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Holy Trinity Church, Christchurch

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NPRN302530
Map ReferenceST38NW
Grid ReferenceST3467089360
Unitary (Local) AuthorityNewport
Old CountyMonmouthshire
CommunityCaerleon
Type Of SiteCHURCH
PeriodPost Medieval
Description
The church in origin appears to be Norman, with the south door surviving from the C12, although it may be reset, while the chancel is Early English, of which part of the walls and the base of the east window survive. The base of the tower is also Early English/C13, but the external walling of the church is mostly of the late medieval Perpendicular period, as is the top of the tower, and it was this building which was given a, probably fairly thorough, restoration by J P Seddon in 1864. The church then suffered a serious fire in 1877 which led to immediate repairs and then another restoration in 1881, probably also by Seddon who remained the Diocesan architect. The church was again burnt in 1949 when everything was destroyed except the walls, the tower and the south porch; and it was again restored 1949-55 by G G Pace, leaving the exterior much as it was before, but the interior entirely new and with all the roofs reconstructed except that of the south porch.

The church is mainly built in local fine-grained red sandstone rubble of a rather purplish colour, though fine grained grey limestone is also used, especially in the west wall of the nave and the tower, which are clearly of different construction from the rest of the building, red tiled roofs. The upper part of most of the walls and around the windows were rebuilt after the 1949 fire in rock faced blocks of distinctive bright red sandstone laid in snecked courses. This masonry was also used for the slight eastward extension of the north porch/vestry and was presumably made deliberately distinctive. The dressings are mainly in Bath limestone and these date from the Victorian restoration, surviving medieval ones are in sandstone and conglomerate.
The church consists of nave, separate non-aligned chancel which is wider than the nave, nave aisles and chancel aisles (chapels) on both north and south sides (now the boiler room), a massive tower at the west end of the south aisle with no external turret, north (now clergy vestry) and south porches, and a rood stair to the north of the north aisle.

(Source: Cadw Listings database) S Garfi 12/9/06