Holy Trinity Sloane Street
Encyclopedia
Holy Trinity Sloane Street (The Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity
with Saint Jude
, Upper Chelsea, sometimes known as Holy Trinity Sloane Square
) is a London Anglican parish church
, built 1888-90 at the south-eastern side of Sloane Street
to a striking Arts & Crafts
design by the architect John Dando Sedding at the cost of the 5th Earl Cadogan
, in whose London estate it lay. It replaced an earlier building only half its size which, at the time of its demolition, was less than sixty years old.
by nine inches. The internal fittings were the work of leading sculptors and designers of the day, including F. W. Pomeroy
, H. H. Armstead, Onslow Ford and Hamo Thornycroft
. In 1891 Sedding died (his memorial can be seen on the north wall in the Lady Chapel
) and Henry Wilson took charge of the project to complete the interior decoration of the building to the original design. In part, he failed, for some of the glass was never installed, nor was the important addition of a frieze beneath the high windows even attempted. Some of the internal sculpture/carving is still incomplete. In the 1920s the interior was whitened by F. C. Eden, lightening the character and feel of the building considerably.
The church houses an important collection of stained glass
, including an enormous east window by Edward Burne-Jones
and William Morris
; and other windows by William Blake Richmond
(including some highly decadent imagery), Powells (the Memorial Chapel) and by Christopher Whall
(the incomplete clerestory sequence and two striking windows on the south side of the nave). The large west window, which William Morris
and Edward Burne-Jones
had apparently hoped to complete before moving onto the east window, was never done and the plain glass in it was eventually destroyed by enemy action, although all the other windows survived or were repaired. The project to glaze the west window remains to be realised.
The churchmanship at the time of the opening of the new building might have been described as eclectically High, as the liturgy seems to have been drawn from a number of sources and traditions, although at this distance it is hard to gauge what exactly was done. After a long period of less symbolic worship, notably under the long tenure (1945–1980) of Alfred Basil Carver and the shorter incumbencies of his successors Phillip Roberts (1980-7) and Keith Yates (1987–97), the building has now returned to a liberal Catholic style of worship.
The church was badly damaged by incendiary bombs
in World War II
but was restored more or less to its previous appearance by the early 1960s. There was then a concerted attempt by the church authorities to close and demolish the building, replacing it with something smaller but this was thwarted by a campaign led by John Betjeman
and the Victorian Society. The building now houses a thriving congregation built during the ten years under the incumbency (1997–2007) of Michael Eric Marshall
, the former Bishop of Woolwich. It would seem that the connection with the world of the fine arts not only represented in the building and its fittings but also in sponsorship and encouragement of artists and musicians is likely to continue under the Rev. Rob Gillion, trained as an actor, who became Rector late in 2008.
Holy Trinity had a reputation for Anglican church music
from the early days and, for most of its history until the mid 1970s, Choral Evensong was a daily event. Happily, since 1987, when the enthusiasm of Keith Yates led to a revival, choral music has thrived in one form or another, thanks to the efforts of a succession of choirmasters, most recently in 2003, when the choir was again reformed with professional singers under the current Director of Music, Andrew O'Brien, whose present assistant is Oliver Lallemant. Future plans include the return of a choir school and a local choral society directed by Oliver Lallemant has now been formed. Liturgical choral music is also provided approximately once each month by "conQordia", a choir drawn largely from members of the BBC Symphony Chorus
.
organ to occupy at the north-east corner. The instrument was badly damaged by enemy action in the Second World War but patched up in 1947 and partially rebuilt twenty years later. A definitive rebuild by Harrison & Harrison began on 13th June 2011, with the aim of restoring and enlarging the instrument using the surviving Walker pipework augmented by matching new material, confirming its former position as one of the principal organs in London. The present organ curator is Michael Brough, who had a 32 ft reed added to the organ in 1992.
(1892-5), Sir Walter Alcock
(1895–1902) and H. L. Balfour (1902–42), all of whom were leading men in their field; and a vigorous tradition continues to this day. The composer John Ireland
was Alcock's assistant; he had hoped to be promoted when the latter left in 1902 but was regarded as too young to take over, a decision later viewed as an unfortunate mistake. Later players and assistants have included Arnold Greir, Ian Curror, Simon Lindley
and, most notably, Alan Harverson
, sometime Professor of Organ at the Royal Academy of Music
.
and Dilke
both attended the church: Gladstone had a habit of marching down the street with Lemare before the main morning service; whilst Dilke lived only yards away in the parish (his house lies further up the road on the west side, today marked by a blue plaque); and his funeral was held at Holy Trinity. The church soon attracted the attention of Bohemian artists and poets some of whom clustered loosely round Oscar Wilde
, whose arrest took place, famously, at the Cadogan Hotel
. At the same time, the church was and still figures high in the cherished heritage of the Cadogan family and its Estate. Extremely popular in the 1920s, there was a very extensive clergy team under the Rector Christopher Cheshire, including, for a time, the priest, ecclesiologist and hymnographer Percy Dearmer
.
