Tower
Holy Trinity’s church tower was added in the late fifteenth century. It is thought that the original shorter nave was extended westwards at this point to be joined into it.
Stained glass was added to the West window in 1896 and internally there have been a number of changes over the years.As part of the additions by Bishop Vesey in 1530 the parapet was restored and five new bells hung. The bell tower now houses eight bells.
The pipe organ of 1950 was built into the tower obscuring both the stained glass West window and the painted ceiling of 1929. In the re-ordering work of Spring 2018, these were both restored to view following the removal of the pipe organ.
The old wooden doors of the West entrance at the foot of the tower were replaced with glass inner and wooden outer doors in 2016.
It is still possible to climb the tower. Although it is of modest height (70ft) it offers unparalleled views over the town in all directions because of the church’s hilltop position. Have a look at our video of a tour of the tower.
Changes to the tower
Roger Lea, a historian of Sutton Coldfield, sums up the significance of the tower at Holy Trinity:“
The tower expressed the status of the Earl of Warwick, and performed two functions – it dominated the skyline, being visible from miles away in most directions, and it contained a belfry designed to ring out the angelus across the countryside. The spiral staircase in the tower has 71 steps and four doors – the top one leads to the roof, the next one down to the belfry, the next one down to the ringers’ chamber, while the one below that, which led to the 1950 organ chamber, may have been inserted in the 1760s.”
The organ chamber has been removed in 2018 to expose the West window. The changes to the interior of the tower are many and varied as shown by Norman Evans’ drawings.