Holy Trinity Church, Hastings
Encyclopedia
Holy Trinity Church is an Anglican
church in the centre of Hastings
, a town and borough
in the English county of East Sussex
. It was built during the 1850s—a period when Hastings was growing rapidly as a seaside resort—by prolific and eccentric architect Samuel Sanders Teulon
, who was "chief among the rogue architects of the mid-Victorian
Gothic Revival
". The Decorated/Early English-style church is distinguished by its opulently decorated interior and its layout on a difficult, "crazy" town-centre site, chosen after another location was found to be unsuitable. The church took eight years to build, and a planned tower was never added. English Heritage
has listed the building at Grade II* for its architectural and historical importance.
, made it an extremely popular seaside resort
and a "wealthy, successful town of strength and confidence". For part of the 19th century it was one of Britain's most fashionable resorts.
The growth of the town encouraged church-building, particularly by the Church of England
. The Old Town
area of Hastings had seven churches in the 13th century, but medieval decline left only two—All Saints Church and St Clement's Church—by the start of the 19th century. The subsequent development of Hastings outgrew the compact valley around the Bourne stream on which the Old Town was centred, and moved further and further west as more land was required. Between 1801 and 1821, the population increased from 2,982 (90% of whom lived in the Old Town) to 6,051. Soon afterwards, James Burton's
high-class planned town of St Leonards-on-Sea
, even further west, attracted more people to the area, and the gap between it and Hastings was soon filled. The town's focus had shifted away from the Old Town and its churches, and new places of worship were soon planned. The first in the new part of Hastings was St Mary-in-the-Castle, built as the centrepiece of a residential crescent
in 1824 to replace an ancient collegiate church
which was actually part of Hastings Castle
.
In 1851, Hastings railway station
was built, and nearby land was developed at the same time to form Cambridge Road, Robertson Street and Trinity Street. This had been an undeveloped wasteland with some squatters' shacks. This area was chosen as the site of the second Anglican church in "new" Hastings. Local philanthropist and church benefactor Countess Waldegrave
gave £1,000 (£ as of )) to help pay for its founding, and Samuel Sanders Teulon
was commissioned to design the building. He had recently submitted plans for a large house in Hastings, and had designed and executed churches at nearby Rye Harbour
and Icklesham
. A piece of land on the north side of Cambridge Road, above Holmesdale Gardens (approximate location 50.8558°N 0.5751°W), was donated by the Earls Cornwallis
; but soon after work started, a landslip revealed the site to be unsafe. About £500 (£ as of )) had already been spent. The church authorities selected another site nearby, but had to pay £2,500 (£ as of )) to The Crown for it. The site was extremely awkward because the junction of Robertson and Trinity Streets formed a very acute angle.
The engineer was John Howell & Son
. Work started on the new site in 1857: Countess Waldegrave laid the foundation stone on 22 July of that year. The nave
was the first part of the church to be consecrated, in 1858, and the church opened for worship at this time. The chancel
was finished the following year but was not consecrated until 1862.
Local resident Lady St John had been another donor to the church building fund: she provided £200 (£ as of )). She was so concerned about the displacement of poor people from the former wasteland area that she paid for a new church to be built in St Leonards-on-Sea
, where many had been forced to move. Christ Church
opened on the London Road there in 1860.
A major alteration came in 1892, when a polygonal vestry
was built beyond the chancel. Next to it, on the south side, space above the porch was intended to hold a tower and spire, but because the church cost so much to build neither feature was ever added. Between 1889 and 1890, the chancel arch was given intricate carved decoration by sculptor Thomas Earp, and a craftsman from Ghent
provided an ornate rood screen
. W. H. Romaine-Walker
designed an "exceptional" alabaster
and marble
pulpit
with a double staircase around the same time. He had also been responsible for the vestry and other general refitting in the church. London architect Henry Ward
, who moved to Hastings and carried out most of his work in the town, was responsible for an unusual miniature Lady chapel
(formed out of the base of the organ chamber) and some work on the doors and windows at the start of the 20th century. Later in the century, master calligrapher
Edward Johnston
provided a high-quality illuminated
vellum
-covered missal
.
had to fit his design for Holy Trinity Church into the difficult, restricted town centre site (described by Nikolaus Pevsner
as "crazy"), and the layout is consequently very unusual. The nave is of six bays
and has a south aisle, a chancel
with an apse
, a vestry
with a conical roof, and a porch formed from the base of the intended tower. The west end, facing Claremont, has two gable
s and a large lancet window
with tracery
and stone dressings. The north side, facing Trinity Street, is divided into six cross-gabled bays, each with a three-light window with similar tracery. There are similar windows in the apse, and a more intricate example in the north face of the chancel. The porch, set at an angle facing Robertson Street, leads into the south aisle. The tall structure is dominated by a large figure of the Trinity
in its tympanum
. A shallow hipped roof takes the place of the planned tower. The church combines the Decorated and Early English Gothic styles and is built entirely of stone, mostly rubble
laid out in courses
. Teulon's typical style was "vigorous and idiosyncratic Gothic", and he had a "highly individual command" of that architectural movement
.
