Great Marlow: Holy Trinity
Overview
Grid reference: SU 848 869
The church is typical of many chapels of ease built in the mid-nineteenth century to relieve the parish churches of growing towns because they could no longer accommodate the poor on account of pew rents. This is indicated at Marlow by the definite statement on the only monument in the church that Colonel Higginson, who had been a generous contributor towards the cost of the church, and had laid the foundation stone, was buried in it rather than the parish church.
Visiting and facilities
Building is closed for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Four-bay nave with north aisle, west bell-turret and south porch; chancel of three bays with north organ chamber and vestry.
Description of Archaeology and History
By George Gilbert Scott, consecrated on 13th August 1852: the church cost £3,000.
Exterior Description
The walls are built of brick faced with flint, with Bath stone dressings; the roofs are covered with machine-made tiles. The south porch is built of timber.
The church is typical of many chapels of ease built in the mid-nineteenth century to relieve the parish churches of growing towns because they could no longer accommodate the poor on account of pew rents. This is indicated at Marlow by the definite statement on the only monument in the church that Colonel Higginson, who had been a generous contributor towards the cost of the church, and had laid the foundation stone, was buried in it rather than the parish church.
The style of the church is, typically of Scott, his favourite Middle Pointed with a simple overall plan to accomodate as many seats as possible without resorting to galleries and most of the detail confined to the Decorated window tracery, which is varied enough to give diversity to the several views of the church.
The various parts of the building stand in ordinary relationships to each other, the chancel a little lower than the nave, the south porch against the second bay from the west, and constructed with panels in the lower parts of the sides and open arcading above. Buttresses and at the corners of the nave (and also a low one under the west window) and, becoming more frequent divide, the three bays of the chancel. Between the latter is the priest's doorway, under a thickening of the wall rather than a porch which gives the effect of infilling between the buttresses; it is finished with a slope of stone worked exactly as the buttress offsets are fashioned, with lines as though in imitation of slates. The doorway has a cupsed head and carved faces at the label stops. All the windows have hood-moulds. The gables are crowned with foliated crosses.
The nave is in fact slightly longer than four bays, because of a small additional bay about six feet deep which is indicated by buttresses externally and an arch brace internally; this is to allow the bell-turret to stand west of the four bays of the nave proper. The turret is octagonal with piered wooden trefoiled arches in each face and a shingled cap.
An odd feature on the north wall of the north aisle is an verted chevron of stonework over the doorway; this is presumably explained by the lack of a north porch, for which the stonework would have formed the weathering. The vestry and organ chamber beyond the east end of the north aisle are in a slightly later style than the body of the church, with wider, less pointed, windows and rather more Perpendicular tracery.
Building Fabric and Features
Stained Glass
1867
The east window, of four lights, shows The Baptism of Christ and The Ascension alternately with two Old Testament scenes, one of which is Abraham and the Three Angels. In the tracery is The Saviour flanked by seraphim. The bright reds and blues are typical of Hardman, who made the window in 1867 at a cost of £300.
Stained Glass
c.1870
Chancel south wall, of two lights, showing Christ giving Peter the keys of the Kingdom.
Stained Glass
1867
Chancel south II, of two lights showing The Adoration of the Magi, by Clayton and Bell, 1867; predella panels below show two of the Acts of Charity.
Stained Glass
c.1890
The west window shows the Four Evangelists and the Four Latin Doctors.
Stained Glass
c.1921
The west window of the north aisle dates from c.1921 and shows Christ in Gethsemane, The Flagellation and Christ bearing the Cross.
Interior
Interior Description
The nave roof has big arch braces dividing each bay, with an additional brace of similar form under the bell-cote at the west end, more elaborately decorated with big cusping of a boldness uncharacteristic of the rest of the church. The north aisle roof is scissor-braced, with thin, closely spaced members. The arcade is carried on round piers and half-round responds with octagonal capitals. Against the first pier from the west stands the font, with a cover suspended on a counterweight from the roof.
The chancel arch is almost as wide as the chancel and is carried on half-octagonal shafts with half-octagonal bases and capitals. The outer moulding continues to the floor, and outside that again is a hood-mould with male and female heads as stops. The chancel windows are enriched by black marble shafts with foliated capitals and the walls are decorated. with painting, partly grisaille and partly of figures.
On the east wall is a vesica each side of the east window, each with a censing angel; the diaper background has been painted out here but survives on the north and south walls. The work was carried cut by Burlison and Grylls under Charles Buckeridge who adorned the church in 1867, fifteen years after it had been built.
Fixtures and fittings
Organ (object)
The organ is by August Gern, with two manuals with ten speaking stops and three couplers.
Lectern
The lectern is a small brass eagle.
Screen
The screen stands on a low stone wall and is of wrought iron with curlicues and gold leaves.
Pulpit
The pulpit is of stone, simply a front of two panels separated by a colonette with a foliated capital bearing the book- rest. The panels are decorated with IHS and a cross in pointed quatrefoils.
Rail
1909
The communion rails date from 1909, with brass uprights of stock design, but a tough brass hinge to the central part of the oak rail.
Reredos
1870
The reredos is the same width as the east window, of five arches constructed of Caen stone and painted with scrolls and so forth. The four flanking arches are filled with mosaics of angles bearing censers (by Salviati) and the central bay has a grey cross of Devonshire marble.
Screen
Iron screen between the north choirstalls and the organ, with a big central gable surmounted by a cross.
Screen
Screen in oak to the north aisle, the central turned shaft supporting two wide ogee arches.
Font (object)
The font is octagonal supported by an octagonal drum and eight dark greenish-brown marble colonettes.
Churchyard
Grid reference: SU 848 869
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | N/A |
| Solar Thermal Panels | N/A |
| Biomass | N/A |
| Wind Turbine | N/A |
| Air Source Heat Pump | N/A |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | N/A |
| Ev Charging | N/A |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
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