Holy Trinity Church, Northwich
Encyclopedia
Holy Trinity Church, Northwich, (also known as Holy Trinity Church, Castle) is in the Castle district of Northwich
, Cheshire, England. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the deanery of Middlewich, the archdeaconry of Chester, and the diocese of Chester
. Its benefice is united with that of St Luke, Northwich. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II listed building.
to make it more navigable for transport from the salt mines in the Winsford area of Cheshire to the River Mersey
, creating the Weaver Navigation. In 1839 the Weaver Navigation Trustees received a petition from its employees to allow them "the privilege of resting on the Sabbath
day" and to "have an opportunity of attending Divine Service". Previous Acts of Parliament
had already prohibited bargemen from having to work on Sundays. On 12 August 1839 the Trustees passed a by-law forbidding traffic on the Navigation between midnight on Saturday and midnight on Sunday. On 4 August 1840 a Weaver Navigation Act was passed to authorise the Trustees to use part of their funds to build one or more churches for their employees. Holy Trinity, Northwich, was one of these churches, the others being Christ Church, Weston Point
, and Christ Church, Winsford. The architect gaining the commission for all three churches was Edmund Sharpe
of Lancaster
.
The site chosen for the church was a small hill known as "Castle". The land was purchased for £80 (£ as of ) from Lord Tollemache
of Peckforton Castle
. The foundation stone for the church was laid on 1 July 1841 by Lord Tollemache, and the church was consecrated
exactly one year later. The sandstone
for building the church was given by J. L. Wright, a quarry owner from Runcorn
and Weston Point.
roofs. The architectural style is Geometrical. The plan consists of an aisle
less six-bay
nave
, a small narrow single-bay chancel
, and a tower at the west end. The tower is slim, in three stages, and surmounted by a broach spire
. In the bottom stage is a west door, the middle stage contains lancet window
s, and the bell openings are traceried
. The bays at the side of the church are separated by buttress
es, and each bay contains a window consisting of a circle above two lancets. At the east end of the chancel are three lancet windows, with a round window above. On each side of the chancel, at the east end, is another lancet window. Inside the church is a west gallery, containing the organ, carried on a cast iron
arcade
. The pews, pulpit
, and lectern
are in painted wood and date from the building of the church. The font
is octagonal. The stained glass in the west window dates from 1862. Also in the church is a window by Trena Cox, dating from the middle of the 20th century, depicting Saint Nicholas
and Wenceslas
. The two-manual
organ was built in 1898 by Young of Manchester
, and probably replaced an earlier organ.
Northwich
Northwich is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane...
, Cheshire, England. It is an active Anglican
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...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the deanery of Middlewich, the archdeaconry of Chester, and the diocese of Chester
Diocese of Chester
The Diocese of Chester is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York based in Chester, covering the county of Cheshire in its pre-1974 boundaries...
. Its benefice is united with that of St Luke, Northwich. The church has been designated by 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...
as a Grade II listed building.
History
From 1720 improvements were made to the River WeaverRiver Weaver
The River Weaver is a river, navigable in its lower reaches, running in a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, northern England. Improvements to the river to make it navigable were authorised in 1720 and the work, which included eleven locks, was completed in 1732...
to make it more navigable for transport from the salt mines in the Winsford area of Cheshire to the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
, creating the Weaver Navigation. In 1839 the Weaver Navigation Trustees received a petition from its employees to allow them "the privilege of resting on the Sabbath
Sabbath
Sabbath in Christianity is a weekly day of rest or religious observance, derived from the Biblical Sabbath.Seventh-day Sabbath observance, i.e. resting from labor from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, is practiced by seventh-day Sabbatarians...
day" and to "have an opportunity of attending Divine Service". Previous Acts of Parliament
Acts of Parliament in the United Kingdom
An Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom is a type of legislation called primary legislation. These Acts are passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster, or by the Scottish Parliament at Edinburgh....
had already prohibited bargemen from having to work on Sundays. On 12 August 1839 the Trustees passed a by-law forbidding traffic on the Navigation between midnight on Saturday and midnight on Sunday. On 4 August 1840 a Weaver Navigation Act was passed to authorise the Trustees to use part of their funds to build one or more churches for their employees. Holy Trinity, Northwich, was one of these churches, the others being Christ Church, Weston Point
Christ Church, Weston Point
Christ Church, Weston Point, a former parish church, is a redundant church in Weston Point, Runcorn, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building.-History:...
, and Christ Church, Winsford. The architect gaining the commission for all three churches was Edmund Sharpe
Edmund Sharpe
Edmund Sharpe was an English architect and engineer. He started his career as an architect, initially on his own, then in partnership with Edward Paley, designing mainly churches but also some secular buildings...
of Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
.
The site chosen for the church was a small hill known as "Castle". The land was purchased for £80 (£ as of ) from Lord Tollemache
John Tollemache, 1st Baron Tollemache
John Jervis Tollemache, 1st Baron Tollemache , was a British Conservative Member of Parliament and a major landowner and estate manager in Cheshire.-Personal life and career:...
of Peckforton Castle
Peckforton Castle
Peckforton Castle is a country house built in the style of a medieval castle. It stands in woodland at the north end of Peckforton Hills northwest of the village of Peckforton, Cheshire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building...
. The foundation stone for the church was laid on 1 July 1841 by Lord Tollemache, and the church was consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
exactly one year later. The sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
for building the church was given by J. L. Wright, a quarry owner from Runcorn
Runcorn
Runcorn is an industrial town and cargo port within the borough of Halton in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. In 2009, its population was estimated to be 61,500. The town is on the southern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form Runcorn Gap. Directly to the north...
and Weston Point.
Architecture
Holy Trinity is the largest of the three churches built for the Weaver Navigation Trustees, and had seating for over 400 people. It is constructed in red sandstone, and has grey slateSlate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roofs. The architectural style is Geometrical. The plan consists of an aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
less six-bay
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:...
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...
, a small narrow single-bay 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...
, and a tower at the west end. The tower is slim, in three stages, and surmounted by a broach spire
Broach spire
A broach spire is a type of spire, a tall pyramidal or conical structure usually on the top of a tower or a turret. A broach spire starts on a square base and is carried up to a tapering octagonal spire by means of triangular faces....
. In the bottom stage is a west door, the middle stage contains 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...
s, and the bell openings are traceried
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:...
. The bays at the side of the church are separated by buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es, and each bay contains a window consisting of a circle above two lancets. At the east end of the chancel are three lancet windows, with a round window above. On each side of the chancel, at the east end, is another lancet window. Inside the church is a west gallery, containing the organ, carried on a cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
. The pews, 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...
, and lectern
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
are in painted wood and date from the building of the church. 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:...
is octagonal. The stained glass in the west window dates from 1862. Also in the church is a window by Trena Cox, dating from the middle of the 20th century, depicting Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
and Wenceslas
Wenceslaus I, Duke of Bohemia
Wenceslaus I , or Wenceslas I, was the duke of Bohemia from 921 until his assassination in 935, purportedly in a plot by his own brother, Boleslav the Cruel....
. The two-manual
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...
organ was built in 1898 by Young of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, and probably replaced an earlier organ.