Diameter: 28" Bell 1 of 1
Founded by Thomas II Mears 1841
Dove Bell ID: 61349 Tower ID: 24251 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Tunstead: Holy Trinity
Overview
Grid reference: SD 852 217
A Victorian neo-Romanesque and Gothic stone church with a short west spire, set directly on the main road from Rawtenstall to Bacup at the base of a steep slope. The church is designed in a neo-Norman style, except the 1873 chancel and transept which are in the Decorated Gothic style. It was built 1840-41, with chancel and transept added c 1873. There seems to be no record of the architects involved.
Visiting and facilities
Building is open for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Broad 5-bay nave, west tower with stair block to gallery and small spire, 3-bay chancel with large 2-bay south transept, north organ chamber/vestry.
Dimensions:
Nave c 20m (70 ft) x 13m (45ft)
Footprint of Church buildings: 516 m²
Description of Archaeology and History
Built 1840-41, with chancel and transept added c 1873. There seems to be no record of the architects involved. The furnishings and fittings appear to mostly date to a refurbishment in 1878-87, and the main patrons were the Munn family of Heath Hill (they built Stacksteads Mill in 1833). Some work was done in the chancel in 1929. In recent years the south transept and the narthex under the west gallery have been converted to provide modern facilities. A toilet block has been added to the vestry on the north side.
Exterior Description
The church is designed in a neo-Norman style, except the 1873 chancel and transept which are in the Decorated Gothic style. The two parts of the building are not completely incompatible, although the massing and silhouette is a little jerky, the south transept perhaps unduly prominent and its corner pinnacles challenging the small west spire for attention.
The west tower is slender, of three stages with pilasters and gablets to the second stage, which carries an octagonal belfry finished with a small spire with lucarnes and cross finial. It has a moulded recessed round-headed west doorway of several orders with a blind arcade of arches above, and a round-headed west window containing 2 round-headed lights, with single blocked lancets to the other faces. There are clock faces in the west and south gablets, and tall round-headed louvred openings in the cardinal sides of the belfry.
The matching nave is very plain and modest, with pilaster strips and tall chamfered round-headed lancets to each bay and one in the walls each side of the tower, that on the north side within a block containing the gallery stairs. There is a blocked round-headed doorway under the window on the south side. The roof is very shallowly pitched.
By contrast, the south transept off the chancel attracts the eye, being perhaps the dominant feature of the building. It has a steep roof and angle buttresses finished as large pinnacles, there is also a cross finial and small lead fleche with domed cap in the middle. The south face is pierced by two 3-light 2-centred arched windows with Decorated tracery and hoodmoulds, round foiled window above in the gable. Tall pointed 2-lights to the east wall, another in the south bay of the west wall which bites into the cat-slide roof; this continues over a small porch with pointed doorway under a hoodmould in the north bay.
The chancel is the same height as the nave, and higher than the transept, its roof just visible over the latter. It has a large 5-light traceried east window with a transom. A moulded stone chimney stack rises from the vestry. The north side is blind to the organ chamber bay and then there is a small toilet block under a lean-to roof. This side of the church is hard up against a sloping cobbled path heading east up the hill.
Building Fabric and Features
Stained Glass
19th Century
Chancel east window has three tiers of scenes from the Crucifixion and Resurrection, angels in the upper lights hold the Instruments of the Passion. Angels in the lower tier hold the text Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here (Mark 16:6). Given in memory of Betty Ashworth, died 1867. Perhaps by Alexander Gibbs.
Stained Glass
19th Century
South transept, windows donated by the Howarth family:
- North window, east wall: The Presentation in the temple. I was hungry and ye gave me meat, I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink, Matthew 25:35. To the memory of an affectionate sister. Apparently a pair with the following, though the handling differs:
- South window, east wall: I was a stranger and ye took me, Matthew 25:35, erected by Edward Howarth, churchwarden in 1875. This window by the same artist as the east window.
- South wall, north window: Three female figures embody Faithfulness, Gentleness, Love, given in memory of Rachel Haworth, died 1883.
- South window, of a pair with the above, Faith, Charity and Hope, given 1888 by the Revd Haworth. Signed Alfred O Hemming.
Stained Glass
20th Century
Nave south wall, from east:
- Light of the World, very faded and poor. In memory of William and Margaret Alice Mitchell, both died 1914, donated by their daughter.
- The Good Shepherd, children below, given in memory of Robert Pilling, died 1954. Signed by Shrigley & Hunt.
Interior
Interior Description
The walls are whitewashed, with a yellow panelled ceiling to the broad, simple vessel of a nave. Looking first west, there is a west gallery with interlaced arcade front panelling. The gallery above and nave are fully pewed with dark-stained benches with moulded ends. Red carpet down the aisle, encaustic tiles exposed at the east end.
Looking east, the large rounded chancel arch with shafts and hoodmould suggests that there was an earlier chancel. There are round-headed arches flanking this, that to the north displaying the organ pipes, to the south giving access to the south transept, now with a glazed screen with door. The late Victorian chancel is open to these through 2-bay arcades with columns and semi-octagonal responds, which have foliated capitals and shaft-rings. The chancel roof has arch-braced hammerbeam trusses. Within the south transept is a converted parish room with kitchen and toilets, the ceilings and walls of which cut across some of the stained glass windows.
Three steps to the chancel, which has High Victorian furnishings and fittings, with a stone pulpit and huge coved organ case on the north side, high-backed choir stalls with open tracery fronts, a plaster reredos, traceried oak altar and communion rails and encaustic tiled floors, the latter rather spoiled, again, by the ubiquitious red carpet, though the sanctuary is free of this. Lozenge in the tiles in sanctuary floor in memory of Robert Munn JP of Heath Hill, died 1879. The vestry is contained by an open tracery dark-stained screen and curtains in the north-east corner.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
1887
Oak chest altar with Gothic tracery panels.
Reredos
1887
Plaster reredos, tripartite with gables and agnus dei in central niche, Gothic architectural frame with shafts and columns, texts and carvings relating to Eucharist.
Pulpit
Cylindrical pulpit of white stone with polished shafts, sculptured panels (Faith, Hope, Charity). Given in memory of Margaret Munn, died 1875.
Lectern
1887
Oak eagle with gableted base
Font (object)
Wooden font, on loan from Pennington church, Lee.
Organ (object)
1893
Two manual organ by Wordsworth & Co of Leeds given in 1893 in memory of Robert Whittaker, not in working order.
Rail
Light-stained oak, solid panels with tracery, a World War II memorial.
Bells
Churchyard
Grid reference: SD 852 217
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 | No |
| Solar Thermal Panels | No |
| Biomass | No |
| Wind Turbine | No |
| Air Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ev Charging | No |
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
Quinquennial Inspections
Submit a change
If you notice something incorrect or missing, please explain it in the form below and submit it to our team for review.