Holy Trinity Church is an

Episcopalian Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protes ...

church building in

Dunoon Dunoon (; ) is the main town on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is located on the western shore of the upper Firth of Clyde, to the south of the Holy Loch and to the north of Innellan. As well as forming part of the cou ...

Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute (; , ) is one of 32 unitary authority, unitary council areas of Scotland, council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod ...

, Scotland. It is located on Kilbride Road, southwest of the town centre. Constructed in the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style, it is a

Category B listed This is a list of Category A listed buildings in Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern ...

building.HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, KILBRIDE HILL (EPISCOPAL)
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Historic Environment Scotland Historic Environment Scotland (HES) () is an executive non-departmental public body responsible for investigating, caring for and promoting Scotland's historic environment. HES was formed in 2015 from the merger of government agency Historic Sc ...

The church was built in 1850 by John Henderson. It was extended to the west in 1896 by Alexander Ross. Its bell was cast by

John Warner & Sons John Warner and Sons was a metalworks and bellfoundry based in various locations in the UK, established in 1739 and dissolved in 1949. Previous businesses A company was founded by Jacob Warner, a Quaker, in 1739 and originally produced water p ...

History

Starting in 1846, Revd. Henry George Pirie held services in a hall in the town centre, for local Scottish Episcopalians. Funds were then raised towards their own church building. Records of donations included £5 from

William Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British politican, starting as Conservative MP for Newark and later becoming the leader of the Liberal Party. In a career lasting over 60 years, he was Prime Minister ...

who was later a British

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

. Once a site had been granted near the ancient Celtic St Bride well, a church design was commissioned. Edinburgh architect John Henderson was involved. The first stone was laid on 31 March 1849. The following September the Right Revd. Alexander Ewing, the new

Bishop of Argyll The Bishop of Argyll or Bishop of Lismore was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Argyll, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. It was created in 1200, when the western half of the territory of the Bishopric of Dunkeld was formed into ...

, visited the church and opened it for worship. A

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurised air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a Musical keyboard, keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single tone and pitch, the pipes are provide ...

was purchased in 1882. By the 1890s there was insufficient space for the summer congregations. Architect Alexander Ross, of

Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...

, was involved in 1894. The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

was increased in size to the west. In the years that followed, further additions included a large western porch (

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of Early Christian art and architecture, early Christian and Byzantine architecture, Byzantine basilicas and Church architecture, churches consisting of the entrance or Vestibule (architecture), ve ...

) and a tower and bells. The

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...

was remodelled some time around 1950. Electric lighting was fitted for Christmas 1944, with contributions from the naval personnel stationed nearby in Innellan. An

electric organ An electric organ, also known as electronic organ, is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally designed to imitate their sound, or orchestral sounds, it has since develop ...

replaced the pipe organ in the late 20th century. In 2013, a significant conservation project was embarked upon, largely funded by

Historic Scotland Historic Scotland () was an executive agency of the Scottish Government, executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage and promoting its und ...

and the

Heritage Lottery The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were t ...

Rectors

Holy Trinity Church has had twenty rectors in its history. Its two most recent rectors went on to become bishops: Andrew Swift in the

Diocese of Brechin The Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, Roman Catholic Diocese of Brechin, also known as the Diocese of Angus, was one of the thirteen pre-Scottish Reformation, Reformation dioceses of Scotland. History The diocese was believed to have been ...

followed by David Railton in the Diocese of Argyll and the Isles.

Graveyard

There are monuments to Alexander Reid, a notable figure in the history of Scottish art, and Sir Francis Powell, the Scottish watercolourist.Francis Powell
- ArtofthePrint.com

Gallery

File:Church of the Holy Trinity, Kilbride Road, Dunoon (cropped).jpg, An entrance to the church, 2021

References

External links