Church of The Holy Trinity

Church of The Holy Trinity, Malvern Link

A Gothic church built in 1850-51 by Samuel Dawkes of Cheltenham, with significant additions and alterations carried out in 1872 by George and Henry Haddon, and further work in 1896-7 and 1908-9 by William Henman.

The church is constructed of rubble stone with ashlar dressings and a plain tiled roof. It comprises a nave with north and south aisles, a chancel, a south-west porch, a north-east vestry and organ loft, and a north-east octagonal tower.

The exterior displays characteristic Gothic features. The south aisle has a lower ridge than the north. Both aisles are lit by paired lancets with cusped heads separated by offset buttresses. The clerestoreys contain alternating small trefoil lights at eaves level (of Dawkes' original design) and triple lancets set in gabled dormers with trefoils to their heads (later alterations by William Henman in 1896-7). The south-west porch is gabled with lateral buttresses and a hood mould. The gabled west end features a central door projecting beneath a gabled canopy with offset buttresses, which die back to a string course below twin lancets rising the full height of the wall and extending into the gable. The gable head contains a quatrefoil with crosses to the cusps, with a further quatrefoil at the apex. The south aisle has a two-light window with plate tracery; the north aisle has a three-light window with Decorated tracery. The projecting north vestry has three stepped lancets beneath a gable, with the hipped roof of the organ loft adjoining it. The square base of the tower dies via broaches to an octagonal upper body, with two-light openings at the top and a candle-snuffer tiled roof.

The interior contains five-bay arcades to each side of the nave, with small arches at the far west end. The arches have two chamfered reveals with a continuous hood mould. Carved angle corbels support wall posts which carry a relatively simple roof with arched braces and ties. The chancel features a three-light east window with Decorated tracery and stained glass by Charles Eamer Kempe of 1902. Two two-light windows open to the south side and one to the north, with a priest's door to the north. The organ projects into the chancel and north aisle, displaying stencilled pipes. The chancel walls and panelled ceiling are richly decorated with stencils depicting music-making angels, holy initials and instruments of the passion, executed by W. Forsyth in 1901. The reredos comprises a series of trefoil-headed panels decorated with mosaic images of saints. The pews, pulpit and stalls were all fitted by William Henman in 1908-9 and remain unaltered.

The main body of the church—nave, chancel, north and south aisles and vestry—was built in 1850-51 by Samuel Dawkes. A print in the church vestry shows the north aisle formerly had a north-western porch. This aisle was widened in 1872 by George and Henry Haddon. Further alterations in 1896-7 by William Henman added the north vestry and organ chamber, widened the chancel arch and introduced the gabled clerestory windows to the nave. In 1908-09 Henman renewed most interior fittings including pews, pulpit and stalls. The chancel was stencilled by W. Forsyth in 1901, and the east window by Kempe dates to 1902.