HOW DID HOLY TRINITY COME INTO BEING?A cynical non-believer might say that Holy Trinity was built because in 1837 philanthropists, who had earned their wealth thanks to the Industrial Revolution, thought that by pouring money into a new Church they would be assured, if not of a place in Heaven, then at least of the gratitude and respect of the townspeople.

The truth, however, seems to be much more in keeping with a more, positive Christian perspective; the Church was built to meet the needs of the local people who could not all fit Into the existing Parish Church of St Mary and All Saints. An Act of Parliament existed which declared that if a church could not accommodate one third of the population, and if members of that Parish declared their intention to endow a new church and provide a fund for repairs then they had the right to nominate a minister. To put it bluntly, if the congregation had outgrown the existing building and they could raise the money, then they were legally entitled to build a new Church.

A mere 6 months prior to the laying of the foundation stone the idea of building another church in Chesterfield had been mooted and was at first "regarded as the off-spring of a heated imagination, rather than of sober and deliberate thought." However, a meeting was called to discuss the proposition and the organisers were stunned by the numbers who attended. The unanimous decision was taken to proceed, and before the end of the meeting enough money had been pledged for people to remark, "The church is already built! - Christian readers will recognise the working of the Holy Spirit!

After this there was no stopping the project - the Duke of Devonshire donated the land and money poured in, not only from the rich but also from those who could ill afford to give.

THE LAYING OF THE FOUNDATION STONE OF HOLY TRINITY CHURCH

(adapted from a report in the Derbyshire Courier - May 20, 1837)

The actual ceremony took place on Wednesday May 17, 1837 and seems to have been a joyous occasion as, "The cheerful pealing of the bells of the parish church was in harmony with the general feeling ……" From 11.00 am people began congregating in the town's New Square in anticipation of the arrival of the Duke of Devonshire who was to lay the stone. When he arrived he was escorted into the Angel Inn for a "public breakfast accompanied by the mayor, council, clergy and other people of note. We are not told what they ate, except that there was "a profusion of viands, adapted to the most capricious taste." The Barlow Band provided musical entertainment while the dignitaries ate and then at 12.30 pm the peal of the Parish Church bell signalled the time to assemble for the procession.

The procession of between 8-9,000 was led to the site of the new Church by 2 trumpeters and 2 banner bearers. These were followed by girls carrying baskets of flowers which they cast over the internal part of the church. The children of the National and Sunday schools and members of Benefit Societies were next to take their places, and following them, the Barlow Band were still playing as they took their positions in the specially erected singing gallery. Following on came the architects with the plans and inscription plate, contractors workmen and then the civic dignitaries, church trustees and Church Wardens.

The band played Psalm 100 and the Barlow Choir and the children led the singing, with the clergy and "a considerable number of the assembled multitude joining in the praise". His Grace was presented with a silver trowel and invited to perform the ceremony of the laying of the foundation stone while the hardworking band played on. The National Anthem, "God Save the King", was sung - probably its last public singing in Chesterfield before the onset of Queen Victoria's reign.



 

 

As well as positioning the inscription plate the Duke placed a sealed 'time capsule' in the wall. This contained copies of the Derbyshire Courier and Chronicle, the programme of the procession, and some coins. To the sound of "deafening and protracted cheers" His Grace completed the ceremony by banging the stone with a mallet and then making sure the position was accurate. We are not told what would have happened had the stone then proved to be off line!

The Ven Archdeacon Hodson then offered up a prayer which included the following words, "Grant that in whatever outward fairness this proposed building may arise, it may be far more gloriously adorned than by the work of earthly hands. Grant to the ministers that shall here be commissioned to preach Thy Word .... to bring it home to the hearts of their hearers, so that Christians to many generations, may here be supported with the Bread of Life - and have reason to bless the memory of those .... who .... were moved and assisted to plan and execute this work of love and charity to the souls of men."

A prayer to which today's congregation at Holy Trinity would say "Amen!"

FABRIC

The church is built of hard Gritstone and appears to have been plastered internally in 1888 when a faculty was granted for 'alterations and improvements'. At some stage spiritually uplifting words were painted around the arches at the front of the Church, but this ecclesiastical 'graffiti' has long since disappeared. The nave roof tresses are made out of pitch pine and the nave has pitch pine panelling on the ceiling. The floor is mainly stone slabs with carpet on top.

The refurbishment of 1889 seems to have been spearheaded by Cllr Rollinson. He was Warden for 14 years and also the architect who designed the £1,500 worth of improvements. He died in 1891 and there is a memorial plaque to his memory in the Lounge.

When the Church was first built the entrance was on the West side, underneath the tower, with a nave and the vestry where it is now, at the East end. The pulpit was presented by the Crompton family and the reredos by Mr W Burkitt in memory of his parents.

In 1938 a new choir vestry was added, with the foundation stone being laid by Lady Rachael Stewart. This can be seen on the outside of the West wall. When this addition to the building was made the entrance was switched to the North side and so it remained until the 1994 refurbishment when it was changed once again, this time to the South.

The church clock and bell are dated 1837. The organ, surrounded by oak panelling dates back to about 1910 and was built by Blackett & Howden of Newcastle on Tyne. The oak lectern has been in the church since the 1950's.

In 1871 a memorial window was installed to the memory of the first Rector, Revd A Poole. This is in what is now the kitchen, along with a plaque to the memory of his wife.

The stained glass window in the chancel was erected to the memory of George Stephenson and his entwined initials can be seen several times in the design.



The 1994 refurbishment involved the removal of the choir stalls at the front of the Church to make a raised platform for worship, removal of choir stalls at the back to enable the erecting of a partition to create a lounge area, the building of two extra toilets and the transformation of the choir vestry into a kitchen with a stained glass window!

As has already been mentioned, the money to build the Church was given by the wealthy as well as those who could ill afford to give. The current Fellowship of Holy Trinity has shown itself to be no less generous in its giving to the Church.



 

Following the refurbishment in 1994 it became apparent that the condition of the nave roof was becoming desperate. After the selfless giving to fund the refurbishment it hardly seemed fair to ask the congregation for more, but after much prayerful consideration it was decided to put it to them. Once more they delved deep into their pockets and, with the help of a generous grant from the Historic Churches Preservation Trust, a new roof was put over the nave in 1996.

THE STEPHENSON MEMORIAL

Many visitors come to Holy Trinity looking for the Stephenson Memorial. In the churchyard outside the South door they see a large memorial with an apparently vandalised column on the top. They pause to look, see it is dedicated to George Stevenson and think the broken stonework should have been a railway engine funnel. They read on, acknowledging that Mrs Stevenson died young, take their photographs or video footage and go on their way believing they have a momento of the great man.

What they fail to notice is the spelling of the name 'Stevenson'. The broken 'engine funnel' is in fact, a fairly common Victorian symbol for a life cut short, because co-incidentally, Mrs Stevenson did die young, as did Mr Stephenson.

The actual Stephenson Memorial is inside the Church. The original is on the East wall behind the altar and a larger one set in the floor of the chancel is a special commemorative plaque provided by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.



On 1st May 1995 the parishes of Holy Trinity and Christ Church became a united benefice following an order issued by the Queen in Privy Council. This marks a return to the pre-1913 situation, when Christ Church, which had originally been built as a daughter church, was granted Parish Church status.



The Patron of Holy Trinity and Christ Church is The Church Pastoral Aid Society Patronage Trust (CPAS)