, a teaching and outreach organisation dedicated in part to the increase of interfaith understanding and respect, with branches in other parts of the world, notably in the Middle East and North America.
As a local parish church, Holy Trinity now offers a selection of liturgical worship and community events and is a concert venue. Uncluttered by static pews, the vast nave provides flexible space for concerts and events, the focus of some of which mirrors and re-expresses the artistic climate surrounding its first two decades. An arts and crafts guild was established by Michael Marshall early in his incumbency; more recently, an annual summer festival, the Chelsea Schubert Festival, has appeared, supplemented by concerts and recitals during the rest of the year.
On 1st November 2011, the parish of St Saviour, Upper Chelsea, was added to that of Holy Trinity and the new parochial unit is The Parish of The Holy and Undivided Trinity with St Saviour, Upper Chelsea, and the church building in Walton Place became a chapel of ease to Holy Trinity.
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
with Saint Jude
Saint Jude
Jude was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is generally identified with Thaddeus, and is also variously called Jude of James, Jude Thaddaeus, Judas Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus...
, Upper Chelsea, sometimes known as Holy Trinity Sloane Square
Sloane Square
Sloane Square is a small hard-landscaped square on the boundaries of the fashionable London districts of Knightsbridge, Belgravia and Chelsea, located southwest of Charing Cross, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The square is part of the Hans Town area designed in 1771 by Henry...
) is a London Anglican 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....
, built 1888-90 at the south-eastern side of Sloane Street
Sloane Street
Sloane Street is a major London street which runs north to south, from Knightsbridge to Sloane Square, crossing Pont Street about half way along, entirely in The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Sloane Street takes its name from Sir Hans Sloane, who purchased the surrounding area in 1712...
to a striking Arts & Crafts
Arts and Crafts movement
Arts and Crafts was an international design philosophy that originated in England and flourished between 1860 and 1910 , continuing its influence until the 1930s...
design by the architect John Dando Sedding at the cost of the 5th Earl Cadogan
George Cadogan, 5th Earl Cadogan
George Henry Cadogan, 5th Earl Cadogan KG, PC, JP was a British Conservative politician.-Background and education:...
, in whose London estate it lay. It replaced an earlier building only half its size which, at the time of its demolition, was less than sixty years old.
History
Holy Trinity was built on a grand scale, suddenly becoming, if not the longest church in the capital then, strangely, the widest, eclipsing St Paul's CathedralSt Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
by nine inches. The internal fittings were the work of leading sculptors and designers of the day, including F. W. Pomeroy
F. W. Pomeroy
Frederick William Pomeroy RA was a prolific British sculptor of architectural and monumental works.He was born in London, the son of an artist-craftsman. He trained with William Silver Frith at the South London Technical School of Art , where he was also taught by Jules Dalou...
, H. H. Armstead, Onslow Ford and Hamo Thornycroft
Hamo Thornycroft
Sir William "Hamo" Thornycroft, RA was a British sculptor, responsible for several London landmarks.-Biography:...
. In 1891 Sedding died (his memorial can be seen on the north wall in the Lady Chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
) and Henry Wilson took charge of the project to complete the interior decoration of the building to the original design. In part, he failed, for some of the glass was never installed, nor was the important addition of a frieze beneath the high windows even attempted. Some of the internal sculpture/carving is still incomplete. In the 1920s the interior was whitened by F. C. Eden, lightening the character and feel of the building considerably.
The church houses an important collection of stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
, including an enormous east window by Edward Burne-Jones
Edward Burne-Jones
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet was a British artist and designer closely associated with the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, who worked closely with William Morris on a wide range of decorative arts as a founding partner in Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, and Company...
and William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
; and other windows by William Blake Richmond
William Blake Richmond
Sir William Blake Richmond KCB , English painter and decorator, was born in London. His father, George Richmond, R.A...
(including some highly decadent imagery), Powells (the Memorial Chapel) and by Christopher Whall
Christopher Whall
Christopher Whitworth Whall was an English stained glass artist who worked from 1897 into the 20th century.He was an important member of the Arts and Crafts Movement, who became a leading designer of stained glass. His most important work is the glass for the Lady Chapel in Gloucester Cathedral...
