Holy Trinity Church, Guildford
Encyclopedia
Holy Trinity Church is an Anglican
church in the centre of Guildford
, England
. A large, red brick building, it was built on the site of a mediaeval church which collapsed in the mid-18th century. It is the only large Georgian
church in Surrey
, sporting detailed frescos of the Crucifixion surrounded by the Saints and the Ascended Lord in Heaven, as well as one of the largest unsupported ceilings in southern England. From 1927, when the diocese of Guildford
was created, until 1961, when the current cathedral
was consecrated, it served as pro-cathedral
. Today it forms part of the town centre parish
of Holy Trinity and Saint Mary's.
granted the living to Merton Priory, which retained it until the Dissolution
.
(d.1541) of nearby Sutton Place
, primarily as his intended burial place, as his will, dated 15 May 1541, directs that his body be
The Chantry
established and funded by Weston is listed in the "Survey of Chantry Lands, Surrey"
made between 1546 and 1548 as part of the administering of the Dissolution of the Monasteries
as being:
The Weston family maintained their Catholic faith throughout the Reformation
and beyond, which was a great sacrifice for them as it prevented them from holding public office and brought much suspicion on them from government officials throughout the ages. The freehold of the Weston Chapel was retained by descendants of the Weston family until 2005, when the trustees of the Weston Estate granted it to the main Protestant Church of Holy Trinity to which it has been physically attached since 1763. Part of the arrangement was that a Catholic mass be held in the Chapel at least annually. There are three surviving Weston monuments in the chapel. Two are wall tablets, the earliest of which commemorates Melior Mary Weston(d.1782) of Sutton Place, the last direct descendant of the founder and only child and sole heiress of John II Weston(d.1730) and Elizabeth Gage, sister of Thomas Gage, 1st Viscount Gage
. The tablet was erected by her grateful distant Catholic cousin John Webbe-Weston(d.1823) to whom she bequeathed all her estates, including Sutton Place. The other tablet is for Elizabeth Lawson, who died in 1791 aged 34, first wife of John Webbe-Weston. The other Weston Monument which once stood in the centre of the Weston Chapel but now stands in the west porch of the main church is the chest tomb of Anne Pickering(d.1582), wife of Sir Francis Weston
the only son of the founder who was executed in 1536 aged only 25 for supposed adultery with Queen Anne Boleyn
. Although she remarried, she expressed the wish in her will to be buried near her first father-in-law. Francis, having been beheaded in the Tower of London
, was buried in an unmarked tomb within the precincts of the Tower. The effigy is of a recumbent woman wearing a ruff
and lies on a chest tomb sculpted with skulls showing behind a grill.
, and in 1886 the church was enlarged at the east end, creating the present choir, sanctuary
, side chapel and organ chamber. The church is now effectively one huge room with tripartite openings at the east end, allowing access to the chancel and the two side chapels. The central feature of the decoration of the apse
is 'the Presence of the Crucified in the Church of all ages': Christ upon the cross
is flanked by Aaron
, David
, and Isaiah
on the north side, and Saints Paul, Stephen
, and Augustine of Hippo
on the south side, representing respectively the priests, kings and prophets of the Jewish Church and the apostles, martyrs and bishops of the Christian Church. Other alterations have taken place throughout the 20th century. The wrought iron choir screen dates from 1927, when Holy Trinity became pro-cathedral. The organ has undergone substantial movement and alteration over the years, culminating in complete renovations in 1977 and 1997.
Features inside the church include the tomb of George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury
from 1611 to 1633 and founder of Abbot's Hospital, which stands opposite the church, and a memorial to Arthur Onslow
, former Speaker of the House of Commons
.
