Holy Trinity Church

Holy Trinity Church with Chapel of St Michael

This is a parish church of considerable historical importance, with 13th and 14th century remains at the east end, parts of which probably date to 1390 when an endowment was made for the chantry chapel of St Michael. The bulk of the building dates to the 15th century, with the tower constructed between 1478 and 1487, as indicated by the coat of arms of Bishop Courtenay. The church was extensively restored by G E Street in 1872, who designed the reredos and pulpit.

The building is constructed from granite ashlar on a plinth to the south aisle, Pentewan stone ashlar above and to the porch, and local rubble elsewhere. The tower combines Pentewan stone and Carn Grey granite. Roofs are slate with coped gable ends. All external parapets are embattled.

The plan comprises a 13th century south aisle chapel, 14th century chancel and north aisle chapel, 15th century nave with north and south aisles, a two-storey south porch, west tower, and late 19th century north vestries occupying transepts at the east end.

The earliest architectural features are 13th century windows of the chapel east of the south aisle: three windows with paired trefoil-headed lancets plus quatrefoil tracery on the south wall and a three-light window with trefoil tracery at the east end. The chancel window is probably 14th century with quatrefoil tracery, as is the east window of the north chapel, which has intersecting tracery.

The tower is outstanding. It is three-staged with buttresses offset from the corners, strings dividing the stages, and a parapet string pierced by carved gargoyles. Corbels carry octagonal corners to the upper stage rising to crocketted pinnacles. Niches with carved figures appear on each side of the second stage: four apostles on each side except the west, which has a pyramid arrangement of six figures with the top three representing the Trinity and the Annunciation, and the risen Christ between two saints below. A 16th century clock face is positioned above the niches on the south side. The upper stage has blind three-light windows and carved enrichment to some ashlar courses. The lower stage has a five-light traceried window with hoodmoulds and a two-centred arched doorway with square hoodmould and carved spandrels.

The north and south aisles have four-light traceried windows. The south aisle has an ashlar rood stair turret on the right with a slate sundial. The porch has offset corner buttresses and moulded strings, with carved detail at the centre of the parapet. It is lit by a two-light moulded first-floor window over a two-centred nearly round-arched doorway with an inner open ogee arch.

Interior walls are partly plastered with exposed stone rear arches and arcade arches; the entire north aisle is skinned. The church has two arcade sections: 13 bays at the east end with Catecleuse stone arcades of pointed arches, comprising a round pier to the south side and octagonal pier to the north side; the remaining 15 arcades are Pentewan stone with nearly round arches and standard A piers. The nave and aisles have 15th century moulded waggon roofs with carved wallplates and carved and painted bosses and plastered panels. The east end has arched-braced roofs, painted except for the north roof.

The font is Norman elvan of Bodmin type, decorated with faces at the corners and trees of life and dragon motifs. A Norman pillar piscina survives. A few 15th century carved bench ends remain, with later pews of 19th century pitch-pine and panelled work. Original 15th century rood screen fragments survive. The reredos and pulpit are by Street: the reredos is alabaster, marble and tile, and the pulpit is round alabaster with biblical scenes. Late 19th or early 20th century parclose screens are also present.

Monuments include a free-standing black urn on a square base to Joseph Sawle, who died in 1769, by Isbell, and a marble wall obelisk to John Graves Esq., Rear Admiral R.N. Late 19th or early 20th century memorial glass is in the north aisle.

This church is notable for the unusually significant survival of 13th and 14th century fabric, and its tower is among the finest in Cornwall.