Church of the Holy Trinity, Berwick-on-Tweed
Encyclopedia
Berwick Parish Church is an Anglican
church in Berwick-upon-Tweed
, Northumberland. Set in the heart of Berwick town centre, it was built around the time of Oliver Cromwell and, therefore has no steeple.
gave money to replace the dilapidated old church in Berwick. In the following year, however, the Civil War
began. Despite this, more money was collected and stone for building the church was taken from the old Berwick Castle
. In 1650 John Young of Blackfriars, a London mason, was contracted to build the new church, and by 1652 the church was complete. This makes it one of the very few churches to have been built during the Commonwealth of England
; other examples include Staunton Harold, Ninekirks
, and St Matthias Old Church
.
The design of the church is based on that of St Katherine Cree
in London
. It has a side aisle on each side of the nave, and the arcades are of the Tuscan order
. Due to its being built in the Commonwealth
period, the church was built with no chancel
, altar
, organ
, tower
or bells
. However the church interior was surrounded by galleries on all four walls.
In 1660, two years after the Restoration of the Monarchy
the church was consecrated by the Bishop of Durham
, who demanded that a chancel should be built at the east end to accommodate a communion table. However, this did not happen until 1855 when the present chancel was built and many original Gothic windows were redesigned in the Classical style. The 1855 west window is particularly fine and includes 16th and 17th century flemish roundels formerly in the private chapel of the Duke of Buckingham at Canons Park, Middlesex.
An organ was installed in 1773 by Byfield and Green of London, and a large rebuild took place in 1855 by Nicholson of Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1869 another rebuild was carried out by Harrison and Harrison when the organ was positioned either side of the west window in the west gallery. The north and south galleries were removed in 1905 and the organ was stripped from its position in the west gallery and moved to its present position in a specially built organ chamber to the north of the chancel by Harrison and Harrison. In 1928 the organ was thoroughly overhauled by Ingrams. In the late '70s a disastrous attempted restoration was carried out by the organist at that time. The organ continued to be used until the early 2000s when a Makin electronic organ was purchased as a temporary stop gap whilst funds were raised to restore the Harrison organ. In 2006 the organ restoration fund having reached £50,000 an Organ Restoration Group was formed to seek quotations from three restorers and Paul Ritchie, the former Diocesan Organ Adviser, was taken on as adviser to the group. Principal Pipe Organs of York have been contracted to restore the organ which will take place in 2010. A fund raising campaign for £160,000 to cover the cost of complete restoration and its future maintenance is now underway under the auspices of the Berwick Parish Church Trust by whom donations will be gratefully received. Donations should be sent to The Honorary Treasurer, The Berwick Parish Church Trust, c/o Greaves West and Ayre, 1/3 Sandgate, Berwick upon Tweed, TD15 1EW.
The church forms the centre of a Christian community complex and it is used for concerts, recitals, lectures and other community functions. The parish centre is available to the community and is used extensively for meetings and social events. The wooded old churchyard is a natural nature reserve.
There is still no tower, so the bells of Berwick are rung from the 150-foot (45 m) high tower of the town hall.
Its churchyard was the main cemetery for the town until around the 1860s, when there was no longer enough room to take any more corpses. Berwick and its southern neighbour, Tweedmouth
now have their own cemeteries.
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 Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
, Northumberland. Set in the heart of Berwick town centre, it was built around the time of Oliver Cromwell and, therefore has no steeple.
History
In 1641, King Charles ICharles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
gave money to replace the dilapidated old church in Berwick. In the following year, however, the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
began. Despite this, more money was collected and stone for building the church was taken from the old Berwick Castle
Berwick Castle
Berwick Castle is a ruined castle in Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England.The castle was founded in the 12th century by the Scottish King David I. In 1296-8, the English King Edward I had the castle rebuilt and the town fortified, before it was returned to Scotland...
. In 1650 John Young of Blackfriars, a London mason, was contracted to build the new church, and by 1652 the church was complete. This makes it one of the very few churches to have been built during the Commonwealth of England
Commonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
; other examples include Staunton Harold, Ninekirks
Ninekirks
Ninekirks , dedicated to Saint Ninian, was formerly the parish church of Brougham, Cumbria. It is situated on the south bank of the River Eamont near its confluence with the River Eden.-Importance:...
, and St Matthias Old Church
St Matthias Old Church
St Matthias Old Church is the modern name given to the Poplar Chapel built by the East India Company in 1654, in Poplar, one of the "Tower Hamlets" in the East End of London.-History:...
.
The design of the church is based on that of St Katherine Cree
St Katherine Cree
St Katharine Cree is a Church of England church in the Aldgate ward of the City of London, located on Leadenhall Street near Leadenhall Market.-History:...
in London
London
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...
. It has a side aisle on each side of the nave, and the arcades are of the Tuscan order
Tuscan order
Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di...
. Due to its being built in the Commonwealth
Commonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
period, the church was built with no 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...
, altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
, organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
, tower
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
or bells
Church bell
A church bell is a bell which is rung in a church either to signify the hour or the time for worshippers to go to church, perhaps to attend a wedding, funeral, or other service...
. However the church interior was surrounded by galleries on all four walls.
In 1660, two years after the Restoration of the Monarchy
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
the church was consecrated by the Bishop of Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
, who demanded that a chancel should be built at the east end to accommodate a communion table. However, this did not happen until 1855 when the present chancel was built and many original Gothic windows were redesigned in the Classical style. The 1855 west window is particularly fine and includes 16th and 17th century flemish roundels formerly in the private chapel of the Duke of Buckingham at Canons Park, Middlesex.
An organ was installed in 1773 by Byfield and Green of London, and a large rebuild took place in 1855 by Nicholson of Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1869 another rebuild was carried out by Harrison and Harrison when the organ was positioned either side of the west window in the west gallery. The north and south galleries were removed in 1905 and the organ was stripped from its position in the west gallery and moved to its present position in a specially built organ chamber to the north of the chancel by Harrison and Harrison. In 1928 the organ was thoroughly overhauled by Ingrams. In the late '70s a disastrous attempted restoration was carried out by the organist at that time. The organ continued to be used until the early 2000s when a Makin electronic organ was purchased as a temporary stop gap whilst funds were raised to restore the Harrison organ. In 2006 the organ restoration fund having reached £50,000 an Organ Restoration Group was formed to seek quotations from three restorers and Paul Ritchie, the former Diocesan Organ Adviser, was taken on as adviser to the group. Principal Pipe Organs of York have been contracted to restore the organ which will take place in 2010. A fund raising campaign for £160,000 to cover the cost of complete restoration and its future maintenance is now underway under the auspices of the Berwick Parish Church Trust by whom donations will be gratefully received. Donations should be sent to The Honorary Treasurer, The Berwick Parish Church Trust, c/o Greaves West and Ayre, 1/3 Sandgate, Berwick upon Tweed, TD15 1EW.
There is still no tower, so the bells of Berwick are rung from the 150-foot (45 m) high tower of the town hall.
Its churchyard was the main cemetery for the town until around the 1860s, when there was no longer enough room to take any more corpses. Berwick and its southern neighbour, Tweedmouth
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
now have their own cemeteries.
External links
- www.berwickparishchurch.btck.co.uk www.berwickparishchurch.btck.com] www.berwickparishchurch.btck.co]m BERWICK PARISH CHURCH WEB SITE]
- Detailed historical record about Church of the Holy Trinity
- Some images