The church also has a ring of eight bells
hung for change ringing
. Four of the bells date from 1769, cast by Lester, Pack & Chapman, with the others having been cast in 1912 by John Taylor & Co.
was divided into three sections in 1927. The Congé d'Elire
for this purpose was held in the Weston Chapel. Holy Trinity Church was initially used as the cathedral for the new Diocese of Guildford, but it was judged too small for the task, and in 1928 the diocese decided to build a new cathedral. Work began on the new cathedral in 1933, but the Second World War delayed the construction considerably, and it was not consecrated until 1961, although services had been held in the crypt
since 1947. In the intervening years Holy Trinity Church served as pro-cathedral.
tradition of the Church of England
. There are usually two services, a Sung Eucharist (Common Worship
) and Evensong
(Book of Common Prayer
), on a Sunday. Morning Prayer is said every weekday. Sunday worship is led by the forty-strong choir, which is unusual in being a parish church choir which retains an all-boys treble line.
Holy Trinity is Guildford's civic church, where the installation of each new Mayor
and the town's annual Act of Remembrance
is celebrated. It also serves as the venue for regular musical events.
The parish of Holy Trinity and Saint Mary's has links with the Diocese of Highveld
in South Africa
, and a group of parishioners travelled to the Highveld in 2008.
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 the centre of Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. A large, red brick building, it was built on the site of a mediaeval church which collapsed in the mid-18th century. It is the only large Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
church in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, sporting detailed frescos of the Crucifixion surrounded by the Saints and the Ascended Lord in Heaven, as well as one of the largest unsupported ceilings in southern England. From 1927, when the diocese of Guildford
Diocese of Guildford
The Diocese of Guildford is a Church of England diocese based in Guildford, covering most of Surrey and part of Hampshire. The cathedral is Guildford Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Guildford. It is part of the Province of Canterbury....
was created, until 1961, when the current cathedral
Guildford Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford is the Anglican cathedral at Guildford, Surrey, England.-Construction:Guildford was made a diocese in its own right in 1927, and work on its new cathedral, designed by Sir Edward Maufe, began nine years later, with the foundation stone being laid...
was consecrated, it served as pro-cathedral
Pro-cathedral
A pro-cathedral is a parish church that is temporarily serving as the cathedral or co-cathedral of a diocese.-Usage:In Ireland, the term is used to specifically refer to St Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin since the Reformation, when Christ Church...
. Today it forms part of the town centre parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Holy Trinity and Saint Mary's.
Construction and development
The original, mediaeval church was similar in plan to the surviving Saint Mary's. Its date of construction is unknown, although the list of rectors goes back to 1304. It may have been a Norman foundation. It is believed that Henry IHenry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
granted the living to Merton Priory, which retained it until the Dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
.
Weston Chapel
The "Weston Chapel" stands attached to the south side of the main church. Its external walls are of a decorative chequerboard pattern of flint and freestone squares. It was built in 1540 by Sir Richard WestonRichard Weston (1465–1541)
Sir Richard Weston KB was Governor of Guernsey, Treasurer of Calais and Under-Treasurer of the Exchequer during the reign of King Henry VIII of England....
(d.1541) of nearby Sutton Place
Sutton Place, Surrey
Sutton Place, 3 miles NE of Guildford in Surrey is a Grade I listed Tudor manor house built c.1525 by Sir Richard Weston, courtier of Henry VIII. It is of great importance to art history in showing some of the earliest traces of Italianate renaissance design elements in English architecture. In...
, primarily as his intended burial place, as his will, dated 15 May 1541, directs that his body be
"buryed in the P'yshe Churche of the Holy Trinitye with in the Town of Guldforde in a Chapell
which I have caused to be made for the same iyntent"
The Chantry
Chantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
established and funded by Weston is listed in the "Survey of Chantry Lands, Surrey"
made between 1546 and 1548 as part of the administering of the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
as being:
"For the mayneteyninge of one priest and one yerely obiteObitObit may refer to:*Obituary, a brief notice of a person’s death*Obiit, a mediaeval mass of remembrance, named from the perfect case of the Latin verb ob-eo, to go away: "he has gone away"....
for the terme of xx ti (i.e.20) yeares begyninge the xx th day of June in the xxxii yere (1541) of the reigne of our late sovereign lorde Kinge Henry the eight. The incumbent whereof is Anthony Cawsey clerke of the
age of l (i.e.50) yeres...which said chauntrey and obite are worth lands and
tenements by the yere x li (i.e. £20) whereof to the pore xxvii s iiii d. (i.e. 27 shillings & 4 pence) and so remayneth clere viii li iiii d (i.e. £8 4d) plate parcel gilt viii oz di. Qrt. xlii s iii d Ornamentes x li."
