Visiting
The church building is open to the public daily during daylight hours. Well behaved dogs are also welcome! There is no charge to visit but donations towards the upkeep of the building and our ministry here are appreciated. Tours of the church can be arranged on request. Please note that the tower is not open to the public.
History
For a small village, Wentworth is quite unusual as it has two churches – the partly ruined ‘Old’ Church and the Victorian ‘New’ Church.
The 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 was designed by John Pearson, who was the leading Victorian architect at that time. Pearson went on to design Truro Cathedral and there are some clear similarities between the two buildings.
The building was consecrated in 1877.
The church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity and has been described by architectural historian Sir Nikolaus Pevsner as “a very fine, sensitive, and scholarly piece of Gothic revival”. It was built on an impressive scale and its 200 foot spire is visible for miles around. The vast interior could comfortably seat over 500 people, which is far more than the population of the village at that time.
There are also a number of interesting architectural features including the impressive stone vaulting and two large stained-glass windows; the western by Kempe and the eastern by Clayton and Bell.
There is also a carved stone 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.
The Old Church
The Old Church is currently in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Organ
At Wentworth, we have an original “Father Willis”, organ built by Henry Willis I. It was installed in memory of the 5th Earl Fitzwilliam as an integral part of the church on its completion in 1877.
The organ retains most of the original actions and is faithful to the “Voice of the Maker”. It represents the finest work of Willis and is therefore of considerable historic interest.
Bells
Wentworth Church has a peal of six bells. Our current peal dates from 1863 where the original three bells were recast and three more bought by John Duke of Barley Hole.
They were initially hung in the Old Church Tower and remained there until 1893 when they were re hung in the New Church – 16 years after it opened in 1877. This makes them one of the oldest fixtures in the new church.
We have an active team of bell ringers. The bells are rung to call people to worship each Sunday mornings, for weddings, and for other community celebrations.
