For a small village, Wentworth is unusual in that it has two churches – the partly ruined (but still occasionally used) old church and the Victorian new church.

The new church was commissioned in 1872 by the 6th Earl Fitzwilliam at a cost of around £25,000 in memory of his parents. It is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, as was the original church.

The church was designed by the leading Victorian church architect James Loughborough Pearson (who later went on to design Truro Cathedral) and has been described by architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Prevsner as “a very fine, sensitive, and scholary piece of Gothic revival”.

It was built on a grand scale, and its spire of almost 200 feet is visible for miles around. The vast interior can comfortably seat over 500 people, far more than the population of the village either now or at the time it was built! It has a number of interesting architectural features including some impressive stone valuting and two large stained glass windows by Kempe (W) and Clayton and Bell (E). There is also a carved stone reredos depicting the Last Supper which was donated by the 6th Earl’s children to commemorate the Golden Wedding anniversary of the Earl and his wife, Lady Frances Harriet Douglas.

As well as the Sunday and midweek church services, the New Church is often used for art exhibitions and concerts – its excellent acoustics have also made it a popular venue for classical music recording sessions. The church is often open to the public when it is not in use for services; there is no charge to enter but small donations to support the maintenance of the fabric of the building are welcomed.

Sunday Services

Sunday Services are held at 8.15am (Holy Communion), 10.45am (Family Communion – 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays; Family Service – 2nd Sunday; Matins – 4th Sunday) and 6.30pm (Evensong).

Contact Information

The church has their own website here including service & contact information

This view of Holy Trinity Parish Church was photographed by Daren Loxley around the time of the 2002 Golden Jubilee celebrations, hence the Union Jack on the spire.

Tags: History, holy trinity church, new church, wentworth

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