The Church of the Holy Trinity is one of the earliest churches erected after Barbados was made a Diocese in 1824 and one of four Anglican Churches located in the parish of St. Philip. Today, it stands as an elegant coral stone structure, in the shape of a cross; located on the original site, opposite the King George V Memorial Park in the area of Ruby. According to the records it started its existence as a chapel of ease, which was consecrated on November 25, 1830. It was constructed on parish land that had been given by the Vestry as the site for the new place of worship. The original chapel was destroyed by the hurricane of 1831 and was rebuilt and consecrated in 1832. In the same period “1830’s” a school and rectory were added to the site. In the 1900’s King George V Memorial Park was established opposite the site and became a landmark for the location of the church.
Records state that in 1827 the Rt. Rev. William Hart Coleridge suggested the building of a chapel-of-ease in the windward part of the parish. This was to accommodate the inhabitants of the parish living at a great distance from St. Philip’s Parish Church. Since then, the building has experienced many changes, and so has the life of the parish.
The Rector, through voluntary subscriptions and grants made by the vestry, raised the funds for the construction. The vestry meeting of October 19, 1829 records that near £500 had been raised. Actual construction work started on November 18, 1829 with the laying of the foundation stone by Sir James Lyon.
Members of the committee for the overseeing of this project were: Thomas Briggs, Forster Clarke, Jonas Wilkinson, Joshua M. Gittens, Nathan L. Young, John Christopher Concliffe, Joseph Connell, George A. Dean, Rev. William Als, William M. Howard, Samuel H. Lord (of Sam Lord’s Castle fame), Nathaniel Cave and Robert Hunte, Esquires.
From a diagram of the seating arrangements of the chapel, it is clear that worship at the chapel was open to the various members of the community from the inception. Provision was made in the 1930’s for salves to occupy the rear pews.
After the chapel was destroyed by a hurricane in 1831, the construction of the new structure along with a new public school, was financed with funds made available by the Lord Bishop of Barbados, the Rt. Rev. William Hart Coleridge. In the minutes of the vestry meeting of March 14, 1832, it is recorded that the cost of rebuilding Trinity Chapel would be £800. It was proposed that the various parish schools be consolidated into a public school; to be erected on parish lands adjoining the chapel and the cost to construct such a building would be £400.
The vestry minutes of December 19, 1835 records that the Rector called the meeting to acquaint the Vestry of the Lord Bishop’s wish of erecting a small residence near to Trinity Chapel for the Curate of the Chapel. The Bishop would furnish a portion of the cost, but wanted the Vestry to provide the land for the project. The Vestry had 1826 already granted and vested into the hands of the Trustees the land for this purpose.
Bishop Coleridge’s sketchbook includes a drawing of Holy Trinity Chapel dated November 3, 1837. This portrays a simple rectangular building without the tower, chancel and aisles that exists today. The chapel as shown in his sketch had the typical lancet windows, pinnacles at the four corners, a bull’s-eye window above the entrance on the west wall and some indication of a belfry at the ridge. A sketch plan is also shown with the heading “Proposed enlargement by wings and chancel”. In this plan short north and south transepts are shown together with a small chancel extension.
Records show that in 1844, the gallery to the west end was constructed. In 1884, the belfry was erected and in 1905 the Rev. Reginald Skeete was granted permission to add an apse and organ chambers. In 1906 the Baptismal font with its winged angels, which was carved from coral stone, was presented by Miss F. Burton of Staple Grove. This now stands at the west end of the Church.
In 1981, the old pipe organ was replaced with a new electronic Allen organ. In 1983, a concrete floor replaced the original wooden floor. In 1987, new mahogany pews were installed on the ground floor of the church; the interior of the building was repainted and the surround pathway was upgraded with the use of concrete and asphalt. In 1988, the car park and access roadway to the rectory were also upgraded; the exterior lighting of the building was improved with a view to enhancing the security of the area.
