Church Heritage Record 629095

Aisled nave of four bays with clerestory; west tower with spire; chancel with transepts; north porch.

Sir Arthur Blomfield 1876-8. The building of the church was financed by Sir William Nicholson, head of the family firm of distillers.

Rising 180 feet above the hill on which it stands, the spire commands attention. The church is no less powerful when observed at close quarters. Its slated roofs pitch steeply, down to the grey flint walls that have softer Doulting stone dressings. The exterior is fairly restrained in its Early English design and the simple arrangement of the windows in no way detracts from the more ambitious style of the tower and spire.

The tower is of three stages, set on a moulded plinth. Slender angle buttresses have gabled set-offs just above the first stage. They rise with shallow set-offs to terminate (in gabled niches) a little below the broach spire. On the north face of the tower are two small lancets and an ornate niche which contains a carved statue of the then bishop of the diocese. Crockets decorate the canopy and spire over the figure, while the bracket of the niche rests on a column with a carved capital which rests ilyturn on a carved corbel. Set in the west side of the lowest stage is a pointed arched doorway, moulded and with an order of dog-tooth moulding. There is a steep gable above the arch and within its head is a niche that contains a carving of Christ the Good Shepherd, who stands with a lamb draped round his neck. The crocketed gable rises to a cross which is flanked each side by a slender pelican wounding her breast - a small but poignant detail. Above the doorway is a two-light window with quatrefoil tracery. The second stage has blind arcading of five arches each side. The second and fourth arches contain slit windows. At belfry level, there are two louvred openings in each face. Each opening has Y-tracery, and each pair is separated by a columnar mullion. From a tower, already lofty, rises the impressive broach spire. It has three tiers of lucarnes that become less ornate towards the top. The four lowest lucarnes have Y-tracried openings, miniature gabled pilasters and ornamented gables rising to a cross. A weathercock perches on the top, over 180 feet above the ground.

The nave and aisles have simple lancet windows. At clerestory level each of the four bays separated by flat pilasters, has two windows. The aisles, from west to east, have two/three/three/two windows, separated by single set-off buttresses. The transepts have steeply pitched roofs, like the nave chancel and aisles. The sout transept has a door at the east corner of the south face. Over the string course are two lancets and above them a sexfoil within a round window. The north transept is similar, but under the gable head is a vesica that contains a relief carving of David playing on a harp. Above the three stepped lancets of the chancel east end are vesicas containing carvings of Early English style flowers and foliage. The lancet group is contained beneath a single hood-moulded pointed arch.

Inside the immediate impression is one of height and space. This is closely followed by a feeling of warmth created by the use of light coloured stones in the walls, which are faced with beautifully dressed blocks of Ham Hill stone and Bath stone. A dado of pink Corsehill stone runs round the church, contrasting well with the light sandy stone of the rest of the walls. Architecturally the building is striking and it would be difficult to single out for special mention any particularly fine aspect. However, the tower arch, lofty and attenuated, is perhaps the most beautiful feature. The equilateral arch has several finely moulded orders. These spring from slender columnar imposts, the inner pair extending only a short way down the arch. These two columns rest on carved floriate corbels and, beneath, a carved head. The font although square and solid looking is quite lost at the foot of this great arch. Behind it is the west doorway which is contained beneath a three-centred arch.

The nave has arcades of four bays of noble proportions. Each moulded arch, with an inner order of ball carving, rests on a quadripartite column. Above each arch is hood moulding linked by handsomely carved label stop heads. Above the continuous cill is the clerestory - a pointed arched arcade. In each bay are four arches, the two outer being blind and the two inner containing windows.

The chancel arch spans the width of the nave. It springs from turned Purbeck marble shafts with carved capitals and is much moulded. Behind the chancel arch are, first, three marble steps, then two into the sanctuary, and two up again to think altar, which thus stands in an elevated and commanding position. Through the arch the eye is drawn to the group of three lancet windows which are quite deeply splayed. The windows are linked by pointed arches that have Purbeck marble columns (like the chancel arch). Above the side lancets are roundels carved in relief with a serpent-like creature. Below the windows is a stone carved reredos flanked by recessed double arcading. The arcading continues on the north side with two smaller bays extending to a recessed gabled arch which contains a plaque inscribed as follows: To the Glory of God and as a thank offering dor many mercies this church of the Holy Trinity was built 1876-1878 and consecrated the feast of St. Mark by Edward Harold, Lord Bishop of the Diocese." The plaque is contained within a tall pointed arch, flanked by two lower arches. Above the middle arch is a trefoil and above the side ones are quatrefoils. The composition seems rather like a tomb particularly as it has a dark marble ledger slab just above the floor leve. On the south side of the chancel are a piscina and sedilia.