The Guildhall, formerly Holy Trinity Church, is a
redundant church in Watergate in the city of
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
,
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...
, England. It is recorded in the
National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II
listed building.
The church closed in 1960, became known as the Guildhall, and was converted to be used for secular purposes.
History
The original building, which had a north
aisle, probably dated from the late 12th century.
The east end and south side were rebuilt in 1678.
[ This church had a spire which was rebuilt in the 1770s but in 1811 was taken down for reasons of safety. The present church was built between 1865 and 1869 to a design by James Harrison. He died before it was finished and the church was completed by the firm of Kelly and Edwards of Chester.][
After the church reconsecrated in 1960, it was taken on by the Freemen and Guilds of the City of Chester in the late 1960s and converted into two halls, the Major Hall and the Lower Hall, for a variety of secular uses, including conferences, receptions, dances, and concerts.
In October 2011 the Freemen and Guilds of the City of Chester handed responsibility for the building back to the local council but secured continued access for banquets and other important functions. A new members' bar, branded as "The Guild Chester", opened in the guildhall in October 2019.]
Architecture
Exterior
It is built in red sandstone with grey slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
roofs. Its plan consists of a continuous nave and chancel with a clerestory
In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both.
Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...
, a west porch, a detached south spire and porch, and a vestry to the south. The tower has three stages with double doors to the east and above this a relief sculpture of Christ enthroned. The second stage has a lancet window
A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural element are typical of Gothic church edifices of the earliest period. Lancet wi ...
and clock faces to the east and south. The third stage has two-light bell-openings, corner buttresses, a pierced parapet and a recessed octagonal stone spire with three lucarnes to each face.[
]
Interior
Most of the fittings have been removed. The east window, dated 1885, is by Kempe,Old Testament
The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...
figures and saints.[ Now hidden by flooring is a memorial to John Whitmore who died in 1374.][ The former chancel screen and the ]reredos
A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images.
The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...
are also hidden.[ There is a burial vault under the building which dates back to when the church was built.]
See also
* Guild
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chester, Holy Trinity Church
Former Church of England church buildings
Grade II listed churches in Cheshire
Church of England church buildings in Cheshire
19th-century Church of England church buildings
Gothic Revival architecture in Cheshire
Churches completed in 1869
Guildhall
Redundant churches
James Harrison buildings
1869 establishments in England
Churches in Chester