Church Of The Holy Trinity And St Mary

Church of the Holy Trinity and St Mary

A parish church built in 1907-8 by architect Arthur Bartlett for Reverend W G Whinfield. Constructed in pebble-dashed brick with ashlar dressings and plain tiled roofs finished with gable-end parapets, the building is designed in the Arts and Crafts style.

The church comprises a three-bay nave with a west baptistry, south transept with a terminating south tower (connected to the nave by an arcaded timber passageway forming a south courtyard), north organ chamber, three-bay chancel with a south chapel and north vestry.

The nave features a continuous chamfered plinth with gabled buttresses set back at the west corners. The west window is a 7-light opening with a 4-centred head and hoodmould, topped by a cusped niche containing a carved figure of The Good Shepherd on a sheep's head corbel. The north elevation has three pairs of cusped lancets, while the south elevation displays two pairs of cusped lancets and the main entrance with a pointed and moulded doorway. To the upper right of the doorway is a 2-light window with a cambered head. Two gabled louvred openings flank the roof ridge on either side.

The west baptistry projects beneath the west window, with a canted form and flat roof, featuring cusped lancets in each angle. The lead guttering is decorated with relief ornaments symbolising water, including a lily and fish.

The south tower comprises two stages with an intermediate band and chamfered plinth. The lower stage has a rose window on the south elevation, with a row of three cusped lancets above it on both the south and east elevations. The west elevation features a shallow lean-to housing the tower stairs, with a pointed doorway at the base and an outer pulpit facing the courtyard. A second, lower lean-to contains a large pointed doorway. The belfry stage has pairs of large cusped louvred bell-chamber openings on each face, with a large cross relief on the south side. Above is a moulded cornice and a saddleback roof with embattled parapets to the east and west.

The arcaded passageway connecting the tower features cambered-headed archways and chamfered posts on brick bases. The plain tiled roof has swept eaves and gables at the south-west corners; the south gable displays the Whinfield coat of arms and the north gable a carved relief panel of the Virgin and Child. The roof incorporates a sandstone tunnel vault with shallow ogee-headed archways at each end.

The north organ chamber is a single-storey structure with an attic and dentilled eaves cornice. It has windows on the ground floor and attic level, all of 2-light cavetto mullioned type, and a north-end doorway.

The chancel features set-back gabled buttresses with offsets at the east end. A stepped plinth band accommodates an east-end datestone inscribed "ADMS / July 25th 1907" (Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam). The tripartite east window has a central three-light opening flanked by two-light windows, all with 4-centred heads and hoodmoulds. A loophole is set in the apex. A small 3-light window with cambered head lies to the north-east, and a cusped lancet to the south-east.

The south chapel extends two bays with a separate gabled roof featuring an embattled south parapet. Set-back gabled pilaster buttresses are positioned at the south-east corner, with two large south pilaster buttresses. The chapel has a 3-light east window with hoodmould and a cusped lancet at the centre of the south elevation.

The north vestry adjoins the organ chamber as a single-storey structure with an attic and dentilled eaves cornice. It has a north-end doorway and an attic light, with a 3-light cavetto mullioned window on the east side.

The interior contains carving and decorative work by the Bromsgrove Guild. The nave roof comprises 4-centred diaphragm arches with square foliated relief panels decorating the intrados of each arch. The south chapel has a quadripartite vaulted roof, whilst barrel roofs are used elsewhere. Wall-plates feature carved relief panels, and a 4-centred arch to the organ chamber is decorated with putti heads. The rood beam is fitted with gilded relief panels and a richly decorated central cross. The organ balcony is carved with figures and musical instrument reliefs. A simple octagonal font of 18th-century origin is noted. The three-sided pulpit features figure corbels, marquetry and linenfold panelling.

The church represents one of the finest examples of its date in the county. Its plan form and tower exhibit an unusual and highly effective design, whilst the understated yet thorough attention to decorative detail throughout the interior is of particular interest.