In January 1990, a survey of the church lands was undertaken and this was followed in May of the same year by the fencing of the rectory boundaries. By September, the curb and boundary walls were erected. Between 1991 and 1992, a ramp was added to the access at the northern door of the building, and handrails installed at the west door for the benefit of the physically challenged. In 1992, a new office block was building adjoining the northern wing (better known as the Sandford wing) of the church and the toilet facilities were refurbished and expanded.
In 1999, the church vacated the building and Sunday services were held in one of the buildings on the old Ruby Plantation yard while the roof was being repaired. The vacation was supposed to last for six weeks whilst a steel structured roof replaced the old wooden structure. However, because of the many problems discovered once the roof was removed, the building was eventually gutted to a shell and rebuilt. Many of the old features, e.g. the pillars that supported the upstairs section of the church was removed and replaced by steel supports in the upstairs flooring, this gave more space downstairs. Floors were tiled, windows and doors changed from the old wood to modern PVC materials but in the same style as before. A stained glass window was placed above the altar. This is a new feature and it unique as it depicts scenes of the Caribbean. It is interesting to note that the main door at the west of the building is thought to the original door.
The service for the rededication of the building was held on Saturday, November 25, 2000. The President was the Bishop of Barbados, The Rt. Rev. Dr. John W.D. Holder and the incumbent was the Rev. Dr. Monrelle Williams.
The restoration of the church building was the catalyst for a general upgrade of the other buildings and the surroundings. Work was carried out on the car park and the grounds of the church. New concrete pathways have been placed in the cemetery and around the church. A wall of remembrance was erected on which members can make a permanent dedication to loved ones, as individuals can no long own graves. This was dedicated on November 2, 2005, All Souls Day, as part of the 175th Anniversary celebrations.
When the Anglican Church was disestablished in 1967, the responsibility for the schools remained with the state. In 1995, a new school was built by the Government at Ruby Corner. This was to accommodate the students of the Holy Trinity Boy’s School and the Beulah Primary School. As a consequence, the school building, which was at the time maintained by Government, was handed back to the church. This became a part of the intensive repairs that the parish had undertaken. New windows and doors were installed and the inside was rearranged to accommodate offices, meeting rooms and the church hall.
Today, the steel pan plays a significant role in the music of the Caribbean. The church has included this in its worship and to this end, the group Trinity Steel, was formed. A new building was erected to facilitate the activities of the parish including the practice sessions for Trinity Steel and the housing of the pans.
The parishioners became involved in many of the projects at this time and it was a bonding for the church in general. The parish needed this exercise as new housing developments have been built within the parish boundary and the new members needed to feel a part of the life of the church.
It is interesting to note that the funds for these projects over the years, with the exception of the toilet facilities, which was provided through the generosity of a businessman, was raised by the members. In some cases, labour was provided by the members of the parish.
RECTORY
In 1993, a massive refurbishment exercise was carried out on the rectory with the aim of modernizing the facilities therein. However, because of further deterioration at present
The Rectory has been the home of the incumbents of the church and their families over the years, but in many instances, it has been very much a part of the life of the parishioners as it was the venue for fund raising activities, such as fairs, and the place where academic subjects were taught.
At this point, the late Rev. E.A.R. Brandt must be mentioned. He was a German scholar and priest who served at Holy Trinity from 1933-1946. He was very interested in teaching young people and at a time when one had to pay for education, he offered his services to the members of the church free of charge. He taught many of the stalwarts of our church and the community at large who went on to make their mark on the society. Two of his students known to us all are Mrs. Alma Lucas and
Mr. Keith Nichols, our lay reader. To this day, Rev. Brandt is talked about with reverence. The rectory was the home for his classroom.
The late Rev. O.E. Jones, a scholar and priest, was also known for his teaching of the young members of the church at the Rectory and preparing them for entry into the prestigious grammar schools.
Life of Church
Today, the church provides various opportunities for members to share their talents with others and offer them to God’s glory via such ministries as the Choir, The District Visitors, Intercessors, Lectors, Pray Group, Servers and Ushers.
