People have found this blog by Googling “Holy Trinity Westminster”. However, if you search with that phrase, you’ll come up with another Holy Trinity Church in Westminster – Westminster, as in part of London England. London belongs to the Diocese of Westminster. The Diocese of Westminster has a beautify Holy Trinity Church located to the west of Hyde Park and Kensington in a neighborhood called Hammersmith.
HISTORY
After the Reformation, the open expression of Catholic faith was forbidden, but slowly Catholic life returned to London. Hammersmith at that time was a semi-rural area on the outskirts of London. Some protection may have been afforded by the presence of a country home in the area owned by the Portuguese ambassador.
From the early 17th century a discreet Catholic life was established here and slowly the faith was built up anew in this area. Around 1680, Frances Bedingfield, a widow, established a convent of teaching sisters here and other institutions followed it. These included the vast generalate, convent and (for a time) children’s home of the Sisters of Nazareth; St Mary’s Training College for Teachers, now at Strawberry Hill; and Sacred Heart Convent School, under the direction of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart. Next to the site of the church, a Catholic almshouse was opened in 1851, St Joseph’s House, to provide housing for elderly people.
Drawn in part by these institutions, the Catholic presence in Hammersmith grew steadily, and was greatly strengthened by Irish immigration from the mid-19th century. The need for a church grew pressing. The foundation stone of the church was laid by Cardinal Wiseman in 1851 and building work finished in 1852. Building was made possible through the generosity of Helen Tasker, a wealthy local resident. It was designed by William Wardell, who later emigrated to Australia where he became a renowned architect of cathedrals and civil buildings, and is regarded as one of the founding fathers of Australian architecture. The stained glass in the church is mostly the work of John Hardman, a disciple of Pugin. In 1862 a tower was added, designed by Joseph Hansom, the polymath who also designed the eponymous cab.
Here are a few links to explore this Holy Trinity:
- Holy Trinity Parish Web page: http://www.holytrinityw6.org
- Holy Trinity, Brook Green Parish – entry on the Diocese of Westminster web page: http://www.rcdow.org.uk/brookgreen/default.asp
- Westminster Cathedral, the seat of Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor: http://www.westminstercathedral.org.uk
- Solomon, I Have Surpassed Thee: A blog from Mgr Mark Langham, Administrator of Westminster Cathedral, London (They had snow on their Easter Vigil too!) http://westminstercathedral.blogspot.com/
It’s great to be part of a Universal Church!
