Holy Trinity, Sheerness , Kent

Holy Trinity, Sheerness Church

Image Source: Rob Baker

Holy Trinity was built in 1835-36 to serve the local population of this new town that had recently grown up alongside the Royal Navy dockyard. The architect was George Ledwell Taylor who in 1828 had designed the new and expanded St. George's Royal Dockyard Church which today is a sad, burnt out ruin (albeit one that is undergoing conversion to a heritage centre). The Church Commissioners contributed £2,595 to the cost of the building, which totalled £4,128. It is built from yellow brick with sandstone dressings and has a north-south orientation. Fixed on the wall next to the entrance door under the tower is a bronze monument to a prominent Freemason, Surgeon John Staples Keddell (died 1870). The interior retains its original upper galleries on three sides although these are no longer used for seating. The (liturgical) north and south galleries have been boxed off to provide storage space while the west gallery houses a large pipe organ. The church retains a Georgian feel about it, despite being reordered in the 1970s. It is proud of its maritime heritage, and when standing under the galleries and looking at the slender metal pillars and the unusual slope of the wooden benches either side of the central aisle one could easily imagine being on the lower decks of a ship. The slope is not deliberate - it is actually caused by the settlement of the brick piers underneath which support the floor. The stained-glass east window in the chancel (including the circular light window high above) date from 1902. The windows are looking a bit battle-damaged, as recently the church had a major problem with ivy growing on the external walls and causing damage to the brickwork and windows. This has only just been stripped back in the winter of 2020-21. Since the 1960s the parish has been known as Holy Trinity with St. Paul's. In 1872 another church had been built to serve the growing military garrison that had been built close to the Royal Dockyard at Bluetown. This was demolished in 1962 and the congregation later amalgamated with Holy Trinity. Later when the Royal Dockyard Church closed many of the fixtures were moved here. This includes the front altar - carved to commemorate the loss of life of several civilian employees at the Dockyard when the minelayer ship HMS Princess Irene exploded when docked in the port in 1915. Text by Rob Baker

1851 Census Details

Seating Capacity: 1074

Morning Attendance: 395

Afternoon Attendance: 816

Evening Attendance: No service

Architecture Details

Original Build Date/Architect: Taylor 1835

Restoration:

Second Restoration:

Notes

Website

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