(the incomplete clerestory sequence and two striking windows on the south side of the nave). The large west window, which William Morris
William Morris
William Morris 24 March 18343 October 1896 was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement...
and Edward Burne-Jones
Edward Burne-Jones
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet was a British artist and designer closely associated with the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, who worked closely with William Morris on a wide range of decorative arts as a founding partner in Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, and Company...
had apparently hoped to complete before moving onto the east window, was never done and the plain glass in it was eventually destroyed by enemy action, although all the other windows survived or were repaired. The project to glaze the west window remains to be realised.
The churchmanship at the time of the opening of the new building might have been described as eclectically High, as the liturgy seems to have been drawn from a number of sources and traditions, although at this distance it is hard to gauge what exactly was done. After a long period of less symbolic worship, notably under the long tenure (1945–1980) of Alfred Basil Carver and the shorter incumbencies of his successors Phillip Roberts (1980-7) and Keith Yates (1987–97), the building has now returned to a liberal Catholic style of worship.
The church was badly damaged by incendiary bombs
Incendiary device
Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices or incendiary bombs are bombs designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using materials such as napalm, thermite, chlorine trifluoride, or white phosphorus....
in World War II
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...
but was restored more or less to its previous appearance by the early 1960s. There was then a concerted attempt by the church authorities to close and demolish the building, replacing it with something smaller but this was thwarted by a campaign led by John Betjeman
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
and the Victorian Society. The building now houses a thriving congregation built during the ten years under the incumbency (1997–2007) of Michael Eric Marshall
Michael Marshall (bishop)
Michael Eric Marshall was the eighth Bishop of Woolwich in the Church of England .Marshall was educated at Christ's College, Cambridge and was ordained in 1961. His first ministry position was as a curate at St Peter's Spring Hill, Birmingham after which he was temporarily a tutor at Ely...
, the former Bishop of Woolwich. It would seem that the connection with the world of the fine arts not only represented in the building and its fittings but also in sponsorship and encouragement of artists and musicians is likely to continue under the Rev. Rob Gillion, trained as an actor, who became Rector late in 2008.
Holy Trinity had a reputation for Anglican church music
Anglican church music
Anglican church music is music that is written for liturgical performance in Anglican church services.Almost all of it is written for choir with or without organ accompaniment...
from the early days and, for most of its history until the mid 1970s, Choral Evensong was a daily event. Happily, since 1987, when the enthusiasm of Keith Yates led to a revival, choral music has thrived in one form or another, thanks to the efforts of a succession of choirmasters, most recently in 2003, when the choir was again reformed with professional singers under the current Director of Music, Andrew O'Brien, whose present assistant is Oliver Lallemant. Future plans include the return of a choir school and a local choral society directed by Oliver Lallemant has now been formed. Liturgical choral music is also provided approximately once each month by "conQordia", a choir drawn largely from members of the BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Symphony Chorus
The BBC Symphony Chorus is a British amateur chorus based in London. It is the dedicated chorus for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, though it performs with other national and international orchestras....
.
The organ
John Sedding was himself an organist and provided an unusually large chamber for the famous four-manual J. W. Walker & Sons LtdJ. W. Walker & Sons Ltd
J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd is a British firm of organ builders established in 1828 by Joseph William Walker in London. Walker organs were popular additions to churches during the Gothic Revival era of church building and restoration in Victorian Britain, and instruments built by Walker are found in...
organ to occupy at the north-east corner. The instrument was badly damaged by enemy action in the Second World War but patched up in 1947 and partially rebuilt twenty years later. A definitive rebuild by Harrison & Harrison began on 13th June 2011, with the aim of restoring and enlarging the instrument using the surviving Walker pipework augmented by matching new material, confirming its former position as one of the principal organs in London. The present organ curator is Michael Brough, who had a 32 ft reed added to the organ in 1992.
The organists
The organ is played for services and recitals principally by Oliver Lallemant and Michael Brough. Notable organists have included Edwin LemareEdwin Lemare
Edwin Henry Lemare was an English organist and composer who lived the latter part of his life in the United States.-Biography:...
(1892-5), Sir Walter Alcock
Walter Alcock
Sir Walter Galpin Alcock was an English organist and composer born at Edenbridge, Kent.He studied at the Royal College of Music under Sir Arthur Sullivan and Sir John Stainer....
