Clapham needs a new Church
Holy Trinity Clapham opened for worship in 1776 - the same year as the American Declaration of Independence. A plain, simple building, it reflected the calm spirit of those rational and enlightened times.
The old Parish Church in 1815 |
It is the new Parish Church of Clapham. An old church had existed since the middle ages, in Rectory Grove, where St Paul’s Church now stands. It had grown over the years in a haphazard sort of way, and
by the mid-eighteenth century was in a poor state of repair and far too small for what was by this time one of the fastest growing villages round London. The centre of the village had shifted, and the emphasis was now on the area around the Common, where rich Londoners had their new mansions.
After much debate, the parishioners decided to build a new Church on the Common. An Act of Parliament was obtained, to allow the land to be bought from the manorial family and to set up a Trust to manage the construction. The leading trustees, headed by the Speaker of the House of Commons and by John Thornton, a wealthy merchant banker, met at the Plough Inn (still at the centre of Clapham by the Tube, but renamed) and in 1774 set the work in hand.
A preaching box - and big congregations
The Trustees chose as their architect Kenton Couse, who was employed by the Office of Works, the body responsible for Government buildings, and whose best known work is the front of 10 Downing Street. He provided a very simple design - a rectangular brick building with three doors at the west end, leading to the ground floor and galleries. There was a stubby tower, with a large clock from Thwaites of Clerkenwell, and four bells.
Inside Holy Trinity c.1805 |
The Church has changed since those days, to reflect changes in approaches to worship. During the nineteenth century, the emphasis shifted away from the long sermon, and more towards congregational participation in hymns and music.
Changing times, changing Church
In 1875, the old box pews, dismissed as “horse boxes”, were reduced in height and converted into the present bench pews. The big three decker was cut down and the pulpit, all that survives from it, moved to the north side of the church, to allow room for a choir. There was a new font at the west end in a sort of medieval style - the novelist EM Forster was one of the first to be baptised in it.
Rededication after War damage |
War damage. During the Second World War, the Church suffered serious damage; all the windows were destroyed, the Lady Chapel gutted, and the main roof near to collapse. For a few years, the congregation had to sit under the galleries for safety. Restoration was completed by 1952, bringing the Church back to its early twentieth century appearance. The main differences were that the old organ in the west gallery was not replaced, and there were new windows in the east end and Lady Chapel.
Holy Trinity today
The most recent changes were made in 1991-94. While preserving the essential character of the Church as a place of worship, these changes sought to make it more available for community uses. The platform in front of the chancel steps was built; this now serves as the focal point for our main Sunday worship, but can also be used as a stage for music or drama.
At the west end, the screened area under the galleries provides both a meeting area and a chapel for small services or meetings of small groups. The Victorian font was replaced by a smaller font on a wooden base, more in keeping with the style of the church. The Lady Chapel, a fine room but difficult to use for services, was converted into the William Wilberforce Centre. The Chapel was divided horizontally, creating a large meeting room upstairs, with a smaller room, kitchen and toilets below.
Our Church is Grade 2* listed, so any changes must be made with sensitivity to is architectural qualities and historic past. But as it has been adapted over the years, so it will no doubt change in future, so that we may give our best in the worship of God and service of his people.
Holy Trinity as it was and is now. The picture above shows the Church from the east, in its original state, before new vestries were added in the 1790s. To the right, Remembrance Sunday 2005. |
The Clapham Sect
Holy Trinity is associated with the group of friends known to history as “the Clapham Sect”. They lived around Clapham Common and worshipped here. Devout Christians, they fought for religious and humanitarian causes, notably the abolition of the slave trade.
Their campaign was led in Parliament by William Wilberforce, and in 2007 we celebrated the 200th anniversary of the passing of the Act to Abolish the Slave Trade. But they took up many other causes; the heritage they have left us includes the Church Mission Society and the Bible Society. Their standards of integrity left a lasting stamp on this country’s public life.
They threw down a challenge to their times. Britain, they believed, was uniquely blessed by Divine Providence: our nation had been kept safe in times of war, and we had received so much material wealth from others that we must return to them treasures more valuable than silver and gold - the treasures of the Gospel and Christian freedom. We must set right the wrongs that Africa had suffered at our hands.
That challenge is as strong for us today as it was then.
William Wilberforce and the campaign against the slave trade
William Wilberforce |
To campaign effectively, they had to have a champion in Parliament; so they approached a man who had the drive, skills and sympathy - William Wilberforce.
Wilberforce was a rich and talented young man, who after a long and slow process had become converted to evangelical Christianity. He agreed to take up the cause and in 1789 made his first speech on the subject in the House of Commons. Shortly afterwards, he moved to Clapham, to share a house overlooking the west side of the Common with his cousin Henry Thornton.
