This building, which is in regular use as an active centre of Christian work and witness, serves a parish which stretches some three miles north-westwards from the outskirts of Stowmarket. Stowupland is aptly named, because it was the part of the mother parish of Stowmarket which occupied comparatively high ground, whilst Stowmarket town is set low, in the valley of the River Gipping.

Although ecclesiastically Stowupland is a fairly modern parish, it seems to have had its own identity within Stowmarket parish for many years. Kirby (writing in 1734) states that it had its own parish officers at that time. The church was built and its new parish formed in 1842 -1843. A church was greatly needed here because even at that time there were 900 people living at Stowupland and by the 1870's the population exceeded 1,000.

 The Birth of Holy Trinity Church.

The land upon which the church stands was given by Charles Rayner Freeman and the driving force behind the creation of the church itself was the Revd A. G. H. Hollingsworth, the Vicar of Stowmarket, within whose parish the hamlet was situated. The columns of the "Ipswich Journal" praised the "meritorious exertions of the Vicar of Stowmarket, by whom this laudable work was originated and carried out with a zeal and perseverance which reflect upon him the highest honour as a Minister in the Church of Christ."

Two thousand spectators gathered on May 14th 1842 to see the laying of the Foundation Stone by Charles Tyrrell of Gipping Hall, who was presented with an ivory-handled silver trowel by the Vicar, on behalf of seven ladies from Stowmarket who had spent much time collecting contributions from people towards the new church. Into the wall with the Foundation Stone was placed a glass case, containing details of the ceremony written on parchment. The collection that day totaled £57.12s.4d.

 The building cost £1,500, the bulk of which was met by generous donations from the Marquis of Bristol and from the Revd Hollingsworth, and the rest by subscriptions, doubtless largely thanks to the efforts of the seven ladies. The Church Building Society contributed £150. There were to be no rented pews or seats in the church, and it was made clear that the 250 sittings which the new building would afford should all be free and unappropriated.

The architect for the new church was Thomas Marsh Nelson, of Charles Street, St James' Square, London, and the building contractor was Mr. Daniel Rivett of Stowmarket. The church was ready for consecration of August 30th 1843. The Consecration Service was conducted by Bishop Edward Stanley of Norwich, in whose diocese most of the county of Suffolk was then situated. There were 48 robed clergy present and a congregation of 1,450 were admitted to the church and churchyard by ticket. A choir, which was formed from the singing-classes of a Mr. Nunn, led the singing and the chanting of the Psalms and the collection amounted to £60.10s.4½d.

We can imagine the interior of the church in the mid 19th century, with its plain open benches, the twelve paraffin lamps with glasses, rising from brackets on the walls, and the crimson altar cloth, which was given to the church by Bishop Stanley's daughter.

Mr. Hollingsworth remained in charge of the parish until 1845, when the Revd Robert William Smith became its first Vicar. The Patronage was held by the Vicars of Stowmarket until 1936, when it passed to the Diocesan Board of Patronage.

Notes about the Architecture.

In a county which teems with grand mediaeval churches, this little building is probably very near the bottom of the list for architectural merit! It was built at the end of an "in-between" time in architectural fashion.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, it was fashionable to build churches using the Classical architecture of pre-Christian Greece and Rome - hence buildings like St. Paul's Cathedral, London, also Euston and the chancel at Shotley, in our own county. Then in the closing years of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century there was a great demand for new churches, with the development of industry and the expansion of towns and villages, and many were built. These tended to be simple buildings, using cheap materials, designed to be functional and to accommodate as many people as possible. There was little desire for beautiful architecture, although people wanted the buildings to look more or less like churches, so they were given Gothic windows and maybe also towers and spires.

Stowupland Church is a product of the closing years of this period, and so it has a broad nave, with a gallery at the back, no real chancel, and little more than a glorified recess for the sanctuary. The windows have simple pointed arches, resembling the Early English style of architecture (originally used c.1190-1280), yet bearing very little comparison to the 'real thing'!

New ideas in church building, put forth by the Ecclesiological Movement and prompted by the new liturgical ideas of the Oxford Movement were already beginning to influence the building and restoration of churches. These emphasised a return to pure mediaeval architecture, and furnishings and fittings on pre Reformation lines, and produced the Gothic Revival churches of the second half of the 19th century - grand churches like Great Finborough and the rebuilt St. Mary le Tower Ipswich. These fine Gothic fanes make Stowupland appear very cheap and plain in comparison, which may have prompted the Ipswich Journal reporter in 1843 to comment that "the general style is Early English, but we must regret that the architect does not appear to have thoroughly comprehended the details of this style!

