980's! British History Online names the Vicarage as "Oakhurst"

Do you know what? - I don't actually remember him!!!!

Well it would have been a miracle if you did!!

Many thanks. I did have that info previously. I was hoping for a bit more detail really, a picture would be marvellous.

There is a 14 bedroom house, now an oap home with stables, set back off the road, further down the roaf leading to Coundon Court, between Coundon Court and the Grange. They have renamed it, it was still there a few years ago which fits the same description of the vicarage you enquired about.

Thanks for that, yes that's still there I think it might be a hotel now. The house I'm referring to was on the corner of Coundon Green Rd opposite Keresley Grange, I've lived in Coundon all my life but don't recollect the vicarage,apparently it was derelict for some time before being pulled down & a number of detached houses built on the site in the 1970's by the local builder Woods.

I was so pleased to see this thread. My parents were married at St Thomas's during the war by Mr Bastin. He subsequently christened both my sister and me, I went to Sunday School there. My parents and then my sister and I all took confirmation classes at St Thomas's and my sister and I were confirmed in the church (my parents as adults were confirmed at St Mary's in Warwick). In 1968 my sister, and then and in 1970 myself, were married there by Mr Bastin. I returned to Coventry, and St Thomas's Church for the baptisms of my 3 children. My father, Ken Hickling, rewired the vestry at some point. My parents worshipped there all their married lives and are buried there. I co-incidentally met Mr Bastin for the last time in Walsgrave Hospital while visiting my mother in 1992. I remember that Mr and Mrs Bastin never threw away a newspaper - they simply stacked them floor to ceiling in the old stable at the old vicarage - the one lyshz remembers on the corner of Coundon Green Rd. When Mr Bastin moved to the new vicarage a charity came with a large lorry and 3 men to collect all the papers for recycling.

Hi, I would love to obtain a photo of the original vicarage on Brownshill Green Rd, I'm told it was called Keresley House & was lived in by the curate of Exhall, William Thickins, 1828 to 1846. I think it was demolished in the 1970's, having been derelict for some time & we now live on the site. I would be grateful if anyone has any further information. The new vicarage was built on the Tamworth Rd for St Thomas's when the old one was no longer in use. Thank you in anticipation, Lynn

Hi Lynn. Looking at the history of St Thomas and the newspaper archive site I think that the house called Keresley House that William Thickins lived in was the one on the corner of Fivefield Road and is still there. The Vicarage on Brownshill Green Road was not built until 1868, Reverend Thickens donated £200 towards the building. That building on the old maps is just called the Vicarage. I hope that helps in your search. Have you tried asking at St Thomas, they may perhaps have some pictures.

Sorry Lynn, there doesn't seem to be an image in the library here but it might be worth searching the Herbert archives. A lot of stuff has been accumulated and they're doing a lot of archiving right now.

This brings back my most happiest memories from 1961 (Rev. Bastin officiated)