Holy Trinity Church, Dalston, also known as the Clowns’ Church, is a

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ...

in Beechwood Road in the

London Borough of Hackney The London Borough of Hackney ( ) is a London boroughs, London borough in Inner London, England. The historical and administrative heart of Hackney is Mare Street, which lies north-east of Charing Cross. The borough is named after Hackney, Lond ...

. It is in the parish of Holy Trinity with St Philip Dalston and All Saints Church, Haggerston (St Philip having been bombed 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 ...

and demolished some time between 1947 and 1952). From 1998 to 2014, the vicar was

Rose Hudson-Wilkin Rose Josephine Hudson-Wilkin (born 19 January 1961) is a British people, British Anglican prelate, who serves as Suffragan bishop, Suffragan Bishop of Dover in the diocese of Canterbury – deputising for the archbishop – since 2019: she is ...

, who held the roles of

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

’s chaplain to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

, priest vicar at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

and chaplain to the

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History and design

Holy Trinity was designed by

Ewan Christian Ewan Christian (1814–1895) was a British architect. He is most frequently noted for the restorations of Southwell Minster and Carlisle Cathedral, and the design of the National Portrait Gallery (London), National Portrait Gallery. He was Arch ...

– a noted church builder and restorer and architect of the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

. The main phase of construction took place in 1878-79 and was funded from the proceeds of the sale of

St Martin Outwich St Martin Outwich was a parish church in the City of London, on the corner of Threadneedle Street and Bishopsgate. Of medieval origin, it was rebuilt at the end of the 18th century and demolished in 1874. Early history A church of St Martin w ...

in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

. It is 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; its 1975 designation noted both the reputation of its architect and its impressive High Victorian style with continental influences. It is constructed in red brick in the

Early English style English Gothic is an architectural style that flourished from the late 12th until the mid-17th century. The style was most prominently used in the construction of cathedrals and churches. Gothic architecture's defining features are pointed a ...

and has a slate roof. Inside Holy Trinity is a screen brought from St Philip, Dalston after that church was damaged by bombing in December 1940. The post-war east window of the church has glass by A. F. Erridge.

The Clowns' Church

Holy Trinity is known as the Clowns’ Church for the annual Clowns International service held on the first Sunday in February in honour of

Joseph Grimaldi Joseph Grimaldi (18 December 1778 – 31 May 1837)Moody, Jane"Grimaldi, Joseph" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, accessed 13 February 2012 was an English actor, comedian and dancer, who became the most ...

and deceased clowns. The service was established in 1946/7 at St James's Episcopal Chapel in Pentonville Road, where Grimaldi is buried (now Joseph Grimaldi Park). It moved to Holy Trinity in 1959 after St James's was deconsecrated. The service is attended by clowns in full costume and is usually followed by a performance for members of the public. The vestry of Holy Trinity Church is home to the

Clowns Gallery-Museum The Clowns Gallery-Museum is a museum of clowning. Established in 1959, the collection contains costumes and props from famous clowns, as well as a reference library, and is home to the Clown Egg Register. History The collection is split betwe ...

, which includes the Clown Egg Register.

References

External sources

Clowns’ Service in pictures
{{Churches in Hackney Grade II listed churches in the London Borough of Hackney Church of England church buildings in the London Borough of Hackney Churches completed in 1879 Diocese of London Victorian architecture in England Clowning 19th-century Church of England church buildings Ewan Christian buildings Dalston