History of our building
The church building was funded through a number of gifts, the first and largest of which was £2,000 from a trust established in 1836 in memory of Catherine Elizabeth Hyndman. Professor William Smyth gave the land for the church and for two church schools that were built later, but have since been demolished. The church was built using local stone from the Kerridge quarries and is now a Grade II listed building.
The foundation stone was laid on 28 May 1838 and the church was consecrated on 11 October 1839. The first vicar was Rev William Courthope and there is an elaborate stone wall plaque in the church as a memorial to him.
The original church design included a triple pulpit, a gallery at the west end for the choir, two aisles and box pews. It originally seated 536 people, a third of which were free seats for the poor and the remainder were rented for 10 shillings (50 pence) a year. Rents for pews ended in 1890. In 1868, only 30 years after being built, the church was closed for major alterations. The pews were rearranged, the pulpit moved and a screen built under the gallery. Then in 1876 the clock for the tower was donated by Charles Brocklehurst.
In 1879 the church became a separate parish, having originally been part of the parish of Prestbury.
One of the building's finest features is the east window which was installed in 1912, when the vestry was also added. Further changes were made in 1939 to celebrate the church’s centenary.
When Trinity Square School closed in 1976 more alterations were needed since the school had been used for meetings and Sunday School. A wall was built at the rear of the church to create two upstairs rooms, and a coffee lounge, kitchen and toilets downstairs.
In 1992 we replaced the box pews and choir pews with chairs, a installed a raised dais in front of the existing communion rail and fitted a rail around the dais to make additional places for communion. We replaced the pulpit with a lightweight portable lectern, made partly from some of the original oak screens. These changes gave us the flexibility to use the main worship area for different events throughout the week.
In 2012 we enlarged and moved the church kitchen and added a third toilet. In 2015 we redecorated our upstairs rooms, in line with ideas suggested by our young people.
In 2022 we opened the Hurdsfield Community Hub on the church site. This fine modern building comprises our church office and a meeting space for up to 50 people. With our ever increasing activities amongst the local community, it’s our gift to Hurdsfield.
The foundation stone was laid on 28 May 1838 and the church was consecrated on 11 October 1839. The first vicar was Rev William Courthope and there is an elaborate stone wall plaque in the church as a memorial to him.
The original church design included a triple pulpit, a gallery at the west end for the choir, two aisles and box pews. It originally seated 536 people, a third of which were free seats for the poor and the remainder were rented for 10 shillings (50 pence) a year. Rents for pews ended in 1890. In 1868, only 30 years after being built, the church was closed for major alterations. The pews were rearranged, the pulpit moved and a screen built under the gallery. Then in 1876 the clock for the tower was donated by Charles Brocklehurst.
In 1879 the church became a separate parish, having originally been part of the parish of Prestbury.
One of the building's finest features is the east window which was installed in 1912, when the vestry was also added. Further changes were made in 1939 to celebrate the church’s centenary.
When Trinity Square School closed in 1976 more alterations were needed since the school had been used for meetings and Sunday School. A wall was built at the rear of the church to create two upstairs rooms, and a coffee lounge, kitchen and toilets downstairs.
In 1992 we replaced the box pews and choir pews with chairs, a installed a raised dais in front of the existing communion rail and fitted a rail around the dais to make additional places for communion. We replaced the pulpit with a lightweight portable lectern, made partly from some of the original oak screens. These changes gave us the flexibility to use the main worship area for different events throughout the week.
In 2012 we enlarged and moved the church kitchen and added a third toilet. In 2015 we redecorated our upstairs rooms, in line with ideas suggested by our young people.
In 2022 we opened the Hurdsfield Community Hub on the church site. This fine modern building comprises our church office and a meeting space for up to 50 people. With our ever increasing activities amongst the local community, it’s our gift to Hurdsfield.
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Holy Trinity Hurdsfield in 1913, pictured from the south, with Trinity Square School on the left and the old vicarage on the right.
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