The model of a slave ship |
Wedgwood medallion |
George Hibbert, Wilberforce's opponent |
That was not the end of the story. The illegal trade continued, with the Royal Navy doing its best to stamp it out. Wilberforce and his friends campaigned for the British Government to persuade other countries to follow our lead. In Britain, there was reluctance, which Wilberforce shared, to take the next step of freeing the many slaves who were still exploited in the Caribbean plantations. It was not until 1833 that Parliament took that last step, the Act passing through the Commons as Wilberforce lay on his deathbed. On 1 August 1838, slavery in the British Empire at last ended.
The Great Awakening
The Thorntons and the Venns
John Thornton |
John Venn |
Spreading the Gospel, and social reform
Another member of the group, Charles Grant, had returned from India convinced of the need for Christian missions to the sub-continent. Existing missionary societies served only English speaking colonials, and Grant and his Clapham friends saw the need to take the Gospel into Asia and Africa.
Led by John Venn, the Clapham Sect were the nucleus of the group which in 1799 founded what is now the Church Mission Society. In 1804 the group founded the British and Foreign Bible Society, its first President being Lord Teignmouth, a former Governor General of India, who had come to live in Clapham.
In this country, the Clapham Sect supported Sunday Schools and other schools for the poor. They opposed cruel sports and were among the earlier supporters of legislation to protect factory children. In politics they were conservative, even repressive; but in an age when political corruption was the norm, they brought their moral standards into politics, fighting elections without bribery, and voting on issues as their moral sense and not as party politics told them. British political life was changed by their example.
Finding out more
There are numerous books about the Clapham Sect and individuals, notably Wilberforce. A recent and comprehensive account is The Clapham Sect by Stephen Tomkins (Lion Hudson, published 2010). The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography includes an essay on the Clapham Sect by Professor John Wolffe. A short account by a local historian is The Clapham Sect by Margaret Bryant, published in 2004 by the Clapham Society (www.claphamsociety.com) and obtainable from them.
Notes For Enquirers About Church Records And History
Anglican churches are encouraged to deposit their records at an appropriate public record office. Most of the ancient records of Holy Trinity are held by the London Metropolitan Archives (address etc below).
Family History: Baptisms, marriages and burials
All but the most recent parish registers are at the London Metropolitan Archives, where they may be viewed on microfilm. Holdings are as follows
Baptisms: 1552 - 1664, 1678 – 1689, 1706 - 1957
Confirmations: 1888 – 1896, 1899 - 1968
Marriages: 1551 – 1688, 1705 - 1967
Banns of marriage: 1755 – 1807, 1895 – 1901, 1912 - 1968
Burials: 1555 – 1691, 1700 - 1854
More recent registers are held at Holy Trinity and may be inspected on application to the Parish Administrator.
The parish registers up the early 20th century can also be searched on the Ancestry website (www.ancestry.co.uk), but note that this is a commercial service and accessible only on payment.
The parish registers up the early 20th century can also be searched on the Ancestry website (www.ancestry.co.uk), but note that this is a commercial service and accessible only on payment.
Location of events
Holy Trinity was opened in June 1776, replacing an older church, also Holy Trinity. This stood in Rectory Grove on the site now occupied by St Paul’s Church Clapham. Baptisms and marriages prior to June 1776 all took place at the old Church. After Holy Trinity was opened, the burial ground round the old Church continued in use until it was closed in 1855. Now known as St Paul’s Churchyard, it was also described as the Holy Trinity burial ground.
No burials took place in the churchyard surrounding the present Holy Trinity.
St Paul’s Churchyard has been largely cleared of gravestones, but in the 1920s, the Revd TC Dale made a record of all gravestones and monumental inscriptions existing at that time. This was published locally in a booklet called “Our Clapham Forefathers”. Holy Trinity does not hold a copy of this book, but St Paul’s Church (office open on Thursday mornings) does. Copies may also be held at Lambeth Archives and the Wandsworth Local History Library.
Other Records
As well as the registers, our deposited records contain information about the life of the church and bodies associated with it - the Parochial Schools and a number of charitable trusts.
From Tudor and Stuart times to the mid-nineteenth century, the governing body of the parish was the vestry, and our deposited records include the minutes of the Vestry and associated committees and trusts.
On-line catalogues
Holy Trinity’s deposited records can be searched for on-line. Most are at the London Metropolitan Archives, while a few, mostly relating to civil administration in the 19th century, are at Lambeth Archives. The most convenient way to search is to go to Access2Archives (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a), enter Holy Trinity Clapham in the Search box, and then use the Summary of Results table on the right-hand side of the screen.
Useful addresses
London Metropolitan Archives
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/lma
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/lma
Lambeth Archives
www.lambeth.gov.uk/Services/LeisureCulture/LocalHistory/Archives.htm
www.lambeth.gov.uk/Services/LeisureCulture/LocalHistory/Archives.htm
Wandsworth Local History Library
www.wandsworth.gov.uk/a_to_z/service/429/archives
www.wandsworth.gov.uk/a_to_z/service/429/archives