Church Of Holy Trinity And All Saints

Church of Holy Trinity and All Saints, Winterton, Black Street

This is a parish church of considerable architectural importance, combining elements from the 13th century through to the 19th century restoration.

The church's origins date to the 13th century, when the north chancel chapel was built. The remainder of the nave and chancel, along with the lower stages of the tower, date to the 14th century. In 1387, work commenced on raising the tower, a project completed in the mid-15th century. The nave was remodelled in the 15th century, at which time the aisles were probably removed.

The building is constructed of cut flint with ashlar dressings and plain tile roofs. The church underwent complete restoration in 1877–78 by H. J. Green, the Diocesan architect, with the tower separately restored in 1883.

The tower is a striking seven-stage structure, internally comprising four stages. It has a high plinth decorated with chequered flushwork, and a base featuring arcaded cinquefoil flushwork. Angle buttresses rise to the upper belfry, where they change to diagonal buttresses that terminate in corner pinnacles. The west face displays a three-light 19th-century Perpendicular window. Square traceried ventilation panels serve the ringing chamber. The fourth stage contains the original belfry, pierced by two-light cusped windows carrying a reticulation unit. Above this are three-light Perpendicular louvred windows to the upper belfry. The parapet is crenellated with traceried crenellations, and two subsidiary pinnacles flank each side, fashioned in the form of a man and a beast.

The 15th-century south porch is a noteworthy feature, bearing the arms of Sir John Fastolfe (died 1459). It has diagonal buttresses and a traceried base below a frieze of rosettes. Damaged cusped ogee statuary niches flank the moulded entrance arch, which itself bears rosettes in the jambs and foliage in the spandrels. An inscription frieze above reads "in honour of the Holy Trinity and All Saints." Two further ogeed and canopied statuary niches flank a wall sundial. The porch is topped by a crenellated parapet with finials, which obscures the gabled roof.

The nave and chancel both have crenellated parapets. The nave is supported on stepped buttresses, diagonal to the east. All windows in these areas are 19th-century work in the three-light Perpendicular style, with one exception: a 14th-century window with flowing tracery survives on the north nave at the east end. Two three-light 19th-century Perpendicular windows light the south chancel, accompanied by an arched priests' door. The east end is flanked by angle buttresses and pierced by a five-light 19th-century east window. Two 15th-century Perpendicular windows remain to the north chancel, one of which was blocked when an organ was inserted in 1894.

Against the north chancel wall leans the 13th-century chapel, distinguished by two ashlar trefoiled lancet windows to the north and one each to the east and west ends. The eaves were later rebuilt in brick.

The interior reveals significant craftsmanship across periods. The tower arch is multiply moulded with semi-circular responds, moulded bases, and polygonal capitals. To left and right stand square internal stair towers, the southern example retaining a blocked door.

The nave displays an excellent roof of 1878, designed by H. J. Green. This features alternating false hammerbeams and crenellated tie beams, upon which stand octagonal crown posts rising to crenellated collars. From the wall plate, exuberant cinquefoiled pierced braces sweep upward to meet the collars. An octagonal 19th-century font with domed cover occupies the floor; the bowl panels are decorated with quatrefoils and rosettes.

The north-east chapel contains a rectangular aumbry, whilst the south-east chapel features a trefoiled piscina. The chancel screen, constructed in 1899, displays cusped ogee decoration and notably lacks muntins dividing the bays.

The chancel roof is 19th-century arch-braced work with pierced arches, crenellated collars, and arched wind-bracing. The chancel arch features polygonal responds and sunk quadrants. In the south chancel wall stands a cinquefoiled cusped piscina with responds of demi-columns, polygonal capitals, and moulded bases. The lancets in the north chancel chapel are deeply splayed on their interior faces.