Church of the Holy Trinity, Longlevens, Gloucestershire

Summary

Anglican church built in 1934 to the designs of Harold Stratton Davies, in a stripped-down C15 Gothic style.

Description

Anglican church, built in 1934 to the designs of Harold Stratton Davies, in a stripped-down C15 Gothic style.

MATERIALS: it is constructed of Coleford red brick laid in Flemish bond, with Guiting stone dressings. It has a Delabole slate roof and a copper-roofed fleche. The cast-iron rainwater heads are by Alfred Bucknell.

PLAN: orientated approximately west to east, it consists of a five-bay nave with a north and south arcade and aisle. To the east end is a two-bay chancel and canted sanctuary, with a chapel to the north, and an organ chamber and vestry rooms to the south. To the west end is a baptistery, flanked by south and north porches.

EXTERIOR: the west end of the nave is framed by offset buttresses and divided by a horizontal stone band, with the baptistery to the lower level and the west nave window above. The baptistery has a symmetrical window arrangement of a four-light, four-centred arched window with a single-light, four-centred arched window to either side. The west window is set within a slight projection with narrow offset buttresses and comprises a three-light Perpendicular-style window beneath a tri-partite louvered window with a triangular head. The west elevation of the flat-roofed north and south porches contain a rectangular, single-light window; the west end of both aisles is blind. At the right-hand end of the north elevation is the flat-roofed north porch. The porch has a stone, double-chamfered, arched doorway with a stone cross above the keystone, with its arms forming part of the stone capping to the roof. It has timber plank double-doors with decorative iron hinges. The five-bay north aisle has five, three-light Perpendicular-style windows with cusped heads. To the left-hand end of the aisle is an additional porch which has a moulded stone, flat-headed doorway, with a stone shield above, and a timber plank door with decorative iron door furniture. The two bays of the chapel, at the right-hand end of the north elevation, has two, two-centred brick arches with recessed brick panels, each containing a two-light, pointed-arch window with cusped heads and a trefoil above. The east elevation includes the tall, central bay of the sanctuary, with a three-light, pointed-arch east window. Beneath the east window is a stone Greek cross, and above is a moulded brick cross. The moulded brick cross is repeated above the east window of the north chapel, which is set-back to the right of the sanctuary. The set-back, single-storey vestry rooms to the left of the sanctuary have a gable to the right-hand bay with a three-light window beneath and a flat-roof to the left-hand bay with a round-headed doorway. The south elevation of the vestry has a flat-roof to the right-hand bay which has two, two-light windows beneath, and is gabled to the left-hand bay which has a three-light window. The south elevation of the south aisle and the south porch have the same treatment as the north aisle and porch.

INTERIOR: the nave is accessed through the internal north and south porch double-doors which are square-panelled with diamond-shaped, leaded windows to the upper section. In line with the porches, at the west end of the nave, is the baptistery which has arched recesses to the three windows. The nave has a barrel-vaulted roof supported on stone corbels and it has a parquet floor. The five-bay stone arcades have octagonal piers without capitals, and pointed, double-chamfered arches with a corresponding double-brick arch above. The aisle windows are set within splayed openings formed from brick jambs with a pointed, chamfered stone arch and a corresponding single-brick arch above. At the east end of the north aisle is a chamfered, four-centred arch, with chamfered pointed arch above, which leads to the north chapel. The lancet-style east window to the chapel is set within a recessed, pointed arch. The pointed, double-chamfered chancel arch has a corresponding double-brick arch above. To either side of the chancel are pairs of pointed, chamfered arches, with a corresponding single brick arch above, and a further pointed arch to the sanctuary. The arches to the south side of the chancel are open, whilst those to the north side house the organ and the door to the vestry rooms, with a two-light window above. The vestry rooms retain their plan, panelled doors with decorative iron work by Alfred Bucknell, and fitted furniture. The sanctuary has a brick arched recess to its east wall, with the aumbry to the north wall and the piscina to the south wall. It has a stone floor.

FIXTURES AND FITTINGS: tall, square font with chamfered corners, given by the freemasons of Gloucester; oak pulpit on a stone base; oak lectern; oak choir stalls; oak communion rail; pipe organ, brought to the church from a redundant church in Gloucester, and overhauled in 1988; panelling below the organ given in 1964; and original folding wooden chairs which are fixed to the floor and grouped in fives with 'wavy' backs. There are two war memorial plaques at the west end of the church.

STAINED GLASS: a good collection of stained glass windows using fragments of, mostly foreign, glass from the C15-C18 which were given to the church by the Rev’d Samuel Lysons. The glass was originally in the east window of the early-C19 Church of St Luke, Gloucester which was demolished in 1934, and were reset here by William Beck that same year. The west window has an assortment of C15 fragments; the two windows to the north side of the chapel contain C16-C18 German or Dutch panels and roundels; and the east window to the chapel is by Molly Meager, 1989.

History

Holy Trinity Church was consecrated on the 31 March 1934. The architect, Harold Stratton Davis, had been commissioned to design the church and his plans were adopted in 1932. The church replaced the corrugated iron mission church, built in 1898, and located approximately 115 metres to the north-west of the present church site. This temporary church was subsequently demolished in the 1960s.

The Gloucester-based architect Harold Stratton Davis, born in 1885, was articled to John Fletcher Trew of Gloucester, before setting up his own practice in 1913. He later went into partnership with Charles William Yates and the practice was renamed Stratton Davis & Yates.

Reasons for Listing

Holy Trinity Church, designed by Harold Stratton Davis and completed in 1934, is listed at Grade II, for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural interest: the exterior is a pleasing rendition of a stripped-back C15 Perpendicular Gothic style, constructed of local materials;
* Interior: is notable for its largely unaltered, light and expansive 1930s decorative scheme;
* Intactness: the church has been almost entirely unaltered since its completion;
* Fittings: mostly designed by the architect, they are not only of high quality in design and execution, but also form a remarkably complete suite of contemporary fittings.

External Links

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.