Holy Trinity Northdown Park, Margate , Kent

Holy Trinity Northdown Park, Margate Church

Image Source: Rob Baker

This large and imposing post-war church was built between 1957-59 as a replacement for Margate's Holy Trinity, a landmark Commissioners Church of 1829 destroyed in 1943 during the Second World War.The surviving ruins were demolished in 1958. The architect, Harold Anderson, has tried to be faithful to the original church. Like William Edmunds' Georgian-era design, the new church was built in a cruciform pattern with large high windows in both transepts and at the east end. The four-bay nave has a pair of north and south aisles overlooked by clerestory windows, giving the interior a feeling of light and space. The main entrance is through the bottom of the west tower which has a small upper gallery. The new church was not rebuilt in the same location as the original. Margate's eastward expansion had led to the creation of the new coastal resort town of Cliftonville. A church dedicated to St. Paul had been built in 1872-73 and it was clear that another was needed for the residents of the Northdown Park area, developed in the 1950s. There was already a small chapel here.Dedicated to St. Mary and designed by local architect Thomas Andrews it had been built in 1892-93 as a family chapel for the owners of the former manorial estate of Northdown Park, the Friend family, whose descendants are still patrons of the chapel today. After the First World War, the family gave the chapel to the Diocese of Canterbury. They still owned the land surrounding it, which they later gifted to the Church of England as the site to build the new Holy Trinity. St. Mary's has been incorporated into the new church as a north chapel, accessible from both outside by an external door and inside through a new doorway adjoining the north transept. It is a beautiful late Victorian timepiece incorporated into an uncompromising 20th century church, and is still lovingly maintained and used each week for Holy Communion services. The chapel's nave has four pairs of stained-glass windows depicting Mary, Joseph and a young Jesus learning his father's trade; the Eucharist; and the Four Evangelists; while the apsidal sanctuary is overlooked by five tiny lancets depicting the timeline of Jesus' life. The large stained-glass windows in the new church were designed by Gerald Smith and manufactured in the studios of A.K. Nicholson. The striking east window tells the story of the Gospels, while the south overlooking the font depicts the sacrament of baptism. The north has been dedicated as the Memorial Window. The lower panels depict the former and present Holy Trinity churches. The First World War Memorial Plaque was salvaged from the wreckage and re-housed in this part of the church. The Royal Arms of Queen Elizabeth II are displayed below the west gallery. It was early in her reign that the new church was dedicated in 1959. The Arms of Geoffrey Fisher, the Archbishop of Canterbury at the time, are also displayed nearby in addition to the Hanoverian Royal Arms of King George IV who was on the throne during the consecration of the original church in 1929. In 2003 the interior of Holy Trinity was re-ordered. Cushioned seating replaced rows of wooden benches and colourful friezes were painted either side of the east window. In 2006 a large Parish Centre was built adjoining the east end of the church, containing a number of parish rooms, a nursery school and a café which is open daily for the benefit of the local community. Text by Rob Baker.

1851 Census Details

Seating Capacity: Not built

Morning Attendance: Not built

Afternoon Attendance: Not built

Evening Attendance: Not built

Architecture Details

Original Build Date/Architect: Andrews 1893 ( built as St Mary)

Restoration: Anderson 1959 (as Holy Trnity)

Second Restoration:

Notes

Website

http://www.trinitymargate.org

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