St Winifred's Church, Holbeck

St Winifred’s Church stands in Holbeck, a small estate village laid out for the Dukes of Portland beside Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire. Built between 1913 and 1916 to designs by Mr McIntyre under Louis Ambler, the building follows the style of Steetley in Derbyshire. It serves the joint parish that also includes St Mary’s Church at Norton Cuckney and Welbeck Abbey Chapel. The church is a Grade II listed parish church and was once a private chapel for the ducal family. Its stone walls and slate roof sit quietly among the estate’s landscaped grounds. The church is worth visiting for its close ties to the Portland family and their influence on the area. Six dukes chose this place for their final resting place, and their graves fill the small churchyard. Among them are the 6th Duke, who commissioned the building, and the 9th Duke, whose death ended the dukedom in 1990. Other memorials inside honour Lady Ottoline Morrell and Major Lord William Bentinck, carved by Eric Gill. The pipe organ by Albert Keates adds musical importance to the building. Inside, the north aisle wall carries Eric Gill’s memorial to Lady Ottoline Morrell. The south chancel wall bears a similar tribute to Major Lord William Bentinck. The churchyard holds the graves of the 6th, 7th and 9th Dukes of Portland and their families. Simple stone crosses mark each burial plot in the quiet enclosure. The interior is plain but dignified, with the pipe organ standing at the west end. Views from the churchyard stretch across the estate’s fields and woodlands.