Inside, the roof of the chancel is intricately carved (especially on its corbel
s), and similar work above the organ chamber and chancel arch was added during the late 19th-century remodelling. All of the carvings were by Thomas Earp. The small Lady chapel, fitted in below the organ chamber, is a unique feature. The font
dates from the opening of the church, but the highly detailed foliage carving on the stem and base was executed in 1903.
on 14 September 1976, and was later upgraded to Grade II*. (Grade C, part of a mostly superseded scale used by English Heritage only for Anglican churches, is equivalent to the lower Grade II.) As a Grade II*-listed building, it is considered "particularly important ... [and] of more than special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 13 Grade II* listed buildings, and 535 listed buildings of all grades, in the borough of Hastings.
The parish of Holy Trinity covers Hastings town centre. The boundaries (clockwise from southwest) are Falaise Road, Linton Road, Amherst Road, Lower Park Road, Mann Street, South Terrace, Queens Road, Harold Place and the seafront.
Critical assessment of the church in the 20th century has generally been positive. The Victoria County History
of Sussex, written in 1937, referred to "a rather florid rendering of the Decorated style" in its description, while Sussex church historian Robert Elleray described it as "among the finest Victorian churches in Sussex", and the interior as one of the best in any church in the county. The epithet "the Cathedral of Hastings" has regularly been used.
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the centre of Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
, a town and borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
in the English county of East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
. It was built during the 1850s—a period when Hastings was growing rapidly as a seaside resort—by prolific and eccentric architect Samuel Sanders Teulon
Samuel Sanders Teulon
Samuel Sanders Teulon was a notable 19th century English Gothic Revival architect.-Family:Teulon was born in Greenwich in south-east London, the son of a cabinet-maker from a French Huguenot family. His younger brother William Milford Teulon also became an architect...
, who was "chief among the rogue architects of the mid-Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
". The Decorated/Early English-style church is distinguished by its opulently decorated interior and its layout on a difficult, "crazy" town-centre site, chosen after another location was found to be unsuitable. The church took eight years to build, and a planned tower was never added. English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
has listed the building at Grade II* for its architectural and historical importance.
History
Although it was an ancient port and fishing town with origins well before 928, when it was first mentioned in a written document, Hastings developed so rapidly in the 19th century that it is now principally a Victorian town. Improved transport links, putting it within reach of daytrippers from LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, made it an extremely popular seaside resort
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
and a "wealthy, successful town of strength and confidence". For part of the 19th century it was one of Britain's most fashionable resorts.
The growth of the town encouraged church-building, particularly by the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. The Old Town
Hastings Old Town
Hastings Old Town is an area in Hastings roughly corresponding to the extent of the town prior to the nineteenth century. It lies mainly within the eastern-most valley of the current town...
area of Hastings had seven churches in the 13th century, but medieval decline left only two—All Saints Church and St Clement's Church—by the start of the 19th century. The subsequent development of Hastings outgrew the compact valley around the Bourne stream on which the Old Town was centred, and moved further and further west as more land was required. Between 1801 and 1821, the population increased from 2,982 (90% of whom lived in the Old Town) to 6,051. Soon afterwards, James Burton's
James Burton (1761–1837)
James Burton was a builder and developer, responsible for large areas of Bloomsbury and the houses around Regent's Park in London. He later founded the new town of St Leonards-on-Sea, which is now part of the built-up area of Hastings...
high-class planned town of St Leonards-on-Sea
St Leonards-on-Sea
St Leonards-on-Sea is part of Hastings, East Sussex, England, lying immediately to the west of the centre. The original part of the settlement was laid out in the early 19th century as a new town: a place of elegant houses designed for the well-off; it also included a central public garden, a...
, even further west, attracted more people to the area, and the gap between it and Hastings was soon filled. The town's focus had shifted away from the Old Town and its churches, and new places of worship were soon planned. The first in the new part of Hastings was St Mary-in-the-Castle, built as the centrepiece of a residential crescent
Crescent (architecture)
A crescent is an architectural structure where a number of houses, normally terraced houses, are laid out in an arc to form of a crescent shape. A famous historic crescent is the Royal Crescent in Bath, England.-See also:* Lansdown Crescent, Bath...
in 1824 to replace an ancient collegiate church
Collegiate church
In Christianity, a collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons; a non-monastic, or "secular" community of clergy, organised as a self-governing corporate body, which may be presided over by a dean or provost...
which was actually part of Hastings Castle
Hastings Castle
Hastings Castle is situated in the town of Hastings, East Sussex .Before or immediately after landing in England in 1066 William of Normandy ordered three fortifications to be built, Pevensey Castle in September 1066, Hastings and Dover, a few days after the battle. Hastings Castle was originally...
