Church of Holy Trinity

Details

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 22 December 2022 to amend the description to include details regarding The chancel screen and pulpit

771/44/1483

WESTERHAM
CROCKHAM HILL
CROCKHAM HILL
CHURCH OF HOLY TRINITY

10-SEP-54

II

1842, architect unknown.

MATERIALS: Tooled local sandstone ashlar from Limpsfield, Chiddingston and Crockham Hill. Clay tiled roofs.

PLAN: Nave, lower chancel, South porch, West tower, room North of nave (modern), North West vestry.

EXTERIOR: This is an archaeologically faithful, though rather severe Gothic Revival church. Perpendicular motifs are used in the nave and tower, Decorated ones in the chancel. The tower is of three stages, the ground stage having a square-headed window in its West face and diagonal buttresses. The belfry windows are of two lights and each has a transom. The tower is capped by an embattled parapet. In the nave the fenestration consists of two-light square-headed windows. The treatment is different for the chancel where the side windows (one North, two South) are pointed and have simple reticulated two-light forms; in the E wall there is a three-light flowing tracery window. A notable and rather curious feature are the numbers of grimacing heads forming head-stops to the window hoods.

INTERIOR: The interior is plastered and whitened and consists of a two-cell structure of nave and chancel, linked by a tall chancel arch. The dominating feature is the nave roof which is of hammerbeam design with long hammer beams and arch braces to a collar which carries a crown post and curved struts. In the spandrels over the hammer beams are tear-shaped infill pieces. The chancel roof is of similar construction. The floor of the choir consists of alternating bands of off-white and green wavy-patterned marble. The floor of the sanctuary is laid with patterned tiling.

PRINCIPAL FIXTURES: At the East end is a reredos with three Decorated arches set behind a stone altar with three panels of quatrefoil decoration. The arches and altar no doubt date to 1842 but the rich mosaic filling of the arches probably dates from a generation later. Either side of the reredos the walls have a pair of tall Decorated arches which form frames for the Creed, Lord's Prayer and Ten Commandments. In the North East corner is a tomb-chest to Octavia Hill (1838-1912) on top of which is her effigy, wearing a shawl; 'not particularly well carved but heartfelt', says Newman; carved by Dora Abbott. She lived in the village and is buried at the church with her sister Miranda. In front of the chancel is a large screen installed as a First World War memorial; it is of unusual design and is an odd blending of Arts and Crafts with C17 touches. It is combined with a pulpit to the North. The chancel screen and pulpit are part of a scheme designed by Walter Knight Shirley, 11th Earl Ferrers, and carried out by Ernest Gimson with assistance from carver George Jack. The solid oak nave seats are of square-headed form of a kind often used in Victorian seating schemes and whose design derived from medieval precedents. The font is a conventional octagonal piece with quatrefoils in the sunk panels of the bowl. Over the North door is a large high-relief royal arms. A particularly striking feature is the Victorian cast-iron radiators at the West end, signed J Weeks and Co, Chelsea; the horizontal piping is mounted between ends with Gothic detail. Among the stained glass is a window of 1995 to Octavia Hill by Chapel Studios of King's Langley, Hertfordshire.

HISTORY: The lack of a place of Anglican worship at Crockham Hill led Charles Warde of Squerryes Court, Westerham, to remedy the deficiency. His funding of the church building was augmented by his sister Mrs E Mildmay who provided the endowment. Holy Trinity became a separate parish in 1845. Unfortunately it is not know who designed the church although the name of the builder is known. This was a Mr Horseman who built the church with his son and lived at 2 Church Gates where the stone was cut.

SOURCES:
John Newman, The Buildings of England: West Kent and the Weald, 1969, p 242.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION:
Holy Trinity church, Westerham is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* It is a good example of early Victorian church building which carefully follows medieval architectural precedent.
* It contains a number of fixtures of historic interest.
* It is associated with the philanthropist and social reformer, Octavia Hill, and contains two memorials to her.


This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 27 October 2017.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

448467

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Websites
War Memorials Register, accessed 27 October 2017 from http://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/54509
War Memorials Online, accessed 27 October 2017 from https://www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/71087

End of official list entry

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