Holy Trinity is a former church in Sunderland. It was opened in 1719 as the church for the newly created Parish of Sunderland.

It is a listed building and is one of the oldest buildings in the East End of Sunderland.

It is unknown who built the church, but what is known for sure is that Daniel Newcombe — who was appointed rector

Rector

The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...

 — and William Etty

William Etty (architect)

William Etty was an English architect and craftsman, best known for designing Holy Trinity Church, Leeds and Holy Trinity Church, Sunderland.-Life and work:...

 were involved in some of its design. A plaque marking its Grade I listed building status credits Etty as the designer. In its early years, the building was also home to the Select Vestrymen — in effect the town council

Town council

A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch....

— and the library

Library

In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...

 and the mechanical fire pump.

The church is no longer in use for worship, having closed in 1988, and is now owned by the Churches Conservation Trust

Churches Conservation Trust

The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...

. It is also used by Sunderland Old Township Heritage Society, the Donnison School, the Rector Gray Society and the communities of Hendon and Old Sunderland during "Heritage Days".

History

• 1712 — Local merchants campaign for a new church to be built.
• 1719 — First recorded baptism
  Baptism
  In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
  
  s, of Primus Barwick and Mary Whiton, on July 25.
• 1719 — Church consecrated on September 5.
• 1735 — Near-circular apse
  Apse
  In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
  
   with Venetian window added by Daniel Newcombe, as the church initially had 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...
  
  .
• 1803 — Gallery added.Roof reconstructed by Thomas Wilson and windows re-glazed.
• 1838 — Memorial erected to Revd Robert Gray, rector from 1819 to 1838.
• 1856 — Clockface on tower added.
• 1842 — Gallery extension constructed, but later removed.
• 1900 (circa
  Circa
  Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
  
  ) — Windows re-glazed for the second time.
• 1936 — Organ
  Organ (music)
  The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
  
   built.
• 1939-1945 — slight war
  World War II
  World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
  
   damage.
• 1980s — building in need of expensive repairs.
• 1988 — cost of renovation and dwindling congregation cause the final service to be held on June 26, and church the closes a few days later.

See also

• Grade I listed buildings in Tyne and Wear
• List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in Northern England