.
In 1851, Hastings railway station
Hastings railway station
Hastings railway station is in Hastings in East Sussex, England. It is situated on the Hastings Line to Tunbridge Wells, the East Coastway Line to Brighton and the Marshlink Line to Ashford International....
was built, and nearby land was developed at the same time to form Cambridge Road, Robertson Street and Trinity Street. This had been an undeveloped wasteland with some squatters' shacks. This area was chosen as the site of the second Anglican church in "new" Hastings. Local philanthropist and church benefactor Countess Waldegrave
Sarah Waldegrave, Countess Waldegrave
Sarah Waldegrave, Countess Waldegrave was a British philanthropist.Sarah Whitear was born in 1787, the daughter of Rev. William Whitear, a prebendary of Chichester, at Hastings Old Town Rectory. She later married Edward Milward, who later served as Mayor of Hastings several times and she inherited...
gave £1,000 (£ as of )) to help pay for its founding, and Samuel Sanders Teulon
Samuel Sanders Teulon
Samuel Sanders Teulon was a notable 19th century English Gothic Revival architect.-Family:Teulon was born in Greenwich in south-east London, the son of a cabinet-maker from a French Huguenot family. His younger brother William Milford Teulon also became an architect...
was commissioned to design the building. He had recently submitted plans for a large house in Hastings, and had designed and executed churches at nearby Rye Harbour
Rye Harbour
Rye Harbour is a village located on the East Sussex coast in southeast England, near the estuary of the River Rother: it is part of the civil parish of Icklesham. Rye Harbour is located some two miles downstream of the town of Rye....
and Icklesham
Icklesham
Icklesham is a village and civil parish in the Rother District of East Sussex, England. The village is located about six miles east of Hastings, on the main A259 Hastings to Rye road....
. A piece of land on the north side of Cambridge Road, above Holmesdale Gardens (approximate location 50.8558°N 0.5751°W), was donated by the Earls Cornwallis
Earl Cornwallis
Earl Cornwallis was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1753 for Charles Cornwallis, 5th Baron Cornwallis. The second Earl was created Marquess Cornwallis but this title became extinct in 1823, while the earldom and its subsidiary titles became extinct in 1852...
; but soon after work started, a landslip revealed the site to be unsafe. About £500 (£ as of )) had already been spent. The church authorities selected another site nearby, but had to pay £2,500 (£ as of )) to The Crown for it. The site was extremely awkward because the junction of Robertson and Trinity Streets formed a very acute angle.
The engineer was John Howell & Son
John Howell & Son
John Howell & Son, known as John Howell, was the leading building and engineering company in Hastings, Sussex in the 1860s. Its founder, John Howell Senior engineered churches and other public buildings in the area to the designs of innovative architects, including Holy Trinity Church in 1860 to...
. Work started on the new site in 1857: Countess Waldegrave laid the foundation stone on 22 July of that year. The nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
was the first part of the church to be consecrated, in 1858, and the church opened for worship at this time. The chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
was finished the following year but was not consecrated until 1862.
Local resident Lady St John had been another donor to the church building fund: she provided £200 (£ as of )). She was so concerned about the displacement of poor people from the former wasteland area that she paid for a new church to be built in St Leonards-on-Sea
St Leonards-on-Sea
St Leonards-on-Sea is part of Hastings, East Sussex, England, lying immediately to the west of the centre. The original part of the settlement was laid out in the early 19th century as a new town: a place of elegant houses designed for the well-off; it also included a central public garden, a...
, where many had been forced to move. Christ Church
Christ Church, St Leonards-on-Sea
Christ Church is an Anglican church in the town and seaside resort of St Leonards-on-Sea, part of the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England...
opened on the London Road there in 1860.
A major alteration came in 1892, when a polygonal vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
was built beyond the chancel. Next to it, on the south side, space above the porch was intended to hold a tower and spire, but because the church cost so much to build neither feature was ever added. Between 1889 and 1890, the chancel arch was given intricate carved decoration by sculptor Thomas Earp, and a craftsman from Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
provided an ornate rood screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
. W. H. Romaine-Walker
W. H. Romaine-Walker
William Henry Romaine-Walker was an English architect and interior decorator. From 1881 to 1896 he worked in partnership with Augustus William Tanner.-Works:These include:*Canford School, Canford Magna, Dorset, extended ....
designed an "exceptional" alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
and marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
with a double staircase around the same time. He had also been responsible for the vestry and other general refitting in the church. London architect Henry Ward
Henry Ward (architect)
Henry Ward ARIBA was the architect of many large public buildings in and around Hastings, East Sussex, some of which are listed buildings.-Biography:...
