Church of St Thomas of Canterbury and the English Martyrs, Preston
| English Martyrs Church | |
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| Church of St Thomas of Canterbury and the English Martyrs, Preston | |
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 English Martyrs Church
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| Coordinates: 53°46′09″N 2°42′15″W / 53.7692°N 2.7043°W | |
| OS grid reference | SD5367730545 |
| Location | Preston, Lancashire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | EnglishMartyrsPreston.org.uk |
| History | |
| Founded | January 22, 1865 |
| Founder(s) | Bishop Alexander Goss |
| Dedication | St Thomas Becket and the English Martyrs |
| Dedicated | 1 December 1867 |
| Consecrated | 14 September 1921 |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 2 September 1985 |
| Architect(s) | Edward Welby Pugin |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 26 May 1866 |
| Completed | 9 February 1888 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 850 |
| Length | 154 ft (47 m) |
| Width | 92 ft (28 m) |
| Height | 69 ft (21 m) |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Preston |
| Diocese | Lancaster |
| Province | Liverpool |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Rt. Rev. Michael Campbell OSA |
| Priest(s) | Fr Tom Singleton |
English Martyrs Church or its full name The Church of St Thomas of Canterbury and the English Martyrs is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Preston, Lancashire. It was designed by Edward Welby Pugin and is under the administration of the Diocese of Lancaster. It is near to Preston city centre and stands on the corner of the A6, between Aqueduct Street and St George's Road.
English Martyrs Church is built on the site of an area that used to be called Gallows Hill. It received that name after the Battle of Preston of the Jacobite rising of 1715. After the government overcame the rebel army, it was on Gallows Hill that the rebel prisoners were executed. On the 5 January, 1715, it was recorded that sixteen rebels 'were hanged upon Gallows Hill, for high treason and conspiracy.'
In May 1817, evidence of this was found when the area was dug up to improve the road heading north (the A6 road), and two coffins were found containing the remains of two headless bodies. A brass hand axe was also unearthed, with portions of timber which were assumed to be part of the gallows.
In 1864, when the English Martyrs mission was founded, the Diocese of Lancaster did not yet exist. Instead, it was the then Bishop of Liverpool who served the Catholic churches in Preston. In 1864, Bishop Alexander Goss sent Fr James Taylor to a house called Wren's Cottage. The cottage was a quarter of mile north of the present church. The house was made available for the priest and the stable was converted into a chapel. The first Mass was said there on 25 December 1864 and it was officially opened on 22 January 1865.
As the chapel was only temporary and could fit 145 people, plans were drawn up to build a church that could accommodate a larger congregation. It was agreed when Wren's Cottage was bought that a church would not be built on the site, so the Corporation of Preston sold the land around Gallows Hill for the construction of the church.
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