Churches of the British Isles

Only the west tower of the old church survived the demolition. The new church was built by William Butterfield with its own, north-east tower, which was completed in 1920, giving the building the unique feature of two towers, each containing a full circle ring of bells. The older set of five in the west tower were cast in 1711 by Joseph Smith of Edgbaston. Today they are hung in a frame which dates from about 1620. The new tower contains a ring of eight bells.

The Church of the Holy Trinity, Churchover, is on the western side of Church Street, just north of School Street. The village name has complicated origins. It may derive from an early owner of the 'Manorial Possessions' hereabouts named 'Waga'. In 1086 it was 'Wara', and later 'Waure', possibly connected with Robert deWaure, owner of the lands under Henry II. To avoid confusion with nearby parishes with similar names, 'Church' may have been added to the name.

The first known rector for the church was appointed in 1160, while the tower is Norman and contains four bells. The oldest of these predates the 1661 Restoration. In 1896 the church was greatly rebuilt, taking down the old chancel, the north wall of the nave and the vestry and rearranging the interior. A new roof was also installed. Surprisingly, much still survives of the older building. The clock on the tower was installed in 1862, replacing an earlier clock erected in 1671.

All photos on this page kindly contributed by Aidan McRae Thomson.