Church Heritage Record 606094

The style of the church is of the 13th century with lancet and plate tracery windows. The principal facade is to the S on to Sandgate Road. This is dominated by the scale of the nave roof, the crossing tower, the series of transverse gables on the aisle and the large gable of the transept. There is a decorative cornice throughout. The clerestory has paired lancet windows placed opposite the valleys of the aisle gables. These gables, divided from one another by buttresses, have two-light windows with a punched round window in the masonry above them. These windows, like those on the transepts and apse, have brick and stone polychrome heads. The buttressed S transept has a door, also with a polychrome head, and three tall, equal-height lancets and, in the gable, an oculus with sexfoil cusping and set in a polychrome frieze and with a polychrome head. Between the springing of the apse windows and the eaves is stone polychrome decoration of grey and cream lozenges which serve to emphasise this part of the building. The crossing tower turns from square to octagonal with the octagonal stage having single-light moulded and shafted openings and a 13th-century-style cornice below the octagonal slated spirelet. The W end has a pair of two-light windows and a large rose window in the gable. The N transept has a projecting stair turret to allow access to the upper level of the organ chamber. Abutting the N transept is a NE vestry which is flat-roofed and embattled. The SW porch is flat-roofed and has a plain parapet. The building is highly visible on the Folkestone skyline and also on Sandgate Road.

The building is entered through the south porch which is a generously proportioned structure with exterior timber doors to the east and west.  The porch has a stone floor and timber ceiling.  A pair of wooden framed glass panelled doors lead to a point at the south-west corner of the south aisle.  To the north of the point of entry the first bay of the south aisle, nave and north aisle are completely clear of fixed furnishings which leads into the north aisle where a further 8 rows of pews have been removed providing a welcome area and general circulation space.  A substantial coloured marble font is located by the west wall of the nave on a raised plinth which incorporates a mosaic design.  There is a fine carved timber font cover of 1909 and, extending along the whole of the west wall of the nave, a timber screen.  The nave and both aisles extend eastwards for a further four bays, the first two of which are extensively pewed, the third with two pews in it. The line of these pews carries across the whole of the eastern end on the nave creating a flexible space. The south-east chapel, the All Saints’ Chapel, is located to the east of the south aisle and to the south of the chancel.  The chapel, which was dedicated in 1909, is separated from the aisle by a stone arch with a fine metal screen at the lower level.  An imposing arch separates the chapel from the chancel and this is infilled at its lower level with a simple timber screen.  All of the walls of the chapel have been finished with timber panelling.  The chapel is furnished at the east end with an altar, rails and clergy seatl and, at the west end, with modern upholstered timber chairs.

A lofty arch separates the nave from the chancel.  At ground level, a fine low level alabaster screen was provided in 1909 which incorporates wrought iron grilles and, in the centre, wrought iron gates.  In 1920 the ensemble was completed with the addition of an alabaster pulpit in the north-east corner and an alabaster lectern in the south-east.  The chancel is furnished with clergy and choir stalls and the organ is located in the imposing arch between the chancel and northern vestry area.  The pipework extends for virtually the full height of the arch.  The organ pipework also extends into the lower arch which separates the north aisle from the vestry area.  A flight of three steps at the east end of the chancel lead up to the apsidal sanctuary with a further four steps leading to the high altar.  The sanctuary is furnished with a large altar, clergy seats, credence table and metal and timber rails.  The altar has been moved away from the east wall to allow for west facing celebration, but still sits comfortably on the upper step.  Along the east wall there is an imposing painted tryptych.

The nave, aisles, central tower and south chapel are all finished with dark timber ceilings.  The apse has a plastered ceiling with frescoes above the high altar.  The areas of floor under the pews are finished with timber pew platforms with the rear and aisle floor surfaces being finished in carpet and the east end on the nave with quarter sawn modern oak block wood.  The chancel floor consists of  red and black tiles exposed and a fine stone floor in the apse.  With the exception of the clerestory windows, which are filled with clear quarries, all of the windows in the building are filled with an interesting collection of stained glass dating from the 19th century through to 2014.

Holy Trinity is an imposing building with an unusually wide and lofty nave which, together with the aisles and chancel, enclose a huge volume of space.  The infilling of most windows with stained glass results in there being a relatively low level of natural light in the building.  The character of the building is strongly of the late 19th century.