Off Topic £4.5m plan to remodel Hull's Holy Trinity Church...

£4.5m plan to remodel Hull's Holy Trinity Church as a cultural and music venue in Old Town piazza

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HULL’S Holy Trinity Church has today unveiled £4.5m plans to make the 13th-century building “fit for purpose” in the run-up to UK City of Culture 2017.

Under plans drawn up by Hull City Council and England’s biggest parish church, the building will be restored and remodelled “to create a new flexible space” for banquets, concerts, and cultural events.

Outside, Trinity Square will be transformed with a piazza-style public space, which church and civic leaders hope will spark the regeneration of Hull’s heritage quarter.

Reverend Canon Dr Neal Barnes, Holy Trinity’s vicar, said: “This project will breathe new life into this ancient building to advance the worship of God and also open it up to the community in ways that will enable Hull to grow.”

The ambitious project is said to support the objectives set out in the City Plan, which aims to create 7,500 jobs over ten years including plans to transform parts of the city centre.

Holy Trinity already has £1.5m in firm pledges from individual benefactors, while the remainder of the cost is expected to be raised from donations, trust funds and foundations.

Work is expected to start early next year, with completion likely in late 2016 ahead of the City of Culture celebrations, subject to securing planning permission.



Inside the church, the most significant change will be the removal of the banks of Victorian pews to create an extensive open plan area to be used for worship or as a music and arts venue with a large stage and capacity for hundreds of spectators.

“I see this project in the context of the history of Holy Trinity,” said Rev Barnes. “Seven hundred years ago it was constructed by the people of Hull for the people of Hull, for worship principally, but also for the community generally.

“Our plans for Holy Trinity will enhance Hull’s vibrancy and cultural diversity and add a spiritual depth to it.”

Today, Rev Barnes was expected to join the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, and the chair of Hull UK City of Culture 2017, Rosie Millard, to formally unveil blueprints for the makeover.

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In September, Holy Trinity Church hired marketing specialists who gave it the slogan “an amazing place”.

Rev Barnes said: “Holy Trinity is a beautiful and inspiring building and these changes will enable us to do amazing things and offer amazing experiences within magnificent surroundings.”

Designers are looking to install underfloor heating to create a warm welcome for visitors, while an outside café will create a funding stream for the church.

Archbishop Sentamu said he was excited by the plans.

He said: “One of the great biblical images of God’s Kingdom of love and justice is a banquet where all are invited to the feast.

“The Church seeks to embody that gracious welcome in all it does. I am delighted that Holy Trinity is re-imagining ways to open up that invitation to the people of Hull, residents and visitors alike, in the 21st century.”

Ms Millard said the UK City of Culture team fully endorsed the proposals.

“Holy Trinity Church is one of the most awe-inspiring buildings in the country, let alone in East Yorkshire,” she said.

“Through this transformation, Holy Trinity can become, once again, a focal point and a beacon in the historic heart of Hull.

“I am delighted to see the church looking to the future in ways that will introduce it to a wide, new audience.”

Councillor Steven Bayes, Hull City Council’s portfolio holder for City of Culture, said Holy Trinity will play a key role in revitalising the Old Town.

He said: “This is an exciting scheme that compliments the council’s plans to re-energise and attract more visitors and residents to the Old Town for 2017 and beyond.

“These plans will ensure it continues to play a growing and vital role for generations to come.”

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The glass extension to house a cafe (shown above) has been shelved due to lack of funds.

I would have thought this was fairly fundamental to the whole redevelopment, it's what people see from the outside and makes it obvious that it's not just a church.