Holy Trinity Church, Wray, is in the village of Wray

Wray, Lancashire

Wray is a small village in Lancashire, part of the civil parish of Wray-with-Botton, in the City of Lancaster district. Wray is the point at which the River Roeburn joins the River Hindburn....

, Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

, 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 Tunstall, the archdeaconry of Lancaster, and the diocese of Blackburn

Diocese of Blackburn

The Diocese of Blackburn is a Church of England diocese, covering much of Lancashire, created in 1926 from part of the Diocese of Manchester. The Diocese includes the towns of Blackburn, Blackpool, Burnley, and the cities of Lancaster, and Preston, as well as a large part of the Ribble Valley...

. Its benefice is united with those of St Peter, Leck

St Peter's Church, Leck

St Peter's Church, Leck, is located in the village of Leck, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Tunstall, the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the diocese of Blackburn...

, St Wilfrid, Melling

St Wilfrid's Church, Melling

St Wilfrid's Church, Melling, is in the village of Melling, Lancashire, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, and is an active Anglican church in the united benefice of East Lonsdale, the deanery of Tunstall, the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the...

, St John, Tunstall

St John the Baptist's Church, Tunstall

St John the Baptist's Church, Tunstall is located to the northeast of the village of Tunstall, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the united benefice of East Lonsdale, in the deanery of Tunstall, the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the diocese of Blackburn...

, St James the Less, Tatham

Church of St James the Less, Tatham

The Church of St James the Less, Tatham, is located in the village of Tatham, Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Tunstall, the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the diocese of Blackburn...

, and the Good Shepherd, Tatham Fells, Lowgill

Church of the Good Shepherd, Tatham

The Church of the Good Shepherd, Tatham, is located on Tatham Fell in Lancashire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Tunstall, the archdeaconry of Lancaster and the diocese of Blackburn...

.

History

The church was built in 1839–40 and designed by the 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...

 architect 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...

. The foundation stone was laid on 28 May 1839, and the church was completed the following year, although it was not 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...

 until 1 July 1841, when the Bishop of Chester

Bishop of Chester

The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.The diocese expands across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the City of Chester where the seat is located at the Cathedral...

 performed the ceremony. In 1879 the church was enlarged by Sharpe's successors, Paley and Austin, who added a larger 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 transept

Transept

For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...

s. In 1889 Austin, Paley and Austin added a new nave roof, and altered the west elevation.

Architecture

Holy Trinity has a three-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...

, each of which contains triple a 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...

. At the west end are four lancets, one on each side and two over the entrance. The chancel, added by Paley and Austin, has two bays and a three-light east window containing Decorated 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:...

. At the west end of the church is a double bellcote. Inside the church is a west gallery, containing the organ. 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 made in 1879 by Gray and Davison

Gray and Davison

Gray & Davison was a large-scale manufacturer of church and cathedral pipe organs, based in London. The company was active between 1841–1973 and had its heyday between 1905–1930....

 and overhauled in 1980 by R. D. and E. H. Holmes.

See also

• List of architectural works by Edmund Sharpe
• List of ecclesiastical works by Paley and Austin
• List of works by Paley, Austin and Paley