Holy Trinity Church, Hove facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Holy Trinity Church |
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The south face and tower
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| 50°49′52″N 0°10′19″W / 50.8312°N 0.1719°W | |
| Location | Blatchington Road, Hove, Brighton and Hove |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Churchmanship | Evangelical |
| History | |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | 1861 |
| Founder(s) | Rev. John Fraser Taylor |
| Dedication | Holy Trinity |
| Consecrated | 15 June 1864 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant; threatened with demolition |
| Heritage designation | Grade II-listed |
| Designated | 2 November 1992 |
| Architect(s) | James Woodman |
| Groundbreaking | 1862 |
| Completed | 1864 |
| Construction cost | £9,000 (£640 thousand in 2025) |
| Closed | 2007 |
Holy Trinity Church used to be a church in Hove, a town in England. It's part of the city of Brighton and Hove. It was built in the 1860s because Hove was growing fast and needed more space for people to worship. But in the 20th century, fewer people used it. So, it closed in 2007 after a special review by the church leaders.
For a while, nobody knew what would happen to the building. A group that protects old buildings even said it was one of the most endangered Victorian and Edwardian buildings in Britain. But in 2015, plans were approved to turn it into a doctor's surgery. Since 2017, it has been a medical center. The church building is also a Grade II listed building. This means it's an important building because of its history and design.
Contents
The Church's Story
Hove grew very quickly in the second half of the 1800s. One of the first new areas was called Cliftonville, which started being built in 1852. This area was on good farmland that used to grow food for another nearby estate called Brunswick.
The land was bought by four businessmen from Brighton. Over the next nine years, they built almost 300 houses there. These houses were built in many different styles.
Building a New Church
The old church in Hove, St Andrew's, was close to these new streets. But it often got too full during services. So, in 1861, a church leader named Rev. John Fraser Taylor started planning a new church.
They found a spot on Eaton Road (now Blatchington Road) and bought it for £250. A local architect named James Woodman designed the church. A builder named Cane built it. This took 14 months and cost £9,000.
The Bishop of Chichester, Ashurst Gilbert, laid the first stone on April 7, 1863. He officially opened the church on June 15, 1864. At first, the church had a main hall (nave), a special area for the altar (chancel), and side chapels. A tall tower was added on the south side in 1866. They had planned to add a tall, pointy roof (spire) to the tower, but it was never built. In 1868, another side area (aisle) was added on the north side for £1,200.
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In 1912, the church got a special outdoor pulpit. This is a rare feature, especially for churches that focus on teaching the Bible. It was the only one of its kind in Brighton and Hove. Later, in 1949, rooms were added under the wooden balcony. A house for the church leader (vicarage) was built in 1952, and a church hall in 1953.
Changes Over Time
At first, Holy Trinity Church was like a smaller helper church to St Andrew's. Later, after All Saints Church was built in 1892, Holy Trinity became part of its parish (church area).
In the 1920s, fewer people were coming to Holy Trinity. The church was almost closed, but it stayed open and got its own special area to serve.
Between 2002 and 2003, the church leaders of the Diocese of Chichester looked at all the churches in Brighton and Hove. Their report in June 2003 suggested that Holy Trinity Church should close. They said it didn't fit into their new plans for churches in Central Hove. They also felt that a nearby church, Holy Cross, offered a similar type of worship. So, on September 1, 2008, the Diocese of Chichester declared the church "redundant." This meant it was no longer used for regular church services.
Church Design
The church is mostly built with red bricks. It also has stone decorations and some black and yellow bricks. It's hard to say exactly what style of architecture it is. Some people have called it "Lombardo-Gothic" or "Italian Gothic." Others just call it standard Gothic or a mix of styles (Eclectic). Some people have even said the design was "ignorant beyond belief."
Holy Trinity Church has a main hall (nave) with four sections. It has side areas (aisles) on each side. There's a special area for the altar (chancel) and a rounded end (apse). There's also a balcony at the west end with two rooms underneath. An organ room is on the northeast side. The organ was first put in in 1883 and later changed to work with electricity. There's also a room for the clergy (vestry) and an entrance porch on the south side. The tall tower with a flat top (battlemented) rises above this porch.
The special bowl for baptisms (font) was made in 1878. It's made of Caen stone and marble from Sicily. The inside of the church is quite simple. Some of the windows have stained glass. One window remembers Rev. John Fraser Taylor's parents, and he has his own special plaque in the chancel.
What Happened Next
In March 2009, there was a plan to tear down the church and build houses on the land. Local people, including actor Brian Capron, spoke out against this idea.
The church leaders had suggested in 2003 that the building could be used to help homeless people. The city council also thought about using the land for a new primary school. In 2008, The Victorian Society, a group that studies and protects old buildings, said Holy Trinity Church was one of Britain's ten most threatened Victorian and Edwardian buildings.
In March 2011, the local health service (NHS Trust) announced they were thinking about combining two local doctor's offices and moving them into the old church. They wanted to create a "spacious, fully accessible medical centre on three floors" inside the church. This plan was stopped, but a new plan was submitted in January 2015.
This new plan also involved turning the church into a three-story medical center for two doctor's offices. It also included a small addition for a pharmacy. The city council approved this plan in July 2015. A company called Medical Centre Developments bought the building in February 2016 and started working on it the next month.
Trinity Medical Centre opened in the former church in 2017. It was formed when two doctor's offices in central Hove joined together. Inside the church, they created a large, three-floor area for surgeries. There is also a new pharmacy right there.
The church was officially listed as a Grade II building by English Heritage on November 2, 1992. It is one of many listed buildings in the city of Brighton and Hove.
See also
- Grade II listed buildings in Brighton and Hove: E–H
- List of places of worship in Brighton and Hove