Holy Trinity Church is interesting because it is a reasonably unspoilt example of a church of this period and is therefore quite a rare period-piece. Much has been done in more recent years to make it attractive and beautiful and this work is tasteful and in keeping with the original building - not least the church hall, which was opened in 1985. This replaced the old hall (the "iron Room") which was in the grounds of the old Vicarage.

 What to see outside the church.

Stowupland is a pleasant village, with several green open spaces, and its wayside church is set back from the road in a trim churchyard, its perky spire being visible for some distance. Beyond the churchyard is an extensive playing field, which enhances the church's setting.

The church is built of white Suffolk brick, and consists of nave, short sanctuary with vestries to the north and south, and western tower, crowned by a chamfer spire, which is covered with copper, which gives it a green colour. The walls are supported by gabled buttresses and the church is lit by single lancet windows, with a triple-lancet east window. The tower, which is supported by angle-buttresses, is short and is rather out of proportion (see the eastern belfry window), but this is compensated for by the slender spire. In the churchyard, notice the memorial to William Henry Law and his family, with a snake drinking out of a bowl on a tomb which has an urn.

To the north-east of the church, and linked to it by a passage, is the Church Hall, designed by Alan Noble (a former parishioner), and built by Barton & Mobbs of Old Newton, at a cost of £35,000. The foundation stone was laid by the Mayor of Stowmarket of June 24th 1984 and it was dedicated by the Diocesan Bishop on February 24th 1985. It comprises a hall, kitchen and cloakrooms, and is a tasteful addition to the church, being built of light-coloured brick, with wood-framed Gothic windows and doors, thus blending with the church building.

What to see inside the church.

We enter by the west doorway into the tower-porch, from which a staircase ascends to the west gallery. A further ladder gives access to the bell, which was cast by Thomas Mears at the Whitechapel bell Foundry in 1843 and installed in the church by C & J Oliver of Wapping. On the north wall is a plaque, giving details of the building of the church and vicarage.

The church interior is light and airy; all is simple, but very tasteful and beautifully cared-for. The broad Nave has a tie-beam roof and steps rise, beneath a tall arch, to the small sanctuary at the east end. There is no stained glass - only the east window is mildly tinted. The original brick floor is preserved and the church has a homely feeling.

At the west end is the gallery, which is supported by two cast-iron columns. On the front of the gallery are the Royal Arms, cast in iron. These are the arms of King George IV, so they must have been brought here from another church. The gallery contains the organ, which was originally in Culford Church, near Bury St. Edmunds. It is a two-manual and pedal instrument by Binns, and has eleven speaking stops.

Beneath the gallery, on the south side, stands the octagonal stone font - the one mediaeval feature in the church, dating probably from the 14th century. The underside of the plain bowl is moulded and four faces of the stem are decorated with trefoils. It has a simple 19th century wooden cover.

This font came from the church of Creeting All Saints, which stood in the same churchyard as Creeting St. Mary church until it was demolished in 1800. The font bowl was still in the possession of the Rector of Creeting St. Mary, but the stem had been removed to the garden of Ringshall Rectory, where it was in use as a birdbath! Both clergy however were happy to present their respective portions so that the font could be used for its rightful purpose at Stowupland. Two babies were baptised at it on the Sunday after the church's consecration in 1843.

The nave is fitted with two types of benches. The plain ones at the back are the originals, made in 1843, but the majority of the benches, which have pleasant square-topped ends, were given as memorials between 1956 and 1965. They were designed by H. Munro Cautley (the Diocesan Surveyor and authority on mediaeval East Anglian churches) and the earliest ones were made by Ernest Barnes of Ipswich.

The choirstalls and Communion Rails were given in memory of Elizabeth Calthorpe in 1956, and are also the work of Cautley and Ernest Barnes. The stalls are beautifully carved, with little angels at their ends and traceried fronts (with the emblem of the Holy Trinity on the north side). The rails also have carved tracery.

 The lectern was made in 1968 by Messrs Gilham of Sheffield, in memory of Walter Finbow, who was a Lay Reader in the parish.

