The Guildhall, formerly Holy Trinity Church, is a
redundant church
A redundant church, now referred to as a "closed church", is a church building that is no longer used for Christian worship. The term most frequently refers to former Anglican churches in the United Kingdom, but may also be used for disused church ...
in Watergate in the city of
Chester,
Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the
National Heritage List for England
The National Heritage List for England (NHLE) is England's official database of protected heritage assets. It includes details of all English listed buildings, scheduled monuments, register of historic parks and gardens, protected shipwrecks, a ...
as a designated Grade II
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
The church closed in 1960, became known as the Guildhall, and was converted to be used for secular purposes.
History
The original building, which had a north
aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of non-walking spaces on both sides. Aisles with seating on both sides can be seen in airplanes, certain types of buildings, such as churches, cathedrals, synagogues, meeting halls, par ...
, probably dated from the late 12th century.
The east end and south side were rebuilt in 1678.
[ This church had a spire which was rebuilt in the 1770s but in 1811 was taken down for reasons of safety. The present church was built between 1865 and 1869 to a design by James Harrison. He died before it was finished and the church was completed by the firm of Kelly and Edwards of Chester.][
After the church reconsecrated in 1960, it was taken on by the Freemen and Guilds of the City of Chester in the late 1960s and converted into two halls, the Major Hall and the Lower Hall, for a variety of secular uses, including conferences, receptions, dances, and concerts.
In October 2011 the Freemen and Guilds of the City of Chester handed responsibility for the building back to the local council but secured continued access for banquets and other important functions. A new members' bar, branded as "The Guild Chester", opened in the guildhall in October 2019.]
Architecture
Exterior
It is built in red sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...
with grey slate roofs. Its plan consists of a continuous nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
and chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ov ...
with a clerestory, a west porch, a detached south spire and porch, and a vestry
A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...
to the south. The tower has three stages with double doors to the east and above this a relief sculpture of Christ enthroned. The second stage has a lancet window and clock faces to the east and south. The third stage has two-light bell-openings, corner buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral ( ...
es, a pierced parapet
A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...
and a recessed octagonal stone spire with three lucarne
In general architecture a lucarne is a term used to describe a dormer window. The original term french: lucarne refers to a dormer window, usually set into the middle of a roof although it can also apply to a façade lucarne, where the gable of t ...
s to each face.[
]
Interior
Most of the fittings have been removed. The east window, dated 1885, is by Kempe,[ Now hidden by flooring is a memorial to John Whitmore who died in 1374.][ The former chancel screen and the reredos are also hidden.][ There is a burial vault under the building which dates back to when the church was built.]
See also
* Guild
A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometimes ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chester, Holy Trinity Church
Former Church of England church buildings
Grade II listed churches in Cheshire
Church of England church buildings in Cheshire
19th-century Church of England church buildings
Gothic Revival architecture in Cheshire
Churches completed in 1869
Guildhall
A guildhall, also known as a "guild hall" or "guild house", is a historical building originally used for tax collecting by municipalities or merchants in Great Britain and the Low Countries. These buildings commonly become town halls and in som ...
Redundant churches
James Harrison buildings
1869 establishments in England
Churches in Chester