Church Of Holy Trinity

Church of the Holy Trinity

A parish church at Gedney Hill, dating from the late 14th century with mid-15th-century additions, and substantially rebuilt in 1875 by James Fowler. The building is constructed of limestone rubble with limestone ashlar dressings, some red brick and some render. The roofs are slate and lead with decorative red ridge tiles, stone coped gables and cross finials.

The church comprises a west tower, nave with north and south aisles and north and south porches, chancel with south vestry, and is distinguished by a tall octagonal south chimney and tall rectangular north chimney.

The late 14th-century west tower was remodelled in the 15th century and is four stages high, with a moulded plinth and four-stage angle buttresses featuring ornate gablets at the second stage. The north-east buttress contains a stair turret with two slit lights. The west window is triangular-headed with three triangular-headed lights, hood mould and grotesque head label stops. Above this is an ornate ogee-headed niche with finial. Slit windows appear on the west and south sides, the latter with hood mould. A clock is positioned above on the west side. The battered bell stage has pointed-headed bell openings on all four sides, each with two semi-circular-headed cusped lights, castellated transom and hood mould. The tower is topped with brick battlements.

The remainder of the church was rebuilt in 1875 with a plinth and regularly placed two-stage buttresses. The north aisle has a shallow pointed west window with two pointed cusped lights and hood mould. The north side features a single window to the right of the porch and three windows to the left; all windows are rectangular with three ogee-headed cusped lights and hood mould. The rectangular north porch has a stepped gable with cross finial, a cusped slit light in the west return, and a four-centred doorway with foliate spandrels, rectangular hood mould and plank door, with a shield above. The porch interior contains a rectangular doorway with hood mould and plank door.

The north side of the chancel has a segmental-headed window with three pointed cusped lights and hood mould. The east end features a large pointed window with three pointed cusped lights, perpendicular tracery, hood mould and sill band. The south aisle east end is plain. The south side has a rectangular window to the right with two ogee-headed cusped lights and hood mould. A priest's doorway to the left has a four-centred head, continuously moulded surround and plank door. Three windows to the left each have a segmental head with three pointed cusped lights and hood mould. A timber-framed gabled porch to the left has paired lancets in return walls and a four-centred doorway with a pair of partially glazed doors. Another segmental-headed window to the left has three pointed cusped lights and hood mould. The west end of the south aisle has a pointed head with two pointed cusped lights and hood mould.

The interior features a late 14th-century tower arch with pointed head and inner roll-moulded order supported by semi-circular responds with castellated capitals, and two outer continuously moulded orders. The tower interior contains a north-east doorway with four-centred head, continuously moulded surround, hood mould, ornate label stops and plank door. Nineteenth-century timber arcades are supported on tall stone plinths, four of which are medieval. Curved braces support tiebeams, four of which are reused 15th-century timbers. There is no chancel arch; the chancel is defined by a 19th-century screen. The south chancel wall features a reset 15th-century window above a vestry doorway. The window has a segmental head with three pointed cusped lights; the doorway has a four-centred head, continuously chamfered surround and plank door. A pointed 19th-century aumbry with cusped head and hood mould is present, along with a 19th-century octagonal font.

Monuments include a grey and white marble monument with swags and urn to John Perkins (died 1855), a white and grey streaked marble monument to Jacob Decamps (died 1770), and a white marble monument with flaming heart, palms and urns to Mary Kingston (died 1815). Several 18th and 19th-century gravestones are also present.