Holy Trinity

The parish of Amberley sits high in the Cotswold Hills in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, surrounded by 600 acres of National Trust land. Founded in 1836 through the generosity of David Ricardo, economist and MP, Holy Trinity is used not only for services but also for concerts, school plays, and village events . Most recently, a very popular award winning community shop and café have been created within the church without detracting from its spiritual character.

Holy Trinity Church is one of very few remaining churches created with a cast iron internal floor and column structure. The church was built in 1836 in a pre-archaeological Gothic style to the designs of the Cheltenham architect Robert Stokes. The building has an interesting two-tier structure. The upper floor is the church, accessed by the principal flight of steps at the west end, a ramped access on the north side and steps to the choir and clergy vestries at the east end. The lower floor, an under-croft or semi-basement, originally provided two school rooms but is now the Parish Room or village hall; access to the Parish Room is via steps adjacent to the principal church steps.

Opposite the church, set in 1.9 acres of landscaped grounds, and graced with beautiful mature trees, lies the peaceful graveyard, planted originally with the help of experts from Westonbirt Arboretum. Within the graveyard the memorial to Major General Sir Fabian Ware is in the style of the graves in Europe and elsewhere looked after by the War Graves Commission, the establishment of which was Sir Fabian’s great achievement.