Church of St Thomas, Lees

The village of Lees lay within the chapelry of Leesfield, which formed part of the ancient parishes of Prestwich and Ashton-under-Lyne. The name does not appear on historic maps, but the present church and Leesfield Church of England Primary School stand within the centre of Lees. The Church of St Thomas was designed in the Perpendicular Gothic Revival style by the Manchester‑based ecclesiastical architect E. H. Shellard, and was built as a Commissioners' church. It was consecrated on 21 June 1848 by James Prince Lee, the first bishop of Manchester. A west tower was added in 1855, followed by the construction of an organ chamber in 1885. On 22 August 1967, the Church of St Thomas was…

The Church of St Thomas is constructed of hammer-dressed stone with a slate‑covered roof. It comprises a nave, aisles, tower, and a chancel, alongside an organ chamber and a vestry. The plan includes a six‑bay nave and a two‑bay chancel, both with a sill band and a parapet that is castellated. Each of the bays contain a weathered buttress surmounted by a crocketed pinnacle, together with a two‑light window set beneath a hood mould. The porch in the second bay carries the date "1848" above its arched doorway. The east end has a four‑light window. The west tower is of four stages, castellated, and features a four‑centred arched doorway, a four‑light west window, clock faces, three‑light…