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Holy Trinity Church

St. Austell

Cornwall

C14 remains at the E end, part of which is probably 1390, the date of an endowment for the chantry chapel of St Michael, otherwise C15, the tower 1478-87, the date of the coat of arms of Bishop Courtenay

Architectural Features

much restored by G E Street, who designed the reredos and pulpit, in 1872.

PLAN: C13 S aisle chapel

C14 chancel and N aisle chapel

C15 nave and N and S aisles, 2-storey S porch, W tower, and late C19 N vestries in transepts at the E end.

EXTERIOR: earliest features are the C13 windows of the chapel east of the S aisle: 3 windows with paired trefoil-headed lancets plus quatrefoil tracery to the S wall and a 3-light window with trefoil tracery at the E end.

Chancel window is probably C14 and has quatrefoil tracery.

E window of N chapel is also probably C14 and has intersecting tracery.

The finest work is to the 3-stage tower with buttresses offset from the corners, strings dividing the stages, the parapet string pierced by carved gargoyles

There are niches with carved figures to each side of the 2nd stage, 4 apostles to each side except the W side which has a pyramid arrangement of 6 with the top 3 representing the Trinity and the Annunciation, and the risen Christ between 2 saints below

Upper stage has blind 3-light windows and carved enrichment to some of the near ashlar courses

lower stage with 5-light window (all with tracery and hoodmoulds), a 2-centred arched doorway with square hoodmould and carved spandrels.

Porch has offset corner buttresses and moulded strings, the centre of the parapet has carved detail