The grandest piece of craftsmanship in the church is the magnificently carved pulpit. This dates from about 1600 and was made for a continental church, probably in Belgium or Holland. There are five carved panels, showing scenes from the early years of our Lord's life, including the Holy Family, the Circumcision, a figure which could be John the Baptist, and the offering of frankincense and myrrh by the Wise Men. We do not know how this pulpit came to be at Stowupland, but we do know that it was installed when the church was built; maybe Mr. Hollingsworth managed to procure it from somewhere.

On the sanctuary walls are the Lord's Prayer, Creed and Commandments. It was the custom to have these in all churches at the time when this church was built. The Communion table, dedicated in March 1982, was given in memory of Mr. Eric Stearn. It was designed by the Revd John Rutherford and was carved by John Pamment of Norton. The carved front panel is from an old yew-tree which marked the Pilgrims Way near Reigate, Surrey. On it we see the cross, flanked by wheat and grapes, symbolising the Holy Communion Service. The War Memorial to the south of the sanctuary arch was made in 1927 by Miss Rope of Blaxhall.

On the north wall of the nave is a memorial plaque to the second Vicar (1862-72) - the Revd Frederick Cookson, and his wife Elizabeth. A list of vicars, in memory of Dora Chapman, hangs on the north nave wall. This was beautifully inscribed by Denzil Reeves and has a watercolour picture of the church.

 An oil painting of the first Vicar, the Revd Robert Smith, dressed in gown, preaching bands and Oxford M.A. hood is on view in the south vestry.

Amongst the church Plate is a chalice and paten made for the new church in 1843 and inscribed "Stow Upland Hamlet 1843", a paten by Jones & Willis and another paten given in 1964 by Canon and Mrs. Fountain Page on the occasion of their wedding anniversary. There are two flagons. The most recent addition to the Communion vessels is a small carved wafer-box.

Through the generosity of past and present parishioners and friends we now have a children's corner, a memorial table, a portable font, a processional cross, a silver platter, new cross and candlesticks, a Paschal candle-stand, a loop system and a restored bell and frame. We also have a magnificent floodlighting system, and in the churchyard, three seats and a fine notice board. For all of these we are very thankful.

1845 -1862 Robert W. Smith M.A. 1862 -1872 Frederick Cookson M.A. 1872 -1874 Ayrton Chaplin M.A. 1874 -1880 Frederic C. Long. 1880 -1882 Richard Peek M.A. 1883 -1887 Andrew R. W. Seton M.A. 1887 -1888 William E. Beaumont M.A. 1888 -1889 William H. Dalton M.A. 1889 -1890 Sherard M. Statham M.A., LL.D. 1890 -1898 Albert Aitkens B.A. 1899 -1911 George M. Shallard M.A. 1911 -1917 Thomas S. England.

1917 -1922 Gilbert A. Bell M.A. 1922 -1935 John R. Chapman M.A. (Canon) 1936 -1940 William Bonney 1940 -1944 Frederick M. Richards M.A. 1944 -1947 Arnold de Quincey B.A. 1947 -1954 Thomas W. Arch. 1955 -1962 Ronald E. Lark D.F.C. 1963 -1981 Geoffrey G. Whitefield M.A. 1982 - 1990 David M.B. Mathers M.A. 1992 - 1994 Colin G.G. Everett B.A. 1995 - 1996 David P Burrell B.Th. 1997 - ....... Deirdre J. Parmenter.

 Holy Trinity Church is a building with a purpose! It was erected to the glory of God the Holy Trinity and has been in regular use for over 150 years for the worship of almighty God and the proclaiming of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

 Like all our churches, it is maintain by what people are prepared to give, in money, time and talents - and no visitor could fail to notice the love and care that Stowupland folk continue to spend on it today.

The Vicar and people of Holy Trinity acknowledge with gratitude the work done by Mr Roy Tricker, together with the help of the Revd. David Mathers and the staff of The County Records Office, for producing the 1985 edition of our Church Guide, upon which subsequent editions are largely based.

Addendum; 

Since 1985 much has been done to improve and enhance our church buildings and surrounds, the major undertakings being the re-roofing of the church, restoration of the spire and provision of new windows. The bell has also been refurbished and re-hung, the work being undertaken by members of the Ringers Guild.