Holy Trinity Church, Ryde

About

Holy Trinity Church is a former Church of England parish church located in the town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight. Consecrated while still unfinished in 1845, and parished in 1863, it became the rapidly growing town's first parish church. A "fine, gracious" and "imposing" structure with a 134-foot (41 m) spire, it is visible for miles as a landmark at the northern end of the island, along with nearby All Saints' Church.

The building has been used as a community centre since it closed for worship in 2014. Historic England has listed it at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance. The town of Ryde, which developed in the late 18th and early 19th century, was originally in the large parish of Newchurch, whose parish church was a long way to the south.

Private chapels were built in Ryde, but it was only in 1839 that the new vicar of Newchurch set up a committee to found a conventional parish church in the town. Rapid population growth led to the construction of a "large and lofty" stone church capable of holding 800 worshippers. It was designed in the Early English Gothic Revival style by one of the island's most prolific architects, Ryde resident Thomas Hellyer.