Thomas Farrow had an impact on prominent buildings including Bury St Edmunds Norman Tower; St Mary’s, St Peter’s and St James’ churches, Bury Trustees Savings Bank, 1836 Corn Exchange and Honington church

Thomas Farrow was born in 1805 in Diss, Norfolk. Not much is known about his early life other than his family were associated with the Lower Brewery in Diss.

While in Diss he had a business in Cock Street, now Denmark Street. He was married three times altogether, twice being widowed. He married a stepdaughter from one of his marriages, rumoured to be ‘in haste’ – I will leave that to you to figure out! Altogether he had nine children and he died in 1864.

While working in Bury St Edmunds he had as a foreman Lot Jackaman, also from Norfolk, who was later to build the Corn Exchange in 1861 (now a Wetherspoons pub).

One of Farrow’s first contracts in Bury was the repair of the Norman Tower, in Crown Street. This tower, now the belfry for the adjacent cathedral, was built during the abbacy of Abbot Anselm (1121-48) and 700 years later it was in a pretty bad state. Unfortunately, botched repairs had been carried out in 1758/9.

In 1811 a local surveyor, Mr Patience, had reported the tower was in danger and needed urgent repairs, however a change in church wardens meant his advice went unheeded.

A subsequent report by the future architect of St John’s parish church (1841/2) William Ranger, in 1840, recommended immediate action and three local landowners – Earl Jermyn of Ickworth, the Rev T G Cullum of Hardwick and William Mills Esq, of Saxham Hall – decided to have specifications for the repairs drawn up. Regrettably these 18 drawings from their choice of architect, Lewis Nockalls Cottingham (1787-1847), a renowned gothic revival architect from London, do not survive.

Farrow’s estimate for more than £2,300 was accepted and a subscription fund was launched. By June 1843, £1,400 had been raised, the parish of St James adding the remainder. However, Farrow, who had to pay for the contracts to be drawn up for the work, had also to provide two sureties of £500 each, an enormous sum in those days to guarantee the work was done and completed to a satisfactory standard.

In 1844, cottages abutting both sides of the tower were taken down and repair work started, to be completed to total satisfaction by all concerned.

Other works:

While co-ordinating his work on the Norman Tower he was employed to build a permanent home for the Bury Trustees Savings Bank, which was founded in 1816 for small savers.

The demolition of cottages abutting the Norman Tower led to the building of this very iconic gothic revival build, also by Cottingham, with its diapering, oriel window and stone dressings in 1846/7.

Incorporated in the brickwork are the arms of Queen Victoria and the borough arms of Bury. This was the second phase of a three-phase build, the third part being in Crown Street, which Farrow did not carry out as he was employed elsewhere, at St Mary’s Church. This was from 1844, his bill for £2,372 was for replacing galleries and pews, plumbers for lead work, carpenters, glaziers and stonemasons. He was very grateful for this patronage and gave two elaborate candle sconces to go each side of the pulpit as a way of thank you.

In Bury, unfortunately, a corn exchange built in 1836 to designs by Ipswich architect Benjamin Backhouse was found to be too small, so in 1848 a new architect, John Johnson of Bury (1811-91), drew up plans to extend.

Farrow put these extensions on the south side; it has today’s Halifax and also put two porticos on the east and west (Harriets Tea Rooms today). Farrow was paid in three stages for this work. However, this work still did not give sufficient room for corn dealing and in 1861/2 another corn exchange was built; this time by Lot Jackaman, Farrow’s former foreman, in 1861.

In 1854, also Farrow worked on the King Street Congregational Church, in Great Yarmouth, and on the north transept of Wreningham All Saints church, in Norfolk, for an estimated £450.

St Peter’s Church, Hospital Road

His next major project was for a chapel of ease for St Mary’s.

A foundation stone was laid by Earl Jermyn here in 1856. To designs by John Henry Hakewill of London, Farrow built a splendid church of flint and stone with a shingle roofed ‘broached’ spire, to a gothic design. Costing over £3,000, it was funded by the generosity of three sisters; the misses Smiths.

It opened for worship in September 1858 with seating for 450 people. There is a nice exterior stone panel at the east end with x keys for St Peter.

St James’ hammer beam roof

In 1862, Thomas Farrow was contracted to replace the low pitched deal roof that was put up in 1777. This is why he probably did not get the Corn Exchange job.

Made of oak, it has alternating angels holding a scallop shell, staff and satchel and the three pierced crowns of the borough. It is a splendid roof, which has been richly painted in recent years.

Honington All Saints’ Church

The re-roofing of this church in 1863 was the last work he carried out in the Bury area as he died in 1864.