Holy Trinity Church is a former

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

church in

Godney Godney is a village and civil parish near Glastonbury on the River Sheppey on the Somerset Levels in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. History Near the village are the sites of the Iron Age Glastonbury Lake Village, and the now drained ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England. Designed by

George Phillips Manners George Phillips Manners (1789 – 28 November 1866) was a British architect, Bath City Architect from 1823 to 1862. In his early career he worked with Charles Harcourt Masters and after about 1845 was in partnership with C.E. Gill. He retired in ...

, it was built in 1839–41 and made redundant in 1999. The church is now used for civil weddings and events as the Glastonbury Weddings and Events Venue. It is a Grade II listed building.

History

A chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity has existed at Godney since the 12th century, when one was in possession of Glastonbury Abbey. The chapel was later sold as part of Godney Manor after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539. The chapel was abandoned by 1675 and a new place of worship was established at a new site by Peter Davis in 1737. By 1838, Godney had a population of 270, but the chapel was in a poor state of repair and could only accommodate 80. Furthermore, residents of the village were unable to reach the parish church of

St Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

Meare Meare is a village and civil parish north west of Glastonbury on the Somerset Levels, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the village of Westhay. History Meare is a marshland village in typical Somerset "rhyne" coun ...

during winter floods. A scheme was launched to rebuild and enlarge Godney's chapel to accommodate 250 people. Funds were raised by public subscription and grants, including £60 from the Bath and Wells Diocesan Church Building Association. The church was rebuilt in 1839–41 to the designs of

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

and was consecrated by the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Right Rev. George Henry Law, on 22 July 1841. Godney was made its own ecclesiastical parish in 1869. The church was in need of restoration by the beginning of the 20th century, with the flooring, seating and gallery being in poor condition. Fundraising was led by the vicar of Godney, Rev. J. M. Alcock, and the restoration plans drawn up by the diocesan architect Edmund Buckle. The work, which included the construction of a chancel, was carried out in 1903 by Messrs J. Merrick and Son of

Glastonbury Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury ...

with supervision by Mr. Buckle. The foundation stone of the new chancel was laid by Major Charles D. Sherston on 20 July 1903. The work cost £700 to £800 and included the removal of the gallery and installation of new pews of pitch pine. The flooring was also concreted and relaid with wooden blocks. A new oak pulpit was added in memory of the late vicar of Godney, Rev. William J. Marshall. The church reopened on 12 December 1903. The Bishop of Bath and Wells, who had attended the chancel's foundation stone ceremony, had agreed to perform the reopening service, but was unable to attend due to illness. The Assistant Bishop, Rev.

Waite Stirling Waite Hockin Stirling (1829 – 19 November 1923) was a 19th-century missionary with the Patagonian Missionary Society (later known as the South American Missionary Society) and was the first Anglican Bishop of the Falkland Islands. He was bro ...

, conducted the service on his behalf. A new organ was dedicated at the church on 17 December 1908. It was built by the Positive Organ Company for £150 and funded by public subscription and a £60 donation from the philanthropist

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

. On 22 October 1911, an oak screen, erected to form a vestry at the west end of the nave, was dedicated by the Bishop of Bath and Wells, the Right Rev.

George Kennion George Wyndham Kennion, DD (5 September 184519 May 1922), was the Anglican Bishop of Adelaide, and later Bishop of Bath and Wells. Birth and education George Wyndham Kennion, the son of George Kennion and Catherine, daughter of J.F. Fordy ...

. It marked the completion of the restoration scheme of 1903. Godney was a sole benefice until it was united with St John's at Glastonbury in 1972. In 1985, it became part of the Abbey Five Benefice with Glastonbury, Meare, and

West Pennard West Pennard (or West Pennard Manor) is a village and civil parish east of Glastonbury, situated at the foot of Pennard Hill, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlets of Coxbridge and Woodlands. History The vi ...

. Repairs were carried out in 1980 for a cost of £2,700, which included the replacement of plasterwork and repair of the roof. Holy Trinity closed in 1998 and was declared redundant on 1 July 1999. The pews were removed in 2001 and the church then used for storage. In 2016, planning permission was obtained to use the church as a venue for civil weddings. The conversion work included the installation of a kitchen and toilets. It is now known as the Glastonbury Wedding Venue.

Architecture

Holy Trinity is built of Blue Lias ashlar with slate roofs. It was originally made up of a three-

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

nave, east vestry and south porch, with a gallery at the west end of nave and a

bellcote A bellcote, bell-cote or bell-cot is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells. Bellcotes are most common in church architecture but are also seen on institutions such as schools. The bellcote may be carried on brackets projecting from ...

on the west gable. The apsidal chancel was added in 1903, replacing the original east vestry, and a new vestry was formed at the west end of the nave. With the rebuilding of the church in 1839, heraldic glass of late 16th century origin was installed from a house recently demolished at

Lillington Lillington may refer to: Places England * Lillington, Dorset, a hamlet in Dorset * Lillington, Warwickshire, a suburb of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire * Lillington Gardens, a housing estate in Pimlico, London Elsewhere * Lillington, North Carolina ...

. The churchyard wall dates to 1839 and is also Grade II listed.

References

{{Reflist Churches in Somerset Former churches in Somerset Grade II listed churches in Somerset Church of England church buildings in Mendip District Grade II listed buildings in Mendip District Churches completed in 1841