, who moved to Hastings and carried out most of his work in the town, was responsible for an unusual miniature Lady chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
(formed out of the base of the organ chamber) and some work on the doors and windows at the start of the 20th century. Later in the century, master calligrapher
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
Edward Johnston
Edward Johnston
Edward Johnston, CBE was a British-Uruguayan craftsman who is regarded, with Rudolf Koch, as the a father of modern calligraphy, in the form of the broad edged pen as a writing tool, a particular form of calligraphy....
provided a high-quality illuminated
Illuminated manuscript
An illuminated manuscript is a manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration, such as decorated initials, borders and miniature illustrations...
vellum
Vellum
Vellum is mammal skin prepared for writing or printing on, to produce single pages, scrolls, codices or books. It is generally smooth and durable, although there are great variations depending on preparation, the quality of the skin and the type of animal used...
-covered missal
Missal
A missal is a liturgical book containing all instructions and texts necessary for the celebration of Mass throughout the year.-History:Before the compilation of such books, several books were used when celebrating Mass...
.
Architecture
Samuel Sanders TeulonSamuel Sanders Teulon
Samuel Sanders Teulon was a notable 19th century English Gothic Revival architect.-Family:Teulon was born in Greenwich in south-east London, the son of a cabinet-maker from a French Huguenot family. His younger brother William Milford Teulon also became an architect...
had to fit his design for Holy Trinity Church into the difficult, restricted town centre site (described by Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
as "crazy"), and the layout is consequently very unusual. The nave is of six bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
and has a south aisle, a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
with an apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
, a vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
with a conical roof, and a porch formed from the base of the intended tower. The west end, facing Claremont, has two gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
s and a large lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
with tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
and stone dressings. The north side, facing Trinity Street, is divided into six cross-gabled bays, each with a three-light window with similar tracery. There are similar windows in the apse, and a more intricate example in the north face of the chancel. The porch, set at an angle facing Robertson Street, leads into the south aisle. The tall structure is dominated by a large figure of the Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
in its tympanum
Tympanum (architecture)
In architecture, a tympanum is the semi-circular or triangular decorative wall surface over an entrance, bounded by a lintel and arch. It often contains sculpture or other imagery or ornaments. Most architectural styles include this element....
. A shallow hipped roof takes the place of the planned tower. The church combines the Decorated and Early English Gothic styles and is built entirely of stone, mostly rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
laid out in courses
Course (architecture)
A course is a continuous horizontal layer of similarly-sized building material one unit high, usually in a wall. The term is almost always used in conjunction with unit masonry such as brick, cut stone, or concrete masonry units .-Styles:...
. Teulon's typical style was "vigorous and idiosyncratic Gothic", and he had a "highly individual command" of that architectural movement
Architectural style
Architectural styles classify architecture in terms of the use of form, techniques, materials, time period, region and other stylistic influences. It overlaps with, and emerges from the study of the evolution and history of architecture...
.
Inside, the roof of the chancel is intricately carved (especially on its corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
s), and similar work above the organ chamber and chancel arch was added during the late 19th-century remodelling. All of the carvings were by Thomas Earp. The small Lady chapel, fitted in below the organ chamber, is a unique feature. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
dates from the opening of the church, but the highly detailed foliage carving on the stem and base was executed in 1903.
The church today
Holy Trinity Church was listed at Grade C by English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on 14 September 1976, and was later upgraded to Grade II*. (Grade C, part of a mostly superseded scale used by English Heritage only for Anglican churches, is equivalent to the lower Grade II.) As a Grade II*-listed building, it is considered "particularly important ... [and] of more than special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 13 Grade II* listed buildings, and 535 listed buildings of all grades, in the borough of Hastings.
The parish of Holy Trinity covers Hastings town centre. The boundaries (clockwise from southwest) are Falaise Road, Linton Road, Amherst Road, Lower Park Road, Mann Street, South Terrace, Queens Road, Harold Place and the seafront.
Critical assessment of the church in the 20th century has generally been positive. The Victoria County History
Victoria County History
The Victoria History of the Counties of England, commonly known as the Victoria County History or the VCH, is an English history project which began in 1899 and was dedicated to Queen Victoria with the aim of creating an encyclopaedic history of each of the historic counties of...
of Sussex, written in 1937, referred to "a rather florid rendering of the Decorated style" in its description, while Sussex church historian Robert Elleray described it as "among the finest Victorian churches in Sussex", and the interior as one of the best in any church in the county. The epithet "the Cathedral of Hastings" has regularly been used.