Dorchester: Holy Trinity
Overview
Grid reference: SY 691 907
By Benjamin Ferrey, 1875-6 (this is recorded on a brass plate in the pulpit). Like All Saints, the mediaeval church on this site was destroyed in the fire of 1613 and replaced soon after. The present Holy Trinity is a third rebuilding succeeding one by Charles Wallis of 1824.
Visiting and facilities
Building is closed for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Four-bay nave with north aisle, the south aisle only overlapping the two eastern bays. Chancel with organ chamber on the north and the south aisle of the nave continuing on the south to form a chapel.
Description of Archaeology and History
By Benjamin Ferrey, 1875-6 (this is recorded on a brass plate in the pulpit). Like All Saints, the mediaeval church on this site was destroyed in the fire of 1613 and replaced soon after. The present Holy Trinity is a third rebuilding succeeding one by Charles Wallis of 1824.
Exterior Description
Some character is provided by the street front (that is, the south wall of the church) where the main feature is the south aisle which, instead of reaching the west wall of the nave as might be expected, starts halfway along the nave and then continues to flank the chancel, thus forming a chapel. The different parts are distinguished externally by a buttress, and each has a pair of two-light windows with Decorated tracery, those in the chapel part being more closely spaced than in the aisle. There is a door at the west end of the aisle and above it a roundel containing three smaller roundels. The aisle stands on a moulded plinth which also continues round the nave.
The west wall faces a narrow alley which connects the High Street with a lane behind the houses. The main entrance to the church is here, in a gabled feature which projects slightly from the wall and cuts into the lower sill of the west window above. The window is of four lights arranged in pairs with geometrical Decorated tracery in the head. The bell hangs in a gabled stone turret at the point of the gable.
On the north side of the church there is a small open space from which the asymmetrical nature of the building may be further seen for, whereas the street front is chiefly composed of the high wall of the aisle, here the roof is not gabled but abuts onto the nave so high that it does not allow for a clerestory and then sweeps down almost to the ground, leaving room only for some low windows in the aisle wall. It is a strange discovery that two sides of a building which was built as an entity should display such totally different characteristics.
Building Fabric and Features
Stained Glass
By Kempe. The east window of a single light is perhaps the least sympathetic from an artistic point of view. It shows Our Lord holding a small child in his arms.
Stained Glass
By Kempe. The southeast window is of two main lights, with St. Gabriel and St. Michael - richly bedizened, as is customary from Kempe and Tower at this period.
Stained Glass
By Kempe. The third window is a pair of the second and depicts St. Uriel and St. Raphael, also in full Archangilic splendour. Remarkable in all the windows is the diapering below the figures of six big red-petalled flowers set in blue diamond shapes enclosing a background of bold foliage.
Interior
Interior Description
The interior of the church naturally reflects the asymmetry of the outside, especially in the dimensions of the aisles, the south aisle beginning some distance from the west end and being tall and narrow while the north aisle is of an equal length with the nave and much wider than its counterpart, as well as having a roof which comes very low. The church is dark, the largest window at the west being close to other buildings and the tall two-light windows of the south aisle and chapel all being filled with fairly dark-toned stained glass.
The first striking feature of the church is the gilded and painted reredos which is set high on the east wall - obstructing, indeed, the lower half of the east window. The other flashes of colour which stand out from the painted and panelled walls are the windows in the south aisle, filled with glass of a richness characteristic of Kempe. The nave arcades are carried on round and octagonal piers with simply chamfered arches, the walls panelled up to a high dado and the roof of a broad arch-braced construction.
The chancel roof appears a little lower than the nave inside, although externally they are equal in height. This is the result of the timber construction being hidden behihd panels. These are divided by moulded struts with gilded bosses at the intersections. The panels are arranged in three rows each side which become progressively wider from the wall-head to the ridge strut. The chancel arch which is richly moulded is of two main orders, the inner of which is carried on small colonettes of polished black marble standing on corbels enriched with foliated carving. The panelling which covers the lower part of the east wall up to the level of the window sill is painted and gilded.
Fixtures and fittings
Reredos
The reredos is the most distinguished furnishing in the church. In the manner of late mediaeval German and central European altarpieces it is exceedingly tall and is a flattened triptych. The panels are in low relief, the figures polychrome and gilded.
Rail
The Communion Rails are of wrought iron painted black with a brass top-rail and rosettes at intervals.
Organ (object)
The organ is by Bishop and Son and was put in in 1971.
Reredos
c. 1910
The Reredos of the south chael is of about 1910.
Pulpit
1897
The Pulpit on the right of the chancel steps is of alabaster, very rich and semi-transparent. A panel of white stone in the front has an angel flying, with the text 'The Everlasting Gospel'.
Font (object)
1900
The Font stands at the west end of the church by the door, and is commemorated on a brass plate as being a gift made in 1900. The baptistery area is set apart as a separate enclosure within a tall iron railing surmounted by a brass rail.
Panelling
The panelling on the west wall is a memorial to the six hundredth Anniversary of the parish and in memory of the Revd. John White, d. 1902.
Lectern
The Lectern is a brass eagle of standard design presented in memory of an incumbent who died in 1876, the year in which the church was built.
Stall
The choir stalls have linenfold panels on the fronts and the clergy stalls on each side have a pair of magnificently carved angels with scrolls.
Churchyard
Grid reference: SY 691 907
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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