The If These Walls Could Talk research team has been exploring varied aspects of the history of Holy Trinity Church and the wider context of the building, which is centrally located in Brighton. Along the way we have discovered that some people who were related to the church had links to plantations and the slave… Read More Brighton and Slavery

Thomas Read Kemp, land developer and politician, was an important figure in the development of Brighton. Kemp commissioned the creation Trinity Chapel (which we now know as Holy Trinity Church) as an independent non-conformist sect and was its first preacher during that time. Our volunteer researcher Sandrine explored his life: By Sandrine Thomas Read Kemp,… Read More Thomas Read Kemp, Creator of Trinity Chapel

By John In 1984, Holy Trinity Church, closed its doors for the last time as a functioning Place of Worship.  From 1817, when the Church was built, through the height of its popularity around 1830-1850, when it could, and often did, accommodate up to 800 parishioners, to the gradual decline in numbers, from the late 1800’s to 1984, I believe Holy… Read More The Journey to Deconsecration

By Angi Located immediately to the left of the First World War Memorial plaque commemorating those who served and those who fell from the local area (visit The Boys on the Plaque to hear about that project) is a small brass-plated plaque to a soldier lost in the Second World War.  It is the only wall plaque… Read More Remembering Henry George Walthoe

The Reverend Fredrick William Robertson (1816 – 1853) was Perpetual Incumbent of Holy Trinity Chapel, Brighton 1847-1853. “Robertson of Brighton” is well known as a Victorian preacher and his life has already been documented, sometimes controversially, but he is a huge part of the Holy Trinity’s history. Memorials to the preacher are found within the… Read More Robertson of Brighton

Written by Angi Our researcher Angi has been looking into Alan Hunter Watts, incumbent at Holy Trinity from 1917 – 1924; here is a snippet: Alan Hunter Watts was born in West Hoathly in East Sussex in 1852. His father was Henry Ludby Watts, a teacher of classics, and his mother was Margaret M Watts,… Read More Incumbent Alan Watts and his Daughter Helen the Suffragette

Just before the Christmas break, we took the chance to visit the Chapel Royal Church (on North Street). The Chapel Royal was built in 1795 as a chapel of ease. It has gained its own parish and is associated with the Prince Regent and fashionable regency-era society. It is still an active church today. The… Read More Musical Chapel Royal Visit!

My research on Wilds and Wilds and G.S Clarke Junior by Sandrine – PPF Volunteer The research group gathered one afternoon to decide on what the next steps were going to be, and who was going to research what.Phyllida suggested various topics and because I was interested in learning more about the architecture in Brighton… Read More Exploring Holy Trinity’s Architects

By Angi – Research Volunteer The font is situated in a niche in the narthex or porch area of the building, to the right as one enters from the main entrance from Ship Street. The floor beneath it is tiled in a geometric pattern in shades of gold and brown. These tiles resemble those originally… Read More William Smith and the Font