The Church of St. Thomas of Canterbury is situated in the City of Chester, in an area of the city informally known as "The Garden Quarter". This is a densely populated area, close to the University. While the church was built in 1872, the parish of St. Oswald which it serves, is much older, dating back to about 980AD. One of the earliest references to St. Oswald's can be found in Bradshaw's Life of St. Werburge (Chapter 4) The Parish Registers date back to 1580. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Chester.