The Weston family maintained their Catholic faith throughout the Reformation
Reformation
- Movements :* Protestant Reformation, an attempt by Martin Luther to reform the Roman Catholic Church that resulted in a schism, and grew into a wider movement...
and beyond, which was a great sacrifice for them as it prevented them from holding public office and brought much suspicion on them from government officials throughout the ages. The freehold of the Weston Chapel was retained by descendants of the Weston family until 2005, when the trustees of the Weston Estate granted it to the main Protestant Church of Holy Trinity to which it has been physically attached since 1763. Part of the arrangement was that a Catholic mass be held in the Chapel at least annually. There are three surviving Weston monuments in the chapel. Two are wall tablets, the earliest of which commemorates Melior Mary Weston(d.1782) of Sutton Place, the last direct descendant of the founder and only child and sole heiress of John II Weston(d.1730) and Elizabeth Gage, sister of Thomas Gage, 1st Viscount Gage
Thomas Gage, 1st Viscount Gage
Thomas Gage, 1st Viscount Gage Bt was the son of Joseph Gage of Sherborne Castle and Elizabeth Penruddock.He married Benedicta Maria Theresa Hall in 1717. Gage's first son was born in 1718...
. The tablet was erected by her grateful distant Catholic cousin John Webbe-Weston(d.1823) to whom she bequeathed all her estates, including Sutton Place. The other tablet is for Elizabeth Lawson, who died in 1791 aged 34, first wife of John Webbe-Weston. The other Weston Monument which once stood in the centre of the Weston Chapel but now stands in the west porch of the main church is the chest tomb of Anne Pickering(d.1582), wife of Sir Francis Weston
Francis Weston
Sir Francis Weston was a gentleman at the court of King Henry VIII of England. He became a friend of the king and gained a sad fame by being one of the men accused alongside Anne Boleyn...
the only son of the founder who was executed in 1536 aged only 25 for supposed adultery with Queen Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
. Although she remarried, she expressed the wish in her will to be buried near her first father-in-law. Francis, having been beheaded in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
, was buried in an unmarked tomb within the precincts of the Tower. The effigy is of a recumbent woman wearing a ruff
Ruff
The Ruff is a medium-sized wading bird that breeds in marshes and wet meadows across northern Eurasia. This highly gregarious sandpiper is migratory and sometimes forms huge flocks in its winter grounds, which include southern and western Europe, Africa, southern Asia and Australia...
and lies on a chest tomb sculpted with skulls showing behind a grill.
Collapse of 1740
In 1740 the steeple collapsed, destroying most of the building. The only part of the church building that survives today is the Weston Chapel. Some external features such as the iron railings also remain from the earlier building, as do two monuments. A new red brick church was erected to the designs of James Horne on the site of the original church and opened in 1763. The architecture has been described as "handsome and pedestrian at the same time", being of correct classical proportions but with details that are under-scale for such a large building on an important site. Holy Trinity is the only large 18th-century place of worship in Surrey and stands in a commanding position at the top of Guildford's High Street. In the mid-19th century the interior of the church was altered extensively. In 1869 Woodyer replaced the double rows of windows with single rows. The side galleries were removed in 1867. The Victorian emphasis on ritual and sacrament called for a larger chancelChancel
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 in 1886 the church was enlarged at the east end, creating the present choir, sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
, side chapel and organ chamber. The church is now effectively one huge room with tripartite openings at the east end, allowing access to the chancel and the two side chapels. The central feature of the decoration of the apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
is 'the Presence of the Crucified in the Church of all ages': Christ upon the cross
Crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
is flanked by Aaron
Aaron
In the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, Aaron : Ααρών ), who is often called "'Aaron the Priest"' and once Aaron the Levite , was the older brother of Moses, and a prophet of God. He represented the priestly functions of his tribe, becoming the first High Priest of the Israelites...
