Church Of Holy Trinity

NZ 0415 STARTFORTH HIGH STARTFORTH (North side)

12/168 Church of Holy Trinity

GV II

Parish Church, 1863 by J. & W. Hay of Liverpool,replacing medieval building. Rock-faced stone with ashlar dressings; graduated Lakeland slate roof with ornamental purple tile cresting. West tower, 3-bay aisleless nave with south porch, chancel with south organ chamber and north vestry. Free late C13 style.

Chamfered plinths, moulded sill string. Tower has big diagonal stepped buttresses and south-east stair turret, semi-octagonal in upper stages. Boarded west double doors in moulded arch with jamb shafts, under 2-light window; smaller trefoil-headed windows on north and to stair. Moulded string and set-back below belfry with stepped lancets under truncated gables. 3-stage broach spire with symbols of evangelists as gargoyles at each corner of base, moulded strings and gabled lucarnes; wrought-iron finial cross. Porch has double-chamfered arch and spheric triangle window on each side; stone benches, Minton-tiled floor and scissor-braced roof. Nave has stepped buttresses and trefoil-headed lights, mostly paired, each with pierced trefoil above. Small trefoil window in east gable peak and 2 small gabled dormers with trefoil-headed windows and finials, on each roof slope. Organ chamber and chancel have similar windows. East end has diagonal buttresses and 3-light window . Head stops to hoodmoulds. Coped gables on moulded kneelers; finial crosses.

Interior: Plastered. Tower has double-chamfered arch to renewed west gallery. Moulded chancel arch on keeled responds; chamfered organ chamber arch. Carved stone pulpit. Tiled sanctuary with panelled stone and marble reredos. Nave roof with scissor-braced trusses on head corbels alternating with arch-braced collar-beam trusses; panelled-wagon roof to chancel.

Octagonal limestone font with shields, 2 with letters R and E (perhaps for Robert Ellerton, abbot of Egglestone 1476-95) and one with RK monogram probably for King Richard III (similar coeval font in Barnard Castle parish church). Incised slab to Thomas and Alice Blande c.1390 beneath altar; worn C14 female effigy to north. Six C13 cross slabs in porch, including priest's slab with chalice, book and blessing hand, also C17 slab with inscription running in spiral.

Listing NGR: NZ0474315936