Holy Trinity Church, Coalbrookdale
The beginnings of the parish.
In the year 1851 there was no such parish as Coalbrookdale,
although the name of the village was famous in many parts of the
world by reason of the renowned ironworks; the village of
Coalbrookdale was originally part of the parish of Madeley. The
earliest record of worship in the Dale is found at the time of
the rebuilding of Madeley Parish Church in 1794-7; at that time a
room at the Coalbrookdale British Boys’ School (provided by the
Coalbrookdale Company) was used for Sunday worship and the
administration of the sacraments. In 1850 a room in the school
was licensed for church worship and became the first formal
Anglican church in the village.
In 1845 the parish of St. Luke, Ironbridge, was created
from part of Madeley and, on the 25th July 1851, the parish was
again divided to form the parish of Holy Trinity, Coalbrookdale,
taking also some land from the neighbouring parish of Dawley
Magna.
Abraham Darby IV had been baptized an Anglican at Little
Wenlock in 1849 and promised to endow the new parish with £100 a
year. With the support of the Darbys a new church was planned.
The foundation stone was laid by Abraham’s wife, Matilda Frances,
on 11th December 1851 and the completed building was consecrated
by the Bishop of Hereford on 25th July 1854.
A guide to the church.
Holy Trinity’s connections with the
Coalbrookdale Company and the ironworks can be seen everywhere in
the building. The main entrance consists of a pair of
locally-made cast-iron gates and, when walking along the path to
the church door, one is ever-aware of the Dale, the ironworks,
and the splendid countryside of this part of Shropshire. The
churchyard contains many graves of local people and a number of
gravemarkers are unusual in that they were locally cast in iron.
In the extreme North-east of the churchyard stands a gravestone
with the inscription:
This stone was erected by a few friends
in memory of William Dempster
who carved the stonework of the church.
The most notable grave is, of course, that of Abraham Darby
IV and his Wife Matilda. The grave, which stands at the east end
of the church was cleaned and restored in 1993 and is a fitting
memorial to the Founder of the church.
It is the stonework, locally cut from the same quarry as
served Buildwas Abbey, that one first appreciates when
approaching the building. Designed by Mr Voysey of the London
architects, Reeves and Voysey, in decorated fourteenth-century
Gothic style, the church consists of chancel, nave, eight bays,
west porch, and a massive embattled west tower. The three-dial
tower clock was given by public subscription. When the church was
first built a peal of eight bells was hung. These were rehung and
tuned in 1925 when they were augmented by two further bells
provided by public subscription in memory of Maurice Darby, the
only son of Alfred Darby and great-grandson of the Founder, who
was killed in the First World War.
The entrance to the church is by an
iron-clasped oak door leading into the porch. Facing the door is
the stone which commemorates the foundation of the church.
To the Glory of God.
This church was built and endowed by Abraham Darby Esq.,
JP., D.L. the foundation stone having been laid on 11th December
1851, upon land given by Adelaide Anna Darby. The bells were
presented by Alfred Darby Esq., the Founder’s only brother. The
organ by Mary and one thousand pounds by Deborah, the sister of
Abraham and Alfred Darby, the donation of the latter sister
through her husband, Henry Dickenson Esq.
From the porch one passes through an oak swing door to see
many items of interest. At the east end can be seen the beautiful
altar window which depicts the Crucifixion against a rich
background of trees and flowers. The window was given in 1900 as
a memorial to the Founder by his widow. Below the window, mounted
on fine Asburton marble steps and locally-made encaustic tiles is
the altar with a silk brocade frontal. On the reredos is a silver
cross given in memory of the Rev’d C. B. Crowe, a former vicar;
candlesticks given in memory of Freda Gladys Fowler, and flower
vases in memory of William Humphreys. Mrs Alfred Darby (the
Founder’s sister-in-law) gave a superb silver-gilt chalice made
in Augsberg, Bavaria, in the 1700s and formerly belonging to the
Sawabian Charterhouse of Buxheim. A German cruet tray of the same
date is supplemented by a matching paten and communion cruets
made in London in 1849. These items are usually on display in the
Museum of Iron.
The outstanding chancel decoration is the work of H. S.
Goodhall-Rendel who, in 1931, was commissioned to undertake the
work by Mrs Muriel Cope-Darby, the then Patron, in memory of her
brother Maurice. The decoration, of a painted stencil design, is
today in the care of the Labouchere Trust. The furnishings of the
Chancel and Sanctuary are of Australian Silky Oak and were part
of the 1931 refurbishment. The lectern was given by Mr and Mrs
Alfred Dixon in memory of their daughter Lily.
In the nave, on the south side can be found the church’s
most rare possession; a window of 16th-century Flemish glass
depicting the Last Supper. The characters of the window are quite
ugly-looking with Judas having a shock of red hair and teeth
which project from a leering mouth. One side panel shows Jesus
washing the disciples’ feet. Above are light-painted panels
depicting the Annunciation and Old Testament scenes. The Flemish
Window was given as a wedding present to Mrs Henry Whitmore (née
Darby) and presented by her to the church.
Other windows include, in the south aisle, one given in
memory of Hadrian Harris B.A. by his sister, parishioners, and
friends and, in the north aisle, windows to the memory of John
and Hannah Fox, and of Henry Dickenson.
The nave roof is supported by stone arches and octagonal
pillars. The carved heads on the corbels are said to be members
of the Darby family, although the easternmost heads are obviously
those of Queen Victoria and the Bishop of Hereford. The pews are
finished with unique carved ends, each of a different design,
whilst the doors contain locally-made cast-iron detailing.
A number of memorials adorn the church walls, perhaps the
most unusual of these being the memorial over the porch door to
Captain Matthew Webb, the channel swimmer, who was a Churchwarden
in the 1850s and who died whilst attempting to swim across the
Niagara. This effort was seen as being tantamount to suicide and
so his memorial is placed in this ignominious position! Another
memorial is to Thomas Parker, the noted electrical inventor,
whose work brought about great advances in electrical technology.
One of the newer memorials is the cast-iron plaque of the Last
Supper which was presented by the Coalbrookdale Company in 1959
to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the
ironworks.
The original organ was built by J. W. Walker and Sons. In
1905 it was found to be in need of repair; during the work, by
Harrison and Harrison, it was moved to the south-east corner of
the church, this leading to the former lady Chapel being shut off
(this now being the Choir Vestry and a meeting room). In the 1931
refurbishment the organ was returned to its former north-east
position.
One of the problems that this second move created was the
difficulty of communicating with the organist. Mrs Cope-Darby
(one of the then Patrons) had very specific views about the tempo
of hymns and wished to let the organist know if she disapproved.
In order that she could make her feelings known, her pew was
fitted with a small footpedal which illuminated a light on the
organ console. The pedal remains today but the Patron rarely
occupies the front pew!
Holy Trinity Church is a beautiful building
that glorifies God and expresses the prosperity of the Dale in
the mid-19th century. The church, though, is not a museum, it is
a living place of worship and ministry. Services are held at
various times on Sundays and during the week; visitors are always
welcome to join us. The church is not normally open outside
worship times but a notice in the porch tells how to locate
parishioners who will be more than pleased to show you The Jewel
of the Dale.
| DAY | TIME | SERVICE |
| 1st Sunday | 3.00 p.m. (Nov - Mar) 6.00 p.m. (Apr - Oct) |
Evensong (BCP) |
| 2nd Sunday | 11.00 a.m. | Holy Communion |
| 3rd Sunday | 11.00 a.m. | Praise & Prayer for All |
| 4th Sunday | 9.30 a.m. | Holy Communion |
| 5th Sunday | As Announced |