, David
David
David was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
, and Isaiah
Isaiah
Isaiah ; Greek: ', Ēsaïās ; "Yahu is salvation") was a prophet in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.Jews and Christians consider the Book of Isaiah a part of their Biblical canon; he is the first listed of the neviim akharonim, the later prophets. Many of the New Testament teachings of Jesus...
on the north side, and Saints Paul, Stephen
Saint Stephen
Saint Stephen The Protomartyr , the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches....
, and Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
on the south side, representing respectively the priests, kings and prophets of the Jewish Church and the apostles, martyrs and bishops of the Christian Church. Other alterations have taken place throughout the 20th century. The wrought iron choir screen dates from 1927, when Holy Trinity became pro-cathedral. The organ has undergone substantial movement and alteration over the years, culminating in complete renovations in 1977 and 1997.
Features inside the church include the tomb of George Abbot, Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
from 1611 to 1633 and founder of Abbot's Hospital, which stands opposite the church, and a memorial to Arthur Onslow
Arthur Onslow
Arthur Onslow was an English politician. He set a record for length of service when repeatedly elected to serve as Speaker of the House of Commons, where he was known for his integrity.-Early life and education:...
, former Speaker of the House of Commons
Speaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
.
The church also has a ring of eight bells
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
hung for change ringing
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
. Four of the bells date from 1769, cast by Lester, Pack & Chapman, with the others having been cast in 1912 by John Taylor & Co.
Pro-Cathedral
As a response to the increasing population of south-east England, the diocese of WinchesterDiocese of Winchester
The Diocese of Winchester forms part of the Province of Canterbury of the Church of England.Founded in 676, it is one of the oldest and largest of the dioceses in England.The area of the diocese incorporates:...
was divided into three sections in 1927. The Congé d'Elire
Congé d'élire
Congé d'Elire a licence from the Crown in England issued under the great seal to the dean and chapter of the cathedral church of the diocese, authorizing them to elect a bishop or archbishop, as the case may be, upon the vacancy of any episcopal or archi-episcopal see in England.-History and...
for this purpose was held in the Weston Chapel. Holy Trinity Church was initially used as the cathedral for the new Diocese of Guildford, but it was judged too small for the task, and in 1928 the diocese decided to build a new cathedral. Work began on the new cathedral in 1933, but the Second World War delayed the construction considerably, and it was not consecrated until 1961, although services had been held in the crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
since 1947. In the intervening years Holy Trinity Church served as pro-cathedral.
Worship
The style of worship at Holy Trinity Church falls within the liberalLiberal Christianity
Liberal Christianity, sometimes called liberal theology, is an umbrella term covering diverse, philosophically and biblically informed religious movements and ideas within Christianity from the late 18th century and onward...
tradition of the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. There are usually two services, a Sung Eucharist (Common Worship
Common Worship
Common Worship is the name given to the series of services authorised by the General Synod of the Church of England and launched on the first Sunday of Advent in 2000. It represents the most recent stage of development of the Liturgical Movement within the Church and is the successor to the...
) and Evensong
Evening Prayer (Anglican)
Evening Prayer is a liturgy in use in the Anglican Communion and celebrated in the late afternoon or evening...
(Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
), on a Sunday. Morning Prayer is said every weekday. Sunday worship is led by the forty-strong choir, which is unusual in being a parish church choir which retains an all-boys treble line.
Holy Trinity is Guildford's civic church, where the installation of each new Mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
and the town's annual Act of Remembrance
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. This day, or alternative dates, are also recognized as special days for war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth...
is celebrated. It also serves as the venue for regular musical events.
The parish of Holy Trinity and Saint Mary's has links with the Diocese of Highveld
Anglican Diocese of Highveld
-History:The Diocese of the Highveld was formed through a multiplication of the original Anglican Diocese of Johannesburg, which, in geographical terms, embraced the whole of the former Southern Transvaal Province of South Africa. The new diocese extends from the eastern edge of the Metropolis of...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and a group of parishioners travelled to the Highveld in 2008.