History of Holy Trinity Church

The Garden of Remembrance.

Formed in 1978 and located to the rear left of the Church the garden contains the remembrance stone, which is Forest of Dean Stone by Packer of Swindon. The stone was further modified in the late 1990's, so could be left at the stone, as none should be left on the lawn. A base was laid, which in those days cost some £40 per ton ex-yard! The seats were given by individuals, in memory of loved ones. Sadly, a number have been vandalised out of existence.

Mission Room

By this time (1890's) the new Church was starting to build up its own congregation, new houses had been built, the railways had arrived with its large workshops - and Holy Trinity was beginning to spread its wings. A need was felt for missionary work amongst the newcomers to the Watermoor district. A new school and a Town Hall had appeared.

The Church authorities had recognised this outreach and if we look at the list of Priests-in-Charge we find that in 1891, the Revd W K Weston was appointed Priest-in-Charge. In the following year, he was given his own Assistant Curate. This arrangement continued until WW2 when the Revd Hugh Potts (now Canon Potts), who had been Assistant Curate, became Priest-in-Charge and the Assistant Curate post ceased.

The Mission Room, which was located at the lower end of Chesterton Lane in Cirencester, was built in 1893-94. Workers from the adjacent Midland Railway regularly used it, many of whom were itinerant. The railway line ran from Andoversford to Swindon Old Town Station in those days, and quite often men from the railway works would use the Mission Room for "mission" meetings, refreshments, as a reading room, for talks and lectures etc. Other uses of the Mission Room were Cubs, Scouts and Guides, Church Social Functions (later called "sausage sizzles"!), weddings, receptions, birthday parties, whist drives, by both the public and the Church. The hall could accommodate up to 70 people and was generally used by the community for all sorts of functions. I am sure many of our readers will recall happy events that they too attended at the Mission Room; in fact, the editor of this series of articles celebrated his 21st Birthday party there in 1960! 

1893 Request for funds

The Church sent out a letter requesting funds for the Mission Room in July of 1893 and the following is the contents of that letter. I have reproduced the letter here to show the considerable differences in the price of property in those days compared with 2001. It is also fascinating to see the style of English language used during this time:-

The Mission Room was pulled down in the early 1960's to make room for the southern by-pass of the town. Its foundations currently lie beneath the road adjacent to the present Fire Station. 

Stations of the Cross

Around the nave of the Church are 14 silvered aluminium 'Stations of the Cross'. These were given in memory of Helen Stokes in 1986, by Mr. Medd, a very regular member of the congregation. She walked laboriously with callipers on her legs for most of her life, and was a housekeeper to Mr. Medd, for whom she was also his Nanny when he was a child. Mr. Medd was a well-known Cirencester man who regularly attended the 8am service at Holy Trinity Church.

All of these small plaques are numbered. Each number represents a stop by Jesus on the way to the cross. Each number has a different picture, each of which is mentioned at the small service called "Stations of the Cross" said weekly during Lent. A short litany is read from scriptures as we progress from stations one through to fourteen.

The Gate in the Porch of the Church.

The Church has suffered its share of vandalism over the years. Graffiti in the porch and on the walls, the notice boards have been set on fire. The recent fire in the Church was another act of vandalism. A committee meeting was therefore called, and it was decided to have gates made at the entrance of the Church. These were purchased from interest gained from moneys left by Mrs. Dorothy Minnis, and so the gates are in her memory (as were the re-hanging of the bells in 1989). Mr. Christopher Bishop, then our Architect, designed the gates at the time, very much with Sir George Gilbert Scott in mind (who you will recall was the designer of the Church). Its design followed the curved lines of the Vesica on the Reredos of the high altar.

The work was carried out by Mr. Michael Roberts, Art Blacksmith of Miserden, in 1985 to his own technique using flat bands and rivets. These gates are very like the 200-year-old gates of the south porch of our Cirencester Parish Church.

So popular was the design of the gates that a few months after their installation they were taken down to be placed on exhibition at Ironbridge in the Midlands. The gates are believed to have cost about £3000.

List of Priests-in-Charge/Senior Curates since the Consecration in 1851.
Holy Trinity Church Watermoor

List of Vicars of the Parish of Cirencester with Watermoor

Tony Clack
 Many thanks to Tony Clack for this contribution

See
Part 1 : The Beginnings of the Idea
Part 2 : The Construction
Part 3 : The Consecration
Part 4 : The Church Layout and Additions
Part 5 : The Church Windows
Part 6 : Sights, Sounds & Timing - the Bells
Part 7 : Further Assets & the Curate Register