Description

696/1/20 CHURCH STREET
25-JAN-1951 (West side)
HOLY TRINITY CHURCH

II

Church, 1848 by Benjamin Ferrey with additions of 1891 by W.T. Lowdell.

PLAN: On an open corner site, it comprises chancel, nave with triple west bellcote, north and south aisles (the latter with apse-like baptistery to west end), north porch, north chapel, south-east vestry and north-west baptistery.

MATERIALS: Of flint with stone detailing (windows, quoins, plinth) and with a red tile roof.

EXTERIOR: The west end is triple-gabled, with the nave standing slightly higher than the north and south aisles. Flint with ashlar dressings projection to nave end supporting triple ashlar bellcote above and with west door beneath. Semi-circular baptistery to end of north aisle; west window to south aisle with geometrical tracery. Four-bay, buttressed, north aisle with three two-light windows and north porch in easternmost bay. Chancel, slightly lower than nave, with set-back buttresses. Chapel to north, vestry to south, both in flint with stone detailing. South aisle similar to north. Windows have tracery in Geometric and other high medieval styles.

INTERIOR: Light and spacious, with simple raftered roof with principals set on corbels. Arcades with moulded piers and matching chancel arch. Wooden chancel screen and (at SE corner of nave) wooden pulpit on stone base. Wooden screens to east ends of aisles. Sedilia to south wall of chancel. Benches removed from nave and aisles.

HISTORY: The church was built in 1848 to a design by Benjamin Ferrey and at a cost of £2,000. It was originally a daughter church to Rotherfield Greys, but gained parochial independence in 1849. Enlargement in 1891 was to cater for Henley's growing population. The interior was re-ordered in 1987 and the nave and aisles are now a single open space. The vestry, baptistery and aisles were added in 1891 by W.T. Lowdell.

SUMMARY OF IMPORTANCE: Although of two distinct phases separated by over 40 years the church is an homogenous and striking composition, principally drawn together by the use of flint as the main facing material. The detailing, especially the stonework of the windows, is well handled, and externally there have been few, if any, alterations since the late C19. Although the interior has been opened up the interior is otherwise little changed, and again shows a consistency and confidence in the handling of the medieval detailing.

SOURCES: J. Sherwood and N. Pevsner, Buildings of England: Oxfordshire (1974), 637

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26299154

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The green guide for historic buildings: how to improve the environmental performance of listed and historic buildings
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6