Church of the Holy Trinity and St Mary

Details

SO 97 SW DODFORD WITH GRAFTON CP PRIORY ROAD (east side) Dodford

9/98 Church of the Holy Trinity and St Mary

II*

Parish church. 1907-8 by Arthur Bartlett for the Rev W G Whinfield. Pebble- dashed brick with ashlar dressings; plain tiled roofs with gable-end parapets. Three-bay nave with west baptistry, south transept terminating in south tower (and connected to nave by arcaded timber passageway forming south courtyard) and north organ chamber; three-bay chancel with south chapel and north vestry. Arts and Crafts style. Nave: continuous chamfered plinth; gabled buttresses with offsets at bay divisions, set back at west corners; 7-light west window with 4-centred head and hoodmould; above in gable apex is a cusped niche con- taining figure of The Good Shepherd on a sheep's head corbel. North elevation has three pairs of cusped lancets, south elevation has two pairs of cusped lancets and main entrance with pointed and moulded doorway; to upper right of doorway is a 2-light window with cambered head. There are two gabled louvred openings either side of the roof ridge. West baptistry projects beneath west window; canted with flat roof and cusped lancet in each angle; the lead guttering is decorated with reliefs symbolising water (a lily, fish etc). South transept is of one bay with a cusped lancet on its west side. The south tower is of two stages with an intermediate band and chamfered plinth; set-back gabled buttresses with offsets at south corners; lower stage has rose window in south elevation; above it, and also in the east elevation, is a row of three cusped lancets; the west elevation has a shallow lean-to at the left side rising to the intermediate band; this houses the tower stairs and at the base is a pointed doorway and outer pulpit facing the courtyard. To the right is another lean-to, lower in height with a large pointed doorway. The belfry stage has a pair of large cusped louvred bell-chamber openings on each face and on the south side is a large cross relief; above is a moulded cornice and saddleback roof with embattled parapets to the east and west. The arcaded passageway connects the south and tower doorways; it has cambered-headed archways and chamfered posts (on brick base to outer arcade); the plain tiled roof has swept eaves and is gabled at the south-west corners; in the south gable is the Whinfield coat of arms and in the north gable a Virgin and Child relief panel; the roof has a sandstone tunnel vault and shallow ogee- headed archways at each end. The organ chamber projects to the north-east; single storey and attic with dentilled eaves cornice; window in north end and west side on ground floor and also attic lights; windows are all 2-light cavetto mullioned type; north end doorway. Chancel: set back gabled buttresses with offsets at east end; plinth band is stepped to accommodate east end datestone inscribed: "ADMS/ July 25th 1907" (AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM); tripartite east window with central window of three lights and flanking two lights, 4-centred head and hood- mould; loophole in apex; small 3-light window with cambered head to north-east, cusped lancet to south-east. South chapel: two bays, separate gabled roof (with embattled south parapet) and lying parallel to chancel; set back gabled pilaster buttresses to south-east corner and two large south pilaster buttresses; 3-light east window with hoodmould and cusped lancet at centre of south elevation. North vestry: adjoins organ chamber; single storey and attic with dentilled eaves cornice; north end doorway and attic light; 3-light cavetto mullioned east side window. Interior: carving and decorative work by the Bromsgrove Guild. Nave roof has 4-centred diaphragm arches with square foliated relief panels decorating the intrados of each; south chapel has quadripartite vaulted roof; barrel roofs elsewhere; wall-plates have carved relief panels; 4-centred arch to organ chamber decorated with putti heads. Rood beam has gilded relief panels and a richly decorated central cross. Organ balcony carved with figures and musical instrument reliefs. Simple octagonal font noted as being of C18 origin. Three-sided pulpit has figure corbels, marquetry and linenfold panelling. The church is one of the best of its date in the county. Its plan form and tower are of an unusual and most effective design and the understated but thorough attention to the decorative detail of the interior is particuarly interesting (BoE, p 132).

Listing NGR: SO9321772479

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

156361

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Worcestershire, (1968), 132

End of official list entry

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