Church of the Holy Trinity, Embleton facts for kids
The Church of the Holy Trinity is a historic church found in Embleton, Northumberland, England. It is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and sits just west of the village. The church is shaped like a cross and has two main sections called a nave and a chancel. It also has a tall tower, a porch, and a special chapel. The church is very old, with some parts showing stonework from the 12th century. It is considered a Grade I listed building, which means it is a very important historical building.
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Church History
We don't have proof of a church here before the Normans arrived. However, some old stones show that a stone church was built on this spot around the late 1000s or early 1100s. This first church likely had a nave (the main part), a tower, and a chancel (the area around the altar). The lower part of the original tower is still there today.
The church is now dedicated to the Holy Trinity. But in old records from the 1500s and 1700s, it was sometimes called St. Mary's. In 1830, when it was known as St. Mary's, Merton College, Oxford was its patron, meaning they supported the church.
Church Design and Features
The way Embleton church is built is similar to some churches in Yorkshire or the Midlands. It has an open, decorative top edge on its tower, which is quite unusual for a country church in northern England.
Most of the original Norman nave is gone, but its walls were later used to add side sections called arcades. The current nave is about 53 feet long and 16 feet wide, with two side aisles. The chancel is 37 feet long and 18 feet wide. The arcades have three sections, and their arches are held up by decorated pillars.
In the north aisle, there's a square bracket from around 1330–40. It was probably used to hold a light or a statue near the chapel next to it.
The Clerestory and Windows
The clerestory is a section of upper windows, built around 1330–40. It has three windows, with the older parts being the back arches and the newer parts being the decorative tracery. The arches that open into the western part of the aisles are modern.
The church has many windows. A window on the west side celebrates the 1953 coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Another window facing north is dedicated to a vicar from Merton College, Oxford. There are also two windows in the side walls and one at the east end of each aisle. These are modern but likely look like the original ones.
The Chancel
It is thought that stones from Dunstanburgh Castle were used to build an earlier chancel. However, nothing from the original Norman chancel remains. Above the modern chancel arch, there's a pointed opening that might have been a window. The line of the original Norman nave roof can still be seen below it. The chancel has beautiful stained glass windows by Charles Eamer Kempe. These were put in to remember Sir George Grey of Fallodon.
Inscriptions and Memorials
You can find inscriptions (words carved into stone) in many places around the church. There are memorials to important people like Sir George Grey and George Henry Grey. There's also a tablet for the widow of George Grey of Southwick and a monument for Shafto Craster of Craster Tower.
Church Renovations
The church has been repaired and updated many times. John Dobson of Newcastle worked on it in 1850, adding the Falloden aisle. F. R. Wilson rebuilt the chancel in 1867.
The first big change was probably replacing the original chancel with a larger one around 1180. Around 1200, aisles were added to the nave. Then, in the 1300s (about 1330–40), the aisles were rebuilt and made wider. They were extended all the way to the west wall of the tower, making the tower part of the main building. The top two parts of the tower were also rebuilt then, and a chapel was added. Many of the windows were also updated to look like the old ones.
Church Grounds
The churchyard has an inscription remembering Major-General Henry Darling. The vicarage (the house where the vicar lives) is southwest of the church. Its garden was designed in 1828. The grey stone Embleton Tower nearby is also very scenic. Old coins called groats from the time of the Wars of the Roses were found in the churchyard.
