Holy Trinity Church is a

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 Weymouth,

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. Built of

Portland stone Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries are cut in beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building sto ...

in 1834–36, and extended and re-oriented in 1886–87, the church is a Grade II* listed building. Designed by

Philip Wyatt Philip William Wyatt (5 March 1785 – 1835) was an English architect and member of the Wyatt family. He was the youngest son of the architect James Wyatt and his wife Rachel (Lunn) Wyatt, and a nephew of Samuel Wyatt, cousin to Sir Jeffry Wyatvil ...

, it has been described as being of "intrinsic architectural interest", having an "unusual scheme of development" and "occupying a significant position on the axis of Weymouth's Town Bridge".

History

Holy Trinity was built at a time when new church accommodation was required to meet the needs of the growing population of Weymouth. For centuries, the town was served by the parish church of All Saints in Wyke Regis. A

chapel of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently. Often a chapel of ea ...

dedicated to St. Nicholas was also built in Weymouth during the 12th century, but suffered severe damage in the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. The rector of Weymouth and Wyke Regis, Rev. George Chamberlaine had Holy Trinity constructed at his sole expense in 1834–36. The plans for the church were drawn up by

. The foundation stone of the new church was laid by Rev. Chamberlaine's wife on 1 September 1834. Mr. Fooks and Fawn of Weymouth were hired as contractors, with Wyatt acting as supervisor. After his death in 1835, his nephew, Matthew Wyatt, saw the project to completion. Holy Trinity was consecrated by the

Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Winchester in the Church of England. The bishop's seat (''cathedra'') is at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire. The Bishop of Winchester has always held ''ex officio'' (except dur ...

, the Right Rev. Charles Sumner, on 6 August 1836, The church's completion saw Holy Trinity become its own parish, separated from Wyke Regis. As the parish's population continued to grow over the course of the 19th century, Holy Trinity became too small and consideration was made whether to extend the church or build a new one. As a suitable site for a new church was unable to be found, it was decided to extend the existing church and plans were drawn up by Messrs. Crickmay and Son for its extension, alteration and restoration. Work began in 1886, with Mr. Arthur Clarke of Weymouth as the contractor, supervised by the architects. Holy Trinity reopened on 12 April 1887, although work continued into 1888. The architects had the church's interior re-orientated as the original layout was considered to be "badly arranged", owing to the narrow pews and the chancel being at the side of the church. The altar was moved from the north to south end of the nave, and the south gallery removed. A double transept and porch was built on the south side, while a double transept and organ chamber was formed by converting and enlarging the original chancel on the north side. A new chancel and choir was constructed at the east end, and arcades added on either side of the nave. New clergy and choir vestries were also built, along with a baptistry near the west entrance. The renovation work included the relaying of all flooring, reseating the church with new benches and reglazing the windows. The parish of Holy Trinity also had two

chapels of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently. Often a chapel of ease is deliberately bu ...

. The iron church of St Nicholas was established at Buxton Road in 1894. It was replaced by a new church building dedicated in 1964 and closed in 2018. The former church of

St Martin Saint Martin may refer to: People * Saint Martin of Tours (c. 316–397), Bishop of Tours, France * Saint Martin of Braga (c. 520–580), archbishop of Bracara Augusta in Gallaecia (now Braga in Portugal) * Pope Martin I (598–655) * Saint Martin ...

was built at Chickerell Road in 1907–08. It closed in 1965 and is now converted to residential use.

References

External links

* {{Commons category-inline, Holy Trinity church, Weymouth
Holy Trinity Weymouth with St Nicholas website
Buildings and structures in Weymouth, Dorset Churches in Dorset Grade II* listed churches in Dorset 1836 establishments in England Church of England church buildings in Dorset