Welcome

Welcome to Trinity’s website.

Updates: Zoom services continue on alternate Sunday mornings at 9.15am. Curiously during the lockdown Trinity attracted several new faces from the local area. We are delighted to have retained their company and look forward to attracting more. Both the pilates group and the AA have continued to meet in Trinity's Hall. Trinity's church life here is in large part back to normal..

Trinity has a morning service each Sunday at 10.30am and a Sunday afternoon service at 4pm twice a month. Services are followed by tea, coffee etc to which all are welcome.

Trinity is now open on a Friday morning between 10.30am and 11.30am for private prayers and reflection.

Thought for the month:

Matthew 19: 16 - 30

Isaiah 40; v: 8

The grass withers, the flower fades;

but the word of our God will stand for ever.

Hymn of the month:

All poor men and humble,
All lame men who stumble
Come haste ye, nor feel ye afraid.
For Jesus our treasure,
With love past all measure,
In lowly poor manger was laid.
Though wise men who found him
Laid rich gifts around him,
Yet oxen they gave him their hay;
And Jesus in beauty
Accepted their duty;
Contented in manger he lay.

Then haste we to show him
The praises we owe him;
Our service he ne'er can despise:
Whose love still is able
To show us that stable
Where softly in manger he lies.

Visiting Trinity Congregational Church

Trinity Congregational Church Website is at http://trinitychapelbrixton.org.uk/

and you will find a google link to a map of the area. For those who lack access to a computer the address is:

Trinity Congregational Church,

St Matthew’s Road,

London SW2 5AF

The nearest tube is Brixton. The 59 bus from Euston via Waterloo goes to Rush Common bus stop in Brixton - a two minute walk from the church. Otherwise from central Londonthe 159 and 3 buses go to Brixton (Rush Common bus stop). From Liverpool Street and/or London Bridge take the 133 bus.

Trinity Congregational Chapel

Whilst sorting through some books I found an unsigned letter which I believe was written by Christopher Stell, the deceased leading authority on chapel architecture. Titled ‘first impressions’ it reads as follows:

‘OUTSIDE perfect example of 1820 (of St John’s Downshire Hill Hampstead).

WITHIN ditto the columns

‘But the gallery front foxed me - the iron-work is slightly later - designed for ladies’ hooped skirts.

Hooped Skirts.

All Images from The Metropolitan Museum, New York.

Trinity Chapel railings

The original gallery front would have been plain flat white woodwork probably without panels. But if you paint the existing iron-work white, the appearance tends to suggest a swimming-bath. For that reason, I would suggest a pale green for the metal-work, but probably white for the woodwork (save for the green and gilt horizontal beams).

The piece de resistance is, of course, the pulpit (William IV?). [now missing]

It demands a communion table of the same period, a mahogany hall-table from an antique shop (being higher than a domestic dining table). Deacons’ chairs could be 19th cent dark chairs.’

THE ORGAN: I suspect from a private house, ought to loose its ghostly paint! 1820 organs had gold front pipes. A little later, the pipes would have been brown or green Or peony red, with black and gold stencilled patterns. What colour you decide on could be left until the walls and gallery have been new-done.

The pulpit deserves a cushion for the bible - boxed, red velvet, with very large red tassels at the corners.

Platform front - this is a problem. The late Victorian “Jacobean” is good of its kind, but it does not really fit in with 1820. Perhaps a dark stain or paint - the darkest green possible? - with only an “egg-shell” finish.

A square of red turkish carpet (with dark green and blue pattern) in front of the pulpit would be welcome! But, like anything else introduced, it should not be brand new. New stuff of any kind would shout.

For the same reason, cut flowers should not be used - they came in as a result of the Oxford Movement! But the occasional pot fern on a window ledge would be in keeping; and perhaps the occasional huge jar of evergreens standing on the floor at festivals.’

Pictures to follow. JG

Thought for this week:

Ravenstonedale manse - Westmorland home of Bernard Lord Manning. May 2019

Trinity Congregational Chapel is an independent church, founded in 1828, affiliated to The Congregational Federation.

All are welcome to our services

please join us for:

Ministry

Our minister is Revd Dr Alan Argent. He is a Brixton boy, born and bred, who first came to this church aged 11 years and has not managed to leave yet. You see Trinity really is habit forming! Educated at the London School of Economics (Bsc Econ), King's College, London (M Th), and University College, London (Ph D), he trained for the ministry in Cambridge.

Service by candlelight.

Join us for our conservation evenings at Trinity.

Fellowship meals, coffee mornings, sales of work, book sales - all by arrangement.

Baptisms, Marriages and Funerals by arrangement with the minister.

This note was received after a recent baptism: