Building record 10074 - Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity (now Guildhall), Watergate Stree

The Church of the Holy Trinity was a late Norman foundation, dating to around 1188. It was originally a small church built over the burh walls and the West Gate of the Roman fortress. The parish boundaries originally extended west of the line of the present city wall. The boundaries reflected the possessions of its lay patrons, the Barons of Montalt (1). They originally held the advowson of the rectory, which passed with the barony, successively to the crown; Earls of Salisbury; Stanleys of Lathom and finally the Earls of Derby (2). The living of Holy Trinity remained in lay patronage & was the only parish church in Chester not to belong to either the Abbey or St John's. It was a very popular church in which many of the leading merchants chose to be buried.

The physical form of the present church building comprises a chancel of two bays, a central aisled nave with a row of six windows dividing it from the chancel (a clerestory), a tower to the south-west. This structure is almost entirely 19th century in date, being rebuilt in the late 1860s by James Harrison in the Decorated style. Re-consecrated in 1869 it was later converted to a Guildhall and Customs House.

The earlier church was described as a two aisled structure extensively repaired in the 16th and 17th centuries. Drawings by Randle Holme (Harl Ms 2073) show the church as it was at the end of the post medieval period. It then consisted of a nave, chancel & side aisles divided from the nave on S side by 3 pointed arches. On the north side, arches were removed & a row of iron pillars substituted. At the west end was an embraced tower with crocketed pinnacles & spire taken down in 1811. The spire suffered frequent injuries. The most severe damage was in 1769 & 1770. A print by Batenham 1816 shows the church with embraced west tower, without spire (4). It may have been decorated with mural paintings like other churches in Chester, but the interior was white-washed in 1544 (3).

Documentary sources record an effigy of John de Whitemore at the west end of the south aisle in the Church. The effigy comprised a recumbant male figure, life size and complete with chain mail armour and shield. The shield was inscribed 'Hic jacet Ioannis de Whitemore, obiit Kal Octob 1374' roughly translated as Here lies John de Whitemore, died 1374. (11, 12)

<1> Alldridge N.J, 1981, Aspects of the topography of early medieval Chester (Article in Journal). SCH5931.

<2> Ormerod, G., 1882, The History of the County Palatine and City of Chester, Ormerod G 1882 1/327-332 (Book). SCH1389.

<3> Jones, D., 1957, The Church in Chester 1300-1540, /7,45,112,113 (Book). SCH3106.

<4> Batenham G, 1816, Print, Church of the Holy & Undivided Trinity (now Guildhall) (Graphic Material). SCH2724.

<5> Harris, B.E., 1979, Bartholomew City Guides - Chester, /103 (Book). SCH394.

<6> Gastrell F, 1845-1850, Notitia Cestriensis, or historical notices of the diocese of Chester, Gastrell F 1845/121-123 (Article in Journal). SCH2290.

<7> Department of the Environment, 1971-2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, /3/228 (Report). SCH1934.

<8> Hemingway, J., 1831, History of Chester, from its foundation to the present time. Volume 1, 2/91-98 (Book). SCH1436.

<9> Pevsner N & Hubbard E, 1971, The Buildings of England: Cheshire, /152-153 (Book). SCH3078.

<10> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

<11> Taylor, Henry, 1888, Notes upon Some Early Deeds Relating to Chester and Flint (Article in Journal). SCH5574.

<12> Williams S.W & Taylor H, 1897, Effigy in Holy Trinity Church, Chester (Article in Journal). SCH5515.