NOTTINGHAM CHURCES - 1853
TRINITY.
This place of worship was built on a portion of land, adjoining Milton street, called Burton Leys, under the first and second William IV., c.38. Four thousand square yards of land were purchased from the commissioners for the inclosure of Burton Leys, at a cost of £600. The corner stone of the edifice was laid on the 23rd of April, 1840, by John Smith WRIGHT, esquire, who contributed £600 towards its erection; and the top stone was laid on the 8th of June, 1841, by Francis WRIGHT, esquire, who paid the expense of the spire, estimated at £250, and gave a further donation of £100. Other members of the family subscribed £815; the PLUMPTRES gave £930; the SMITHS, £1,100; Robert RAMSDEN, esquire, £230; the late Richard ARKWRIGHT, esquire, £200; the late W.E. ELLIOTT, esquire, £200; Mrs. and Miss EVANS of Lincoln, £250; Francis WELFORD, esquire, and family, £235; John MILLS, esquire, £150; the Misses O'BRYEN, £200; Charles JACKSON, esquire, £145; Henry Gally KNIGHT, esquire, M.P., £50; his grace the Archbishop of York, £50; and the long list of subscribers besides names of the chief manufacturers and tradesmen. The total subscriptions amounted to about £10,000. The ceremony of laying the first stone was numerously attended, the procession, headed by the mayor, being composed of both churchmen and dissenters. The consecration of the church took place on the 13th October, 1841, when the Bishop of Lincoln officiated.
The original trustees were the Venerable John Henry BROWNE, Archdeacon of Ely, John Pemberton PLUMPTRE, esquire, M.P., Robert RAMSDEN, esquire, and Francis WELFORD, esquire.
The edifice, which belongs to the Gothic order, is ornamented by a spire of much beauty. It was designed by Mr. I. STEVENS of Derby, and built by Mr. James Ebrank HALL, of Nottingham, at an outlay of £8,094 17s., including the cost of inclosing the four thousand yards of land by a wall and palisading.
The nave is internally 80 feet long by 54 feet wide; 30 feet high at the side walls, and 35 feet 6 inches high in the centre; the chancel, 23 feet by 21 feet 6 inches; height from the floor to the ceiling, 34 feet 8 inches; the lobbies and vestry, 18 feet 6 inches by 10 feet. The nave is lighted by ten triple lancet windows, 21 feet 6 inches high; the centre lights are 3 feet, and the side lights 18 inches wide. The east window is 28 feet 10 1/2 inches high and 16 feet 3 inches wide. The tower is 18 feet 2 inches by 14 feet. The height of the tower, lantern, and spire, from the ground line to the apex of the spire, is 177feet. The interior fittings are all of the Gothic order, and the galleries are supported by ten neat cast-iron columns.
Porches placed at each angle lead into the church, and the lobbies at the west-end contain the staircases to the galleries. The seats in the church are placed transversely, and are separated into three divisions or ranges; the greater part of those in the centre division are uninclosed and free. Those on each side are in pews, a few of which remain without division for the accommodation of large families. Access to the pews is obtained from the four aisles, extending the whole length of the nave from east to west. There are 1215 sittings, 415 of which are free. For all ecclesiastical purposes Trinity is similar to a parish church.
There is a large organ in the west gallery, built by Joseph WALER of London: it was erected by subscriptions in 1844 and cost £546.
The living, valued at from £300 to £400 a year, is vested in the four trustees. The first incumbent was the Rev. Thomas Hart DAVIES, A.M., an earnest and popular divine, who, amid the regrets of an affectionate and sorrowing people, left Nottingham in 1851 for Australia, whither he went to officiate as Archdeacon of Melbourne. In consequence of the serious effect the change had upon his health, he returned to England the following year. He was succeeded in the incumbency of Trinity by the Rev. Thomas Mosse MACDONALD, A.M., formerly a Wesleyan Methodist minister, and one who, by his eloquence in the pulpit and the excellent and unwearied system of parochial visitation which he pursued, is indeed well worthy the name of a laborious and efficient servant of the Cross. He is assisted in his duties by a curate, the Rev. J. BOULTBEE.
The schools are situated near the church. The building, which was erected in 1845, in conformity with plans forwarded by the Committee of Council on Education, who made a liberal grant, is a neat and commodious structure in the Norman style, and cost nearly £3,000. The average attendance at the girls' sabbath school is 15 teachers and 110 scholars; in that of the boys 19 teachers and 135 scholars. There is also an infant school attended by 11 teachers and 94 pupils. The National (week-day) school is under government inspection, and was at the last visit of the inspector reported as one of the most prosperous in his district, which comprises several counties. Two pupil teachers at this institution have recently obtained queen's scholarships. There is an average attendance of 196 in the boys' school, 86 in the girls', and 90 in the infants', making a total of 474.
The following societies are carried on in connexion with the congregation, by whom they are liberally supported: district visiting society, lying-in charity, DORCAS society, deposit club, and auxiliary church missionary society. Besides the very handsome sum raised annually for these benevolent objects, a considerable amount is contributed every year in aid of the church pastoral aid, Irish, Jews', and other societies.
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