Saved church converted to minster
THE Archbishop of York made England’s largest parish church a minster yesterday.
In the first ceremony of its kind, Dr John Sentamu travelled up the River Humber with a flotilla of boats to make Hull’s Holy Trinity Church a minster.
The last church to be transformed into a minster was in Cheltenham in 2013.
Dr Sentamu described the 700-yearold church as a “phoenix rising from the ashes” and made the decision to bestow the honour after it was saved from closure by parishioners.
“Two years ago I came here and urged people to dream big about the possibilities for Holy Trinity and for the city of Hull as a whole and to give their all to make the vision a reality,” he said.
“It is fantastic to see so many people and organisations getting behind the development project and providing the funds to drive it forward. Holy Trinity is doing great things to reach out to the local community and make the mission of their church relevant to the daily lives of the people of Hull.”
Dr Sentamu carried a lantern lit at Holy Trinity’s mother church, All Saints at Hessle, on a five-mile voyage on a boat along the Humber to Hull Marina in a flotilla of 20 vessels, before commencing the ceremony.
The fortunes of the church, which was facing closure in 2009, have been transformed due to a £4.5million development project, which has so far raised £3.2million and seen its congregation increase three-fold due to events such as its beer festival which have helped raise funds for it restoration.
Holy Trinity is England’s largest parish church, the oldest brick-built building in the country still used for its original purpose.
Founded by Edward I late in the 13th
‘Holy Trinity is doing great things to reach out to the local community and make its mission relevant to Hull’
century, it is as old as the city of Hull and stands just yards from the “plotting room” where conspirators triggered the English Civil War and refused King Charles I entry to the city in 1642.
Hull’s most famous son, the abolitionist William Wilberforce, was baptised in the font which is still used to this day.
The vicar of Holy Trinity, Rev Canon Dr Neal Barnes, said the city was “deeply honoured”.