Description

766/2/167 TRINITY ROAD
15-JUL-76 HOLY TRINITY CHURCH

II*
1861-2 by C E Giles of Taunton. Some furnishings introduced from 1891 by Charles Barker King.

MATERIALS: Constructed of sandstone rubble, tower roof shingled, the remainder of the church re-roofed in C20 pantiles.

PLAN: Five bay nave with north-west tower, north and south aisles with clerestorey, north and south transepts and lower two bay chancel.

EXTERIOR: The style is freely interpreted C13 style. The north-west tower is of four stages with lancet windows to the lower stages and a saddleback roof. This merges into an octagonal bell stage with arched openings with colonnettes and wooden louvres, surmounted by a shingled spire. There is a lower octagonal vice stair at the north-eastern corner and arched west door with paired colonnettes, drip-moulding and trefoil-headed entrance. The plank door has elaborate hinges. The tall west window of the nave has four lights with Geometrical tracery and is flanked by buttresses. The aisles have paired trefoil-headed windows with drip-moulding to the clerestorey and three-light trefoil headed windows with sexfoil above under drip-moulding with ballflower corbels. The north transept has a circular window above a lower gable with roundel with carving of the Lamb of God over an arched entrance with engaged colonnettes with drip-moulding ending in ballflower corbels. The plank door is similar to the west door. There are corner stepped buttresses. The north transept is plainer with paired two-light trefoil windows with sexfoil light above. The chancel east window has a large Geometrical window with sexfoil over cinquefoils above trefoil-headed lights. Attached to the east of the north transept is a flat-roofed C20 stone addition.

INTERIOR: The nave roof has ten bays of arch braces, alternate trusses supported on stone corbels, with two tiers of purlins. The arcade of five bays has pointed arches with drip-mould, supported on alternate circular and clustered columns. The aisle roofs are sloping with through purlins. There is a large pointed arched chancel arch. The chancel roof has four bays of arch braces, supported on elaborate floral corbels preserving the original decorative scheme, the trusses painted red and blue against a firmament of gold stars against a blue sky. The two bay south chancel arcade has deeply moulded arches and a central pier with a big square abacus supported by four marble shafts, each with a scrolled capital. It opens into the organ chamber. There is a double sedilia to the south wall of the chancel and stoup to the north wall.

PRINCIPAL FIXTURES: The nave has a small bowl-shaped marble font on marble colonnettes with wooden font cover in the form of a steeple. The octagonal stone pulpit has marble shafts at the angles on marble colonnettes. There is a relief figure on one side and panels with stem and leaf designs to the others. There is a fine wooden chancel screen with delicate open tracery of 1911 brought in by Charles Barker King. This consists of a wide cusped archway within a gable frame with rood rising from the apex. There is a stone base with circular panel patterns and iron gates. The chancel and sanctuary have patterned tiled floors. There are elaborate wrought iron sanctuary railings. The painted stone reredos brought in by Barker King in 1911 depicts Christ in Majesty flanked by saints. Prescription tablets are set into the north and south walls of the chancel. There are wooden pews and choir stalls, some with fleur-de-lys patterns to the bench ends. Stained glass of c.1862 by Clayton and Bell includes the east window with scenes related to the Apostles Creed and side windows to the aisles. The west window is of c.1900. Monuments include a wooden wall panel commemorating men of the parish killed in the First World War and one to the South Wight Boy Scouts who perished in the Second World War, a number of brass wall tablets and a memorial tablet to the benefactors of the church. The vestry has a moulded stone cornice, stone fireplace with pilasters and built-in cupboard and the choir vestry has built-in cupboards.

HISTORY: The church was erected at the expense of three sisters Agnes Percy, Ellen Thompson and Louisa Julia Percy. The foundation stone was laid on April 12 1860 and the consecration took place on August 2 1862. Charles Edward Giles of Taunton and London was predominantly a church architect. The tower of Holy Trinity Church has similarities with his All Saints, Kingweston, Somerset, of 1852-5.

SOURCES
Lloyd, D and Pevsner, N., The buildings of England: Isle of Wight (2006), 285.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION
Holy Trinity Church, Ventnor, is designated at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural Quality: it is a good quality large mid Victorian stone church with aisles, clerestory, transepts and an impressive north-west tower with spire by C E Giles of Taunton.
* Interior Interest: there is a complete interior of 1861-2, including painted roofs to chancel, stone pulpit, ornamental tiled floors and stained glass almost completely by the firm of Clayton and Bell. This is supplemented by further furnishings of 1911 including a fine chancel screen and stone painted reredos.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Holy Trinity Church, Ventnor at Wikipedia
• Holy Trinity Church, Ventnor official website
• Wikidata Q5886626

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.

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