Hillsborough Trinity Methodist Church
Encyclopedia
Hillsborough, South Yorkshire
Hillsborough is an electoral ward which includes the districts of Malin Bridge, Owlerton, Wadsley and Wisewood. It is one of the 28 electoral wards in City of Sheffield, England. It is located in the northwestern part of the city and covers an area of 4.6 km2...
area of Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
in South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It has a population of 1.29 million. It consists of four metropolitan boroughs: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham, and City of Sheffield...
, England. It stands four km north west of the city centre
Sheffield City Centre
Sheffield City Centre—often just referred to as town—is a district of the City of Sheffield, and part of the Sheffield Central ward. It includes the area that is within a radius of roughly of Sheffield Cathedral, and is encircled by the Inner Ring Road—a circular route started in the late 1960s...
on Middlewood Road across from Hillsborough Park
Hillsborough Park
Hillsborough Park is a large parkland area in Hillsborough, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The park was created in 1897 by the Dixon Family, who built Hillsborough Hall. It is now owned by Sheffield City Council and the hall is used as a library....
at grid reference .
The church has recently had a website built by Jake Ledger (Member of the 20th BB) and can be viewed at the address, www.hillsboroughtrinity.org.uk .
History
The church was built at the beginning of the 20th century by John W. Firth to cater for the increasing population as it expanded into the countryside around Sheffield. The site was purchased from J. Willis Dixon of Hillsborough HallHillsborough House
Hillsborough House, later called Hillsborough Hall is a large stone built mansion built in the Adam style in the latter part of the 18th century. It stands 2½ miles NW of the centre of Sheffield at grid reference in the suburb of Hillsborough within Hillsborough Park, a council owned public...
(now Hillsborough library) in December 1898 for £547. An “Iron Church”
Tin tabernacle
Tin tabernacles were a type of prefabricated building made from corrugated iron developed in the mid 19th century initially in Great Britain. Corrugated iron was first used for roofing in London in 1829 by Henry Robinson Palmer and the patent sold to Richard Walker who advertised "portable...
was erected on nearby Leader Road and was used for temporary worship while the church was being built.
Hillsborough Trinity was designed in the Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style and cost £5,500, opening on 1 September 1902. The church was originally designated as Methodist New Connexion
Methodist New Connexion
Methodist New Connexion was a Protestant nonconformist church, also known as the Kilhamite Methodists. It was formed in 1797 by secession from the Wesleyan Methodists, and merged in 1907 with the Bible Christian Church and the United Methodist Free Churches to form the United Methodist...
, one of the many factions of the original Wesleyan Methodist church
Methodist Church of Great Britain
The Methodist Church of Great Britain is the largest Wesleyan Methodist body in the United Kingdom, with congregations across Great Britain . It is the United Kingdom's fourth largest Christian denomination, with around 300,000 members and 6,000 churches...
, it merged into the main Methodist Church of Great Britain in 1932. Methodism
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
reached its peak at the beginning of the 20th century when there were eight Methodist churches in the Hillsborough area. However Hillsborough Trinity is the only one remaining with the other seven having been demolished or now being used for other purposes. The church has changed very little externally over the years, although a new church hall was added in 1963. The interior of the church has been modified to cater for the needs of modern worship, the original balcony is now not used because of safety concerns.
Present day and future
The church has extensive adjoining buildings (engraved Sunday School, AD 1901) which are still used for Sunday SchoolSunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
as well as Brownies, Boys' Brigade
Boys' Brigade
For the 80s New Wave band from Canada, see Boys Brigade .The Boys' Brigade is an interdenominational Christian youth organisation, conceived by William Alexander Smith to combine drill and fun activities with Christian values...
as well as many other community events such as coffee mornings, dancing and meetings. The present Minister, the Rev Maurice Stafford and his staff have plans for the future of the church to make it a major community building. The plans, as yet not finalised, could range from just a major refurbishment to a complete rebuild.
The plans have more recently been finalised (Summer 2010) and it has been decided that a refurbishment is more fitting. As part of the refurbishment the hall's stage has been removed to extend the halls length; the size of the kitchen has been increased by moving the wall separating it and the beginners room. As well as a re-size the kitchen has also had a full new fit out of equipment and work-surfaces. Two new rooms have also been added in the loft space above what was the stage. and the whole of the church has also been re-painted as well as having new "tube" lighting fitted in nearly all rooms.