Holy Trinity Gough Square was a
Victorian church in the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
.
History
Trinity Church was built in the parish of
St Bride
Saint Brigid of Kildare or Brigid of Ireland ( ga, Naomh Bríd; la, Brigida; 525) is the patroness saint (or 'mother saint') of Ireland, and one of its three national saints along with Patrick and Columba. According to medieval Irish hagiogra ...
's in the City of London, on the initiative of the vicar, the Reverend Thomas Dale, who felt that the parish church was inadequate for the size of the population. He first proposed a schoolroom that would double as an occasional chapel, but soon found that it would be practical to build a church, funded by subscriptions, and grants from the
Church Commissioners
The Church Commissioners is a body which administers the property assets of the Church of England. It was established in 1948 and combined the assets of Queen Anne's Bounty, a fund dating from 1704 for the relief of poor clergy, and of the Eccle ...
and the Metropolitan fund for the erection of churches. The first stone was laid on 3 October 1837, and the building was consecrated on 21 June the next year. The architect was John Shaw (Junior).
[
The church was built on a small, triangular site, at the junction of Great New Street and Pemberton Row, given by the ]Goldsmiths Company
The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, commonly known as the Goldsmiths' Company and formally titled The Wardens and Commonalty of the Mystery of Goldsmiths of the City of London, is one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of Londo ...
.[
The main body of the church was hexagonal, with a large octagonal recess on the eastern side serving as a chancel. Two galleries supported on small iron columns ran around the church, with an organ in the upper gallery on the west side, over the main entrance. The exterior was faced in yellow brick, with round-headed windows. There was Norman-style tower topped by pinnacles.][ The social reformer Charles Booth noted it served the area's poorer citizens.
As the century wore on ]legislation
Legislation is the process or result of enrolled bill, enrolling, enactment of a bill, enacting, or promulgation, promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous Government, governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law i ...
was passed to reduce the number of City churches and after a comparatively short existence the then Bishop of London authorised the reunification of the two parishes, the proceeds from the sale going towards the building of St Mellitus, Hanwell.["Victoria County History: A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 3" Reynolds,S (Ed): Woodbridge, Boydell & Brewer Ltd1962 ]
See also
* ''Men and Ghosts of Gough Square'', A. Edward Newton
Alfred Edward Newton (1864–1940) was an American industrialist better known as an author and avid book collector. He is best known for his book ''Amenities of Book Collecting'' (1918) which sold over 25,000 copies. At the time of his death, ...
, 1930 (Printed at the expense of the author. The entire receipts to go to the pension fund established by Cecil Harmsworth, esquire, for the caretakers of the Johnson house in Gough Square.); again in 1947; Spottiswoode, Ballantyne & Co, London, with a memoir of the author by Cecil Harmsworth, 1st Baron Harmsworth
Cecil Bisshopp Harmsworth, 1st Baron Harmsworth LLD (23 September 1869 – 13 August 1948), was a British businessman and Liberal politician. He served as Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department in 1915 and as Under-Secretary of State ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holy Trinity Gough Square
1842 establishments in England
1906 disestablishments in England
Churches in the City of London
Demolished churches in London