The Orchids and their history 

Victorian architectural ornament

Elaborate ornamentation based on medieval models is a fundamental part of Victorian Gothic style. The Victorians drew on a huge variety of decorative forms, both drawn from nature and imagined, using plants, animals, birds and geometric shapes.

The flowers at Holy Trinity are unusual, especially those in the lower band. The design shows many of the features of orchids though is far from an exact copy.

Picture: Map of Tooting 1863

William Rollisson, churchwarden and owner of Rollissons’ Nurseries

Tooting was a prominent centre for horticulture in the mid 19th century, and Holy Trinity had strong connections with it. William Rollisson, who was churchwarden from 1858to 1869, was a prosperous businessman and the owner of Rollissons’ Nurseries in what is now Upper Tooting Road. This was a thriving enterprise that catered to the tastes and enthusiasms of the newly affluent middle classes. The Nurseries employed their own ‘plant hunter’ who was sent to Asia to find new species. 

Orchid mania 

‘Orchid mania’ was rampant in mid Victorian times and a huge trade developed in their supply. Collectors vied with each other to find exotic new species.  Orchids were a leading speciality of Rollissons, along with tree ferns and other exotica. They were prestige items commanding high prices.

The frieze over the years

Almost every orchid carving had decayed beyond repair by the early years of this century. The new carvings installed during the restoration of the tower were designed to exactly replicate the originals. They were carved using traditional skills by the master masons of the building contractors Universal Stone Ltd.