Church Of The Holy Trinity

867/1/1 CHURCH HILL 03-MAY-49 SALCOMBE CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY

II* Buttressed Church of 1843 by J H Ball of Plymouth with east end rebuilding by J D Sedding in 1889 (identified by the dated rainwater goods). The church is of stone rubble with freestone dressings and slate roofs; nave and aisle roofs with crested ridge tiles. It is sited high above the road with stepped coped churchyard walls. The church has a four-bay aisled nave with tall gabled aisles and three-stage west tower in lancet style; the chancel, north chancel chapel and vestries are in developed Gothic Revival style including Geometric Decorated tracery to the east windows. There is a good west tower with moulded west doorway, angle buttresses, lancet windows, plain corbelled parapet, moulded frames for clock faces and a carved 1843 date plaque. The aisles are buttressed with corbelled parapet and lancet windows. Sedding's east end has a wide, high-set Geometric Decorated east window; the vestry block is in a domestic Gothic style.

The arcades have slender granite columns with engaged shafts and richly-moulded arches. The nave roof is in a hammerbeam style of slender scantling. The aisle roofs are similar, but more elaborate with brattishing and open arcaded decoration. The c.1843 fittings include an elaborately carved wooden pulpit on a carved stem with Gothick balustrade to the pulpit stair; a tall crocketted font cover to an octagonal stone font with quatrefoils on the stem with shafts. The nave seating of open-backed benches with shaped ends is also probably of 1843. The Sedding work includes a moulded pointed chancel arch, dying into the responds; canted boarded roofs; slender shafts to the window jambs; painted panels to the altar, good quality choir stalls with poppyheads and vine-carved ends; a low stone coped chancel screen with pretty wrought iron railings above and a very notable pair of Arts and Crafts beaten bronze doors with enamelled crosses. There is good Victorian stained glass in the east windows.

The 1843 church by J H Ball of Plymouth has an unusually successful tower, elegant arcades and good contemporary pulpit and font cover. The historic interest of this work is supported by the outstanding high quality of design and craftsmanship of the east end additions of 1889 by J D Sedding, including very fine choir stalls, and an exceptional chancel screen with Arts and Crafts beaten bronze and enamelled doors.