The Church of the Holy Trinity is one of four

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

churches in

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

and is the

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

for the centre of the town being located on Victoria Road. A

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

listed building since 1980,Church of Holy Trinity, Aldershot
–

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...

database it comes under the

Diocese of Guildford __NOTOC__ The Diocese of Guildford is a Church of England diocese covering eight and half of the eleven districts in Surrey, much of north-east Hampshire and a parish in Greater London. The cathedral is Guildford Cathedral and the bishop is the ...

History

The parish church for Aldershot had always been St Michael's church in the centre of the historic village centre on the edge of Manor Park, but with the arrival of large numbers of troops with the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

in the area from the 1850s onwards it was felt that a church nearer to the Camp was desirable which could also serve the needs of the residents in the rapidly growing town centre. The first new church to be built in the town, work began on building Holy Trinity in 1875 when the

foundation stone A cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry Foundation (engineering), foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entir ...

was laid by Edward Harold Browne,

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'' the offic ...

and was completed in 1878. The first President of the Committee charged with raising the funds to build the church was Sir James Hope Grant. Designed by Farnham-based architect Sidney Stapley, the church consists of a

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

of two bays and a good-sized

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 ...

of five bays with

clerestory A clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey; from Old French ''cler estor'') is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye-level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, a ''clerestory' ...

together with north and south aisles and north porch of simple style and the west porch with moulded arches. The church has a steep slate roof and is constructed of brick and coursed rubble with ashlar dressings, and is designed in an adaptation of 13th-century Early English style. The building contract went to the local firm of Martin, Wells and Company, and cost £6,000, plus an additional £350 for the organ. The church could accommodate 800 people, but lack of funds meant that the tower and spire of Stapley's original design were never built. Tiles Holy Trinity Church Aldershot

Masonic Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

designs are incorporated into various features of the church interior, including on the pulpit, various floor tiles and a window. The north window is

Pre-Raphaelite The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), later known as the Pre-Raphaelites, was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, ...

in design and is in memory of Sarah Frances Bateman (1881–2). Created by the Ellison Glass Works, the design is attributed to Arthur Hardwick Marsh (1842–1909). The brass bookrest is a war memorial dedicated to the

Anglo-Zulu War The Anglo-Zulu War was fought in present-day South Africa from January to early July 1879 between forces of the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom. Two famous battles of the war were the Zulu victory at Battle of Isandlwana, Isandlwana and th ...

of 1879 and is inscribed TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF THE OFFICERS AND MEN WHO FELL AT ISANDULA: JANUARY 22 1879. The parents of comedian and actor Arthur English married in the church in 1909 and he and his two older brothers were baptised there.'Arthur English, ''Aldershot Historical & Archaeological Society'' (AHAS), Yearbook 23 (2010) pg7 The great west window is a memorial to 53 men of the parish who died in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Although not a military church, Holy Trinity has strong connections with the Army. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

it served the men of the Canadian Army Overseas, whose chaplains conducted services for the troops who were quartered in Wellington Lines, Aldershot. It became traditional for drafts who were leaving Aldershot to join the forces overseas to hold a communion service in this church before being deployed. On the Albert Road stands the current Church hall, which replaced an earlier iron hall on the same site. The new building was named the Galpin Hall in memory of the Reverend Eric C Galpin MA, vicar of Holy Trinity from 1952 to 1966, who died a few months after taking early retirement due to ill health. In May 1992 thieves stole the church safe containing £4,000 worth of communion plates and chalices. However, the next day two men handed it back saying it was “too hot to handle”. Two months later two men were charged with stealing the silverware. Since 1999 the parish priest has been the Rev. Sir George Peter Howgill Newton, 4th Baronet of The Wood and Kottingham House. In 2017 the church was put on the Heritage at Risk Register.Holy Trinity Church, Aldershot – Church Heritage Record database
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Gallery

File:Font Holy Trinity Church Aldershot.jpg, The Victorian

baptismal font A baptismal font is an Church architecture, ecclesiastical architectural element, which serves as a receptacle for baptismal water used for baptism, as a part of Christian initiation for both rites of Infant baptism, infant and Believer's bapti ...

File:Nave Holy Trinity Church Aldershot.jpg, View down the nave to the West File:North Window Holy Trinity Church Aldershot.jpg, North window attributed to Arthur Hardwick Marsh File:Holy Trinity Church Aldershot1905.jpg, Holy Trinity from Victoria Road in 1905 File:Holy Trinity Church Aldershot 2018.jpg, Holy Trinity from Victoria Road in 2018

References

External links

Holy Trinity Church Facebook pageHoly Trinity, Aldershot
– The National Archives
Windows at Holy Trinity, Aldershot – Hampshire Church Windows database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holy Trinity Church, Aldershot 19th-century Church of England church buildings

Buildings and structures in Aldershot Churches in Aldershot