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Images Index> Matlock Bath, 20th and 21stC Images> This page |
| Holy Trinity Church, Matlock Bath - Interior |
| Matlock Bath : Twentieth Century Photographs, Postcards, Engravings & Etchings |
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Before they Call I will Answer and While They Are Yet Speaking I Will Hear.[1]
William Adam provided a good description of the early church in his various editions of "Gem of the Peak". "The transepts, and down each side of the body of the church, are pewed, while the centre is fitted up with comfortable benches, with backs and kneeling boards, as free sittings. We like this arrangement, not only for its effect, but because it enables the poor man to obtain as good a position for hearing and seeing as the rich"[2]. The pews, shown in a sketch in a number of his books (below), were boxed and the octagonal pulpit and reading desk at the corners of the transepts were enclosed within these pews. They were raised up so the vicar and whoever was reading the lesson could, presumably, have a good view of the congregation. The interior measured 95 feet in length, and from the tower to and including the communion table was 79 feet. It was 27 feet and 3 inches in breadth. The transepts were 53 feet long and 21 feet wide. "It is in the old English style ... and fitted up with great simplicity and true elegance". The vestry was beneath the tower, with a small loft for the organ and choir. "The furniture, cushions, carpeting, &c. are crimson velvet and cloth"[2]. Mr. Edward Beaumont, who lived for some time at the New Bath Hotel, was very generous when the Church was built. Not only did he contribute to cost of the fabric and the organ but he also provided the communion plate. Two vicars, Rev. Pelly and Rev. Barker, jointly paid for a burnished brass lectern that was installed after alterations to the Church[3]. The stained glass window above the altar is in memory of Mr. Charles Clarke and was paid for by his widow. The central compartment is a representation of Christ on the Cross, to the left are two apostles and to the right Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene. Immediately below the window is the reredos, divided into three and surrounded by a cornice of Derbyshire marble, with pilasters in relief. "The panels of the recesses are ornamented, the central one with a cross, those at the sides with geometrical designs, the effect of the whole being heightened by bosses of local spars and marbles"[3].
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1. "Trinity Church Matlock Bath". No publisher details are printed on the sepia postcard but the lettering of the title indicates the photograph is by the local photographer Thomas Meredith Henshall, so would have been self published. Although it card contains no message, it was posted at Matlock Bath on 27 July 1908 to a Miss Aspell in Leicester. 2. Sketch from "The Gem of the Peak" (details below). Both images in the collection of and © Ann Andrews. Information researched, provided by and © Ann Andrews. Intended for personal use only. |
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[1] The text written around the chancel arch in the top image is from Isaiah 65: 24. Biblical texts were painted in a number of churches in the later nineteenth and early 20th century. Some survive today. [2] Adam, W. (1857, 6th edtn.) "The Gem of the Peak; or Matlock Bath and Its Vicinity". ... John and Charles Mozley, Derby and 6, Paternoster Row, London; Bemrose .... (own copy). The sketch was first published in the 1845 edition of his book. [3] Bryan, Benjamin (1903) "History
of Matlock - Matlock, Manor and Parish" London by Bemrose & Sons,
Limited. |
Holy
Trinity Church, Matlock Bath - Memorial Inscriptions in the Church