Holy Trinity Church, St Austell

Holy Trinity Church stands in the centre of St Austell, a town in Cornwall. It is a large medieval church with a tall tower built between 1478 and 1487. The outside walls carry carved stone groups of the Twelve Apostles and the Holy Trinity. The tower and parts of the church are lined inside with granite from Pentewan. A chantry chapel on the south side was later joined to the main building. The church is worth visiting for its historic fabric and the work of notable architects. George Edmund Street restored it in 1872, and George Fellowes Prynne carried out further work between 1896 and 1924. Edward Arthur Fellowes Prynne painted murals in the chancel in 1891, showing the Nativity and the Lord’s Supper. The eight bells were recast twice, most recently in 1902 by John Taylor & Co. Henry Bryceson built the organ in 1880, later improved by Hele & Co and Maurice Eglinton. Inside, the church has a spacious nave and a tall tower with a ring of eight bells. The murals on the east chancel wall remain bright after more than a century. The granite lining of the tower and walls gives the interior a solid, enduring feel. The former chantry chapel now forms part of the south aisle. Outside, the burial ground is no longer used, so the churchyard is quiet and orderly.