Apart from these, there are other formal groups that have been established to allow ample opportunity for members to pool their resources for the betterment of the church as a whole. These groupings include the Church Army, the Men’s Fellowship, the Mother’s Union, the Willing Workers, the Youth Group and the Woman’s Auxiliary (started in November 1998).
None of the records reflect the life of the church from the early days, except that the governing body seemed to be the Vestry. Most of the information gathered is from the records of the vestry meetings. However, in talking to members one can get come idea.
One of our oldest citizens, the late Ms. Nell Harris, was baptized at Holy Trinity and she taught Sunday school in her youth. In the 1940’s there was the Church Army. The first youth group, as we know it, was the Anglican Young People’s Association (AYPA) formed in the 1960’s. This exposed the youth to debating and the rudiments of running a meeting. From interviews with the youth of the 50’s and 60’s, I am told that there was nothing else for the youthful people to do and it allowed them to interact with the youth from other churches, in particular, St. Martin and Holy Cross. Later there was the Church Lads Brigade (CLB) and the Church Girl’s Brigade (CGB). The members enjoyed the military styled discipline and again the interaction with other young people. One mother told me that by sending her sons to join these groups she felt that they would get the necessary interaction to understand how men behaved, as their father was away from the Island at that time.
To date twenty four (24) priests have served this Church of the Holy Trinity since its establishment as a church in its own right. These are as follows:
1835 R. Raynes Barrow 1929 J. Hopkins
1837 John James Allison 1932 T. Briggs
1941 John H. Gittens 1933 E.A.R. Brandt
1848 S. Oliver Crosby 1946 A. Gregory
1849 W. Dalrymple Taylor 1949 O.E. Jones
1850 Charles Carter 1968 Rufus Brome
1872 Henry Collymore 1972 Francis Jenson
1897 George Edward Elliot 1979 DeVere Murrel
1987 Reginald Skeete 1986 Jeffrey D. Gibson
1904 Gerald V. Frederick *1994 John W.D. Holder
1920 Edwin Ernest Giles 1995 Anthony Holder
1926 H.M. dec. Alleyne *1996 Wilfred M. Estwick
1997 Monrelle T. Williams
Dates for Guy Hewitt, Marcus Lashley, Overton Gilkes, Michael Maxwell
*During the interregnum 1994 and 1996 John W.D. Holder and Wilfred M. Estwick respectively were in charge of the parish.
Among these, the Rev. Gerald Vincent Frederick, Rev. A. Gregory and Rev. O.E. Jones (who had the distinction of being the first black priest to serve in this Cure) went on to become Canons. The
Rev. Rufus Brome in June 1993 became the first native black bishop of Barbados and in 2000 the Rev. Dr. John W.D. Holder became the present bishop of this Diocese.
With the passage of time, the parish of Holy Trinity continues to make an immense contribution to the spiritual upliftment of this country and beyond. The church has given many of its members to the Sacred Ministry among who were Canon William Brathwaite, (deceased), Rev. S.O. Lorde, (deceased), Rev. Arnold Harewood, Associate minister of Oak Grove Baptist Church, Suffolk, Virigina, Rev. Bernard Griffith currently serving as Rector of Christ the King Episcopal church, Florida, Canon Gregston Gooding, Rector of St. George’s Parish Church, Barbados, Rev. George Harewood, Rector of St. Stephen’s Church, Barbados, Rev. Everton Lyte, Rev. Frank Ward, Rector of St. Peters Church, England, Rev. Norbert Connell, Rev. Leon Burke, Church of the Resurrection, Canada,
Rev. Sandra Hazel, Priest-in-Charge, St. Lawrence Church, Barbados.
As the country prepares for globalisation and the CARICOM Sing Market Economy (CSME), the parish of Holy Trinity is playing its part as we learn how to interact with persons of different cultures. This has come about because within the new housing developments mentioned previously, are the homes of Barbadians and persons of other nationalities who have retired to Barbados from places such as England, USA and Canada. It is a long process, but with God as our guide, the Church is going forward.