(1895–1902) and H. L. Balfour (1902–42), all of whom were leading men in their field; and a vigorous tradition continues to this day. The composer John Ireland
John Ireland (composer)
John Nicholson Ireland was an English composer.- Life :John Ireland was born in Bowdon, near Altrincham, Manchester, into a family of Scottish descent and some cultural distinction. His father, Alexander Ireland, a publisher and newspaper proprietor, was aged 70 at John's birth...
was Alcock's assistant; he had hoped to be promoted when the latter left in 1902 but was regarded as too young to take over, a decision later viewed as an unfortunate mistake. Later players and assistants have included Arnold Greir, Ian Curror, Simon Lindley
Simon Lindley
Simon Lindley is a British organist, choirmaster, conductor and composer. He has been organist at Leeds Town Hall since 1976 and Master of the Music and organist of Leeds Parish Church since 1975. Senior Lecturer in Music at Leeds Polytechnic from 1976 to 1987, Lindley held the post of Senior...
and, most notably, Alan Harverson
Alan Harverson
Alan Harverson was an English organist, pianist and teacher, born and raised in southern Ireland....
, sometime Professor of Organ at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
.
Notable events at Holy Trinity
Many notable figures have worshipped and assisted at Holy Trinity Sloane Street, always a place capable of attracting figures from seemingly opposing sides of the British political spectrum. The colourful Liberals GladstoneWilliam Ewart Gladstone
William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British Liberal statesman. In a career lasting over sixty years, he served as Prime Minister four separate times , more than any other person. Gladstone was also Britain's oldest Prime Minister, 84 years old when he resigned for the last time...
and Dilke
Sir Charles Dilke, 2nd Baronet
Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke, 2nd Baronet PC was an English Liberal and reformist politician. Touted as a future prime minister, his aspirations to higher political office were effectively terminated in 1885, after a notorious and well-publicised divorce case.-Background and education:Dilke was the...
both attended the church: Gladstone had a habit of marching down the street with Lemare before the main morning service; whilst Dilke lived only yards away in the parish (his house lies further up the road on the west side, today marked by a blue plaque); and his funeral was held at Holy Trinity. The church soon attracted the attention of Bohemian artists and poets some of whom clustered loosely round Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
, whose arrest took place, famously, at the Cadogan Hotel
Cadogan Hotel
The Cadogan Hotel is a hotel located in Sloane Street, Knightsbridge, London, England that was built in 1887.The Earls Cadogan, via their company Cadogan Estates have owned Sloane Street and the surrounding area for many generations....
. At the same time, the church was and still figures high in the cherished heritage of the Cadogan family and its Estate. Extremely popular in the 1920s, there was a very extensive clergy team under the Rector Christopher Cheshire, including, for a time, the priest, ecclesiologist and hymnographer Percy Dearmer
Percy Dearmer
Percy Dearmer, was an English priest and liturgist best known as the author of The Parson's Handbook, a liturgical manual for Anglican clergy. A lifelong socialist, he was an early advocate of the public ministry of women and concerned with social justice...
.
- 16 January 1896: marriage of George William Howard Bowen (son of Sir George Ferguson Bowen and Contessa Diamantina di RomaDiamantina BowenLady Diamantina Bowen was a Greek noble who became the wife of Sir George Ferguson Bowen, the first governor of Queensland.-Personal life:...
) to Gertrude Chamberlain, niece of Joseph ChamberlainJoseph ChamberlainJoseph Chamberlain was an influential British politician and statesman. Unlike most major politicians of the time, he was a self-made businessman and had not attended Oxford or Cambridge University....
, Colonial SecretarySecretary of State for the ColoniesThe Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
Holy Trinity today
Recently, Holy Trinity Sloane Street has sponsored international Christian links through a network of Friends. It is host church for the Awareness FoundationAwareness Foundation
The Awareness Foundation was established in 2003 to help Christians make sense of their faith in the 21st Century, and to increase awareness of their neighbours’ faiths and cultures, so that they can live in a diverse society without fear and without compromising their beliefs. Their Patron is the...
, a teaching and outreach organisation dedicated in part to the increase of interfaith understanding and respect, with branches in other parts of the world, notably in the Middle East and North America.
As a local parish church, Holy Trinity now offers a selection of liturgical worship and community events and is a concert venue. Uncluttered by static pews, the vast nave provides flexible space for concerts and events, the focus of some of which mirrors and re-expresses the artistic climate surrounding its first two decades. An arts and crafts guild was established by Michael Marshall early in his incumbency; more recently, an annual summer festival, the Chelsea Schubert Festival, has appeared, supplemented by concerts and recitals during the rest of the year.
On 1st November 2011, the parish of St Saviour, Upper Chelsea, was added to that of Holy Trinity and the new parochial unit is The Parish of The Holy and Undivided Trinity with St Saviour, Upper Chelsea, and the church building in Walton Place became a chapel of ease to Holy Trinity.