Church of the Holy Trinity, Old Bewick. Photo by Harry Rowland.

(NU 0680 2215) Holy Trinity Church (C of E). (1)

A Holy Trinity Church
12th century, apse altered late 14th. Restored, re-roofed and porch and vestry added, 1867. The most perfect surviving small early Norman church in Northumberland. See plan in N.C.H. Vol. XIV. The nave contains pre-Conquest, or possibly Roman, stones re-used, and the lower part of the west gable may be pre-Conquest. There is a good early 14th century effigy of a lady in the chancel. (2)

8/4 Church of Holy Trinity
21/9/51
Grade I.
Parish church. 12th century with some 14th alterations. Restoration of 1866 when south porch, bellcote and vestry were added. Stone in vestry records repairs done in 1695. Roughly dressed coursed stone. Lakeland slate roof. Nave, chancel, south porch and north vestry. Nave has massive 12th century masonry, the upper part of west wall rebuilt in 19th century using old stone. Two narrow round-headed windows and sexfoil rose window over are Victorian. South doorway in porch has one order of columns with block capitals, all much renewed. Two 19th century round-headed windows in nave south wall. North wall has one small 12th century window. Similar, smaller window in chancel north wall. Larger round-headed window in south wall may be partly original (rere-arch) but enlarged later. Apsidal east end, roughly squared externally in 14th century when two-light window with cusped heads was inserted in south wall. Two offset buttresses support apse. Upper courses of apse and north side rebuilt in 19th century. Narrow priest's door. Victorian Romanesque double bellcote over east gable of nave.
Interior: chancel arch has semi-circular responds with different capitals: north side has cable-moulded echinus, two beast heads and leaf forms. South side is halfway between block and scalloped shape. Abaci on both sides have saltire crosses. Arch has roll mould, hollow chamfer and outer billet moulding. Apse arch has plain responds with saltire crosses on blocks and billet moulding. 14th century effigy of lady in chancel. Several grave slabs built into south porch and one, with foliated cross, in nave. (3)

Revised phasing of the church building made by 4 in contrast to the NCH plan and placed in regional (English and Scottish) context of early 12th century Romanesque churches in the border area. (4)

Church includes a series of war memorials as;
* a wall-mounted brass table inscribed "IN LOVING MEMORY OF/ JOHN SHAKESPEARE LANGLANDS/ MAJOR, 43RD OXFORDSHIRE LIGHT INFANTRY/ DIED 1895, AND LONGROOD, BILTON, WARWICKSHIRE IN HIS 49TH YEAR./ ALSO OF HIS SON, ALAN LANGLANDS,/ LIEUT. 1ST BATT. SOUTH WALES BORDERERS/ KILLED IN ACTION IN FRANCE, MAY 9TH 1915 IN HIS 20TH YEAR."
* a stained glass window located in the chancel, with a dedicatory brass plaque inscribed "THE CHANCEL AND ROSE WINDOWS ARE DEDICATED/ TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF MARY. WIFE OF/ J.C. LANGLANDS, WHO DIED AUG.30, 1852 AGED 47 AND OF/ THEIR SON CHARLES JOHN LANGLANDS, ENSIGN/ 43RD LIGHT INFANTRY, KILLED IN ACTION AT THE/ ASSAULT OF THE GATE PATH, TAURANGA, NEW ZEALAND/ APRIL 29 1864 AGED 21." (5)(6)

Additional Reference (7)