Barnsbury: Holy Trinity
Diocese of London
Closed Church, 623557
This church is on the Heritage at Risk Register (verified 2025-11-06)
View more information about this church on the Heritage at Risk website
Overview
Grid reference: TQ 313 837
The former Church of the Holy Trinity was Sir Charles Barry's third Islington church, built 1826-9. Before his famous work on the Houses of Parliament, Barry was responsible for the design of several of the 'Commissioners' churches' churches built after the passage of the Act of 1818 that provided for the expenditure of one million pounds on building 214 churches, the majority of which in the Gothic style. Barry's three are considered some of the best of the period that exploited the newly embraced Gothic style. Sir Gilbert Scott referred to Barry's Islington churches years later as 'really respectable and well-intentioned'. Listed at Grade II* as a well-surviving early-C19 Commissioner's church by the nationally important architect Sir Charles Barry, that possesses strong Tudor-Gothic architectural qualities throughout its soaring interior and striking exterior. It is amongst the best of the early Gothic style churches of this type and it one of three early-C19 churches by Barry in Islington (St. John's and St. Paul's, both also Grade II*).
Visiting and facilities
Building is closed for worship
Building
Exterior Description
The gabled east end has a five-light window under a four-centred arch, with one transom, rectilinear tracery and hoodmould, quatrefoil window to gable, clasping buttresses carried up into ogee-topped pinnacles, with setback buttresses superimposed on them; parapeted vestries; four-bay aisles with pointed-arched windows of two lights with rectilinear tracery and hoodmoulds, between buttresses, the third bay from the east filled by a gabled porch with multi-moulded pointedarched entrance, the mouldings dying into the responds, parapet and pinnacles; twolight windows to clerestory under four-centred arches with hoodmoulds, between pinnacled buttresses; porch bay to west, and then gabled west end flanked by octagonal stone turrets whose upper stages were obscured by scaffolding at the time of inspection; pointed-arched west window with one transom and cinqfoiled tracery; pointed-arched and multi-moulded central west entrance with large hollow chamfer and panelled doors of original design.
Building Materials
Slate
Brick
Interior
Interior Description
Shallow chancel under a sexpartite vault; four-centred chancel arch. Five-bay arcade with half a blank bay at the west end; the arcade consists of clustered columns with hollow chamfers supporting pointed arches, the column to the nave a vault-shaft. Gallery at west end in last bay of arcade, with billet moulding and arcading to balustrade, wooden pews in stepped gallery; late-C20 partition underneath separating the ground floor entrance rooms. These have a part-glazed and gothic detailed doors and screens. Stone spiral stair in south turret. Lean-to roofs to aisles; nave roof of shallow pitch with decorative trusses and ribs. East window of 1828 by Thomas Willement. The side galleries were removed in 1900, and the pews in the later-C20. Eastern two bays of nave refurbished by Ewan Christian in 1901. Organ case of 1820s. Brick and tile enclosed area of sand known as Mercy Land installed in north east aisle in late-C20.
Fixtures and fittings
Chancel
Arcade
Pew (component)
Screen
Glazed
Staircase
Spiral Staircase in the South turret
Window
1828 Thomas Willement
Nave
1901 Eastern two bays of nave refurbished
Organ (object)
1820 Organ Case
Churchyard
Grid reference: TQ 313 837
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | N/A |
| Solar Thermal Panels | N/A |
| Biomass | N/A |
| Wind Turbine | N/A |
| Air Source Heat Pump | N/A |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | N/A |
| Ev Charging | N/A |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
Sources
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