Holy Trinity Church, King's Court, also known as Christ Church, was a parish church in the city centre of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

, in England. The church was first recorded in 1268. It was largely or wholly rebuilt in the 14th century, with a nave, north and south aisles, and a 60-foot high tower, and there were further additions in the 15th century. From the 1410s, it was linked with St Michael's Hospital in

Well A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...

. Although it was a small church, it had at least five

chantries A chantry is an ecclesiastical term that may have either of two related meanings: # a chantry service, a Christian liturgy of prayers for the dead, which historically was an obiit, or # a chantry chapel, a building on private land, or an area in ...

in the Mediaeval period. In 1767, two of the church's chantry chapels were demolished in order to enlarge the neighbouring hay market in what became King's Square. Also in the 1760s, the church's stained glass was removed. Located at a busy junction, at the top of

The Shambles The Shambles is a historic street in York, England, featuring preserved medieval buildings, some dating back as far as the fourteenth century. The street is narrow with many timber-framed buildings with jettied floors that overhang the street b ...

, the church became regarded as an impediment to traffic; in 1818,

William Hargrove William Hargrove (16 October 1788 – 29 August 1862) was an English newspaper proprietor and historian of York. Life Born at Knaresborough, Yorkshire, on 16 October 1788, he was the youngest of the four children of Ely Hargrove, by his second wif ...

noted that several people had been killed coming around the narrow and sharp corner of the church, and he proposed demolishing the eastern end. In 1829, a triangular part on the east side of the church was demolished, in order that

Colliergate Colliergate is a street in the city centre of York, in England. History The are occupied by the street lay outside the Roman York city walls, city walls, but fell within the Canabae of Eboracum, a residential and industrial area. It is belie ...

could be widened. The demolitions did not resolve the church's issues, and in the 1850s, ''Sotheran's Guide'' stated that "the building has been several times curtailed, and if it was altogether removed there would be no loss of architectural beauty, and a great increase to public convenience". In 1861, the church was rebuilt, in a

Decorated style English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed ar ...

design, by Rawlins Gould. Only the east wall was retained from the old church, but the new church had the same plan, with the additions of north and south porches, and a vestry. In 1877, the church's plate was melted down, to produce new plate. Due to its declining congregation, its parish was merged with that of St Sampson's Church in 1886, and the church soon became disused. By 1896, it was used to house sheep on their way to slaughter. The furnishings were removed to

St Mary Bishophill Junior St Mary Bishophill Junior, York is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England, in the Bishophill area of York. History The church dates from the 10th century with the oldest part being the tower, which reuses some Roman stones. I ...

, and

St Everilda's Church, Nether Poppleton St Everilda's Church lies in Nether Poppleton, a village immediately north-west of York, in England. The church is one of only two in the country dedicated to Everilda, an Anglo-Saxon saint who established a monastic community which may have be ...

. However, the large clock on its tower was maintained. In 1937, the church was demolished, allowing King's Square to be further enlarged. Part of the square is paved with 19 gravestones from the church's cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:York, Holy Trinity, King's Court Holy Trinity, King's Court 14th-century church buildings in England 19th-century Church of England church buildings Buildings and structures demolished in 1937