Holy Trinity Church, Halstead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Holy Trinity Church, Halstead |
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Holy Trinity Church, Halstead, from the south
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| OS grid reference | TL 808 305 |
| Location | Halstead, Essex |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 16 March 1978 |
| Architect(s) | George Gilbert Scott |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1843 |
| Completed | 1876 |
| Construction cost | £3,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Brick with flint facing Gault brick and limestone dressings Roofs slated with ridge tiles |
Holy Trinity Church is an old Anglican church in Halstead, Essex, England. It is no longer used for regular church services, which means it is a redundant church. This special building is protected as a Grade II* listed building. This means it is a very important historical site. The Churches Conservation Trust, a charity that looks after old churches, now cares for it. You can find the church north of where Trinity Street (the A131 road) and Chapel Hill meet.
Contents
History of Holy Trinity Church
Early Beginnings and Construction
A small chapel, also called Holy Trinity Chapel, was first built on this spot around the year 1413. However, this older chapel had disappeared by the 1700s. The church you see today was built much later, between 1843 and 1844. Most of the money for its construction came from a generous woman named Mrs. Mary Gee. She lived in Colne House, near Earls Colne. The church also received £500 from a special fund. This fund was set up by the government through the Church Building Act of 1824.
Design and Later Changes
The famous architect George Gilbert Scott designed Holy Trinity Church. He was known for designing many beautiful buildings. As the church's tall, pointed roof, called a spire, was almost finished, it sadly collapsed. Luckily, only minor injuries happened to the builders. Later, in 1876, a special room for the organ was added to the church. The church stopped being used for regular services in April 1987.
Architecture of the Church
Outside Features
Holy Trinity Church is built from brick, but its outside is covered with flint stones. It also has special details made from gault brick and limestone. The roofs are covered with slate tiles, and there are decorative tiles along the ridges. The church has a main area called a nave, where people sit. It also has upper windows called a clerestory. On each side of the nave are passageways called aisles. There is a chancel near the altar, a small room called a vestry on the northeast side, and an organ room.
The church also has a tall tower on the southwest side with a spire on top. The tower includes a covered entrance, or porch. The church is built in a style called Gothic Revival. This style looks like churches from the 13th century, known as Early English style. The tower is very tall and has four main sections. On its south side, there is a doorway. The second and third sections have single, narrow windows called lancet windows. These windows are surrounded by decorative arches. The third section also has a quatrefoil opening on each side. This is a shape like a four-leaf clover. The openings for the bells are pairs of narrow lancet windows.
The broach spire on top of the tower has two levels of small windows called lucarnes. At the east end of the church, there is a round window that looks like a wheel. Below this wheel window are three lancet windows of the same height. Strong supports called buttresses are at all the corners of the church. The sides of the aisles are divided into sections by more buttresses. Each section has a lancet window. Along the clerestory, there are decorative arches with some blind (closed) arches and some lancet windows. At the west end of the church, there is another doorway. Above it is a group of three lancet windows, with one single lancet window even higher up.
Inside Features
Inside the church, the walls are smooth and painted white. Between the main nave and the side aisles, there are six arches on each side. These arches are supported by large columns called piers. Some piers are round, and others are octagonal (eight-sided). The wooden seats in the nave and aisles are original, from when the church was built. The baptismal font, which is a basin used for baptisms, also seems to be from that time. It has a square bowl on an eight-sided base.
The lectern, a stand for reading, was added in 1906. The special seats for the choir were put in during 1913. The wooden panelling in the chancel and the pulpit (a raised platform for preaching) were added in the early 1900s. At the east end of the south aisle, there is a screen built in 1922 to remember people. The beautiful stained glass in the west window was made in 1851 by an artist named Clutterbuck. The east window, from 1887, was made by Burlison and Grylls. Another east window in the south aisle, from 1922, is by J. C. N. Bewsey. Three more windows in the south aisle, from 1931–32, are by A. K. Nicholson.
The church has a large organ with three manuals (keyboards). It was first made in 1858. Over the years, it was rebuilt or updated several times. E. W. Norman worked on it in 1878. Binns of Leeds restored it in 1909. Later, Cedric Arnold, Williamson & Hyatt of Thaxted worked on it around 1970, and Bishop and Son also did work on it after that.
See also
