Holy Trinity Church is in
Runcorn,
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 an active
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
parish church in the
diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Frodsham. Its
benefice
A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...
is combined with that of
All Saints, Runcorn. It is recorded in the
National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II
listed building.
History
The church was built in 1838 as an
evangelical alternative to the
parish church of Runcorn. The cost was met by public subscription, with
John and Thomas Johnson, soap and
alkali
In chemistry, an alkali (; from ar, القلوي, al-qaly, lit=ashes of the saltwort) is a basic, ionic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a ...
manufacturers, being the principal subscribers. It was designed by Joseph Hartley, a local architect, and the church was built by William Rigby, a local builder. The original
chancel was short and a longer chancel was added in 1857.
[
]
Architecture
Exterior
The church is built in red sandstone with a 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. ...
roof. Its plan consists of a west tower which is partly embraced, a five-bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...
nave and a chancel. The main entrance is through a door on the west face of the tower. Above this is a three-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 paired louvred bell-openings. The summit has pyramid pinnacle
A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was mainly ...
s and a crenellated parapet.[
]
Interior
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 ...
is made from marble. The altar and pulpit
A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...
are oak, the latter being on a stone base. The choir stalls are carved with poppyheads. At the west end of the church is a wooden gallery on round cast iron columns.[ The stained glass in the east window probably dates from the 1860s, and is probably by William Wailes. The three-]manual
Manual may refer to:
Instructions
* User guide
* Owner's manual
* Instruction manual (gaming)
* Online help
Other uses
* Manual (music), a keyboard, as for an organ
* Manual (band)
* Manual transmission
* Manual, a bicycle technique similar to ...
organ dates from 1908 and its building was assisted by a grant from Andrew Carnegie.
See also
* Listed buildings in Runcorn (urban area)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Runcorn, Holy Trinity Church
Church of England church buildings in Cheshire
Grade II listed churches in Cheshire
Gothic Revival church buildings in England
Gothic Revival architecture in Cheshire
Holy Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
Diocese of Chester
19th-century Church of England church buildings
Churches completed in 1857
1838 establishments in England