Hull Minster is the

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

minster and the parish church of

Kingston upon Hull Kingston upon Hull, usually shortened to Hull, is a historic maritime city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It lies upon the River Hull at its confluence with the Humber Est ...

in the

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, often abbreviated to the East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, S ...

, England. The church was called Holy Trinity Church until 13 May 2017 when it became Hull Minster.

History

The transepts date from , the choir is estimated at 1340–70, the nave 1380–1420 and the tower 1490–1520. In the early to mid 18th century, the brickwork of the choir and transepts was covered with

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

, later removed in a restoration of the church by

Henry Francis Lockwood Henry Francis Lockwood (18 September 1811, Doncaster – 21 July 1878, Richmond, Surrey) was an influential English architect active in the North of England. Family Lockwood was from a successful Doncaster family. His grandfather, Joseph Lock ...

between 1842-45. During this restoration the galleries and pews were removed. The stonework was cleaned of paint. The nave was fitted with oak stalls enriched with poppy heads, carved by George Peck of Hull. Many of the poppy heads were executed from casts of existing models in Lincoln Cathedral. Central heating consisting of iron pipework was installed in the nave by Mr. Reid of Hull. The ceiling was decorated mainly in ultra-marine blue, with beams picked out in Crimson and gold. In 1861 a lengthy restoration of the church was begun under the direction of the architect Sir

George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), largely known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he ...

which lasted until 1878 and cost £32,750 (). In 1906 it was discovered that the tower was in danger, resulting in emergency work to underpin the church with concrete and rebuild the nave piers. This was done under the direction of the architect

Frederick Stead Brodrick Frederick Stead Brodrick (7 August 1847 – 23 April 1927) was an architect based in Kingston upon Hull, England. Life He was born on 7 August 1847 in Kingston upon Hull, the son of John Brodrick (1805–1869) and Sarah Stead (1811–1892). He w ...

. It is the largest parish church in England by floor area, and contains what is widely acknowledged to be some of the finest medieval brick-work in the country, particularly in the transepts. The Minster Church is a Grade I

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

. The Minster Church is a member of the Greater Churches Group.

William Wilberforce William Wilberforce (24 August 1759 – 29 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the Atlantic slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780 ...

, who led the parliamentary campaign against the

slave trade Slave trade may refer to: * History of slavery - overview of slavery It may also refer to slave trades in specific countries, areas: * Al-Andalus slave trade * Atlantic slave trade ** Brazilian slave trade ** Bristol slave trade ** Danish sl ...

, was baptised in Holy Trinity Church in 1759. The Church was lucky to escape serious damage from the very heavy bombing that Hull endured in both world wars. Hull was an easy target for the Luftwaffe to find on account of its proximity to the

Humber Estuary The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Trent, Trent. From there to the North Sea, it forms ...

and the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

. In November 2014 plans were unveiled to reorder the church, creating an outstanding venue for performances, exhibitions and banquets, a visitor destination, and a place where those in need of help can find assistance. The aim was to create a place for the whole community, and a venue that would be a driving force in the regeneration of Hull's Old Town. The transformation, costing a total of £4.5 million, was to take place in phases from 2016 onwards, the first being ready for Hull's role as

UK City of Culture UK City of Culture is a designation given to a local area (specifically a city before 2025) in the United Kingdom for a period of one calendar year, during which the successful bidder hosts cultural festivities through culture-led regeneratio ...

in 2017. On 7 November 2016 the then

Archbishop of York The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers the ...

John Sentamu John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu, Baron Sentamu, (; ; born 10 June 1949) is a retired Anglican bishop and life peer. He was Archbishop of York and Primate of England from 2005 to 2020. In retirement he was subject to investigation over his handl ...

, announced that the church would be given Minster status in a ceremony on 13 May 2017. Sentamu came to Hull on 13 May in a flotilla of boats with a lantern lit at All Saints' Church,

Hessle Hessle () is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, west of Kingston upon Hull. Geographically it is part of a larger urban area consisting of the city of Kingston upon Hull, the town of H ...

, to rededicate the church as Hull Minster. In March 2019 the Minster received a grant of £3.9 million from

Highways England National Highways (NH), formerly Highways England and before that the Highways Agency, is a government-owned company charged with operating, maintaining and improving motorways and major A roads in England. It also sets highways standards us ...

to create a visitor centre, café and exhibition spaces.

Tower

Clock

The clock in the tower was originally built by Joseph Hindley of York in 1772 with one face. The single dial of the clock was replaced in 1840 by James Harrison IV who installed a new clock mechanism and four dials, which were at this point the largest parish church clock dials in England. The minute hand was long, and the hour hand . This clock mechanism was replaced in July 1913 by

Potts of Leeds Potts of Leeds was a major British manufacturer of public clocks, based in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. History William Potts was born in December 1809 and was apprenticed to Samuel Thompson, a Darlington clockmaker. In 1833, at the age of 2 ...

. It contains a Cambridge quarter-chiming clock. The dials by James Harrison of 1840 were retained.

Chimes

The first chime was installed in 1777. The chime mechanism was constructed by Mr. E. Todd of Mytongate, Hull. The barrel tunes were pinned by Joseph Hindley of York who had installed the clock in 1772. It had several tunes and had to be wound twice each day. It was restored in 1828 and 1865 and chimed on eight bells until 1898 when the bells were removed and recast by John Taylor and Co. of Loughborough. A new set of chimes was installed in 1913 along with a new clock. In May 2013 a chime of 15 bells was installed which was supplemented in 2014 by 8 additional bells and 2017 by 2 further bells to bring the carillon to 25 bells. The chimes are operated by a digital control box but the chimes can be played manually from a keyboard.

Bells

In addition to the chimes, the tower contains a peal of 12 bells for full circle change ringing. Ten of the bells date from 1899 and 2 from 1959. All were cast by John Taylor of Loughborough.

List of vicars

* 1326 Robert de Marton * 1345 Peter de Aslaksby * Peter de Walton * 1349 Thomas de Baynbriggs * 1349 Robert de Thornton * 1362 John de Hurtheworth * 1364 Richard Lestebury * John Stayngreve * 1391 Richard Marke * 1400 John de Barton * 1416 Thomas de Esyngwald * 1420 Thomas Bywell * 1433 Thomas de Bewyk * 1444 Thomas Delyngton * 1455 John Harewode * 1467 William Meryngton * 1468 John Yolton * 1492 Robert Hedlam * 1503 James Cokerell * 1519 George Dent * 1522 Thomas Logan * 1538 William Peres * 1557 Thomas Fugall * 1561 Melchior Smyth * 1591 Theophilus Smyth * 1615 Richard Perrott * 1642 William Styles * 1689 Robert Banks * 1715 John Wilkinson * 1715 Charles Mace * 1721 William Mason * 1753 Arthur Robinson * 1783 Thomas Clarke * 1797 Joseph Milner * 1797 John Healey Bromby * 1867 Richard England Brooke * 1875 Joseph M'Cormick * 1894 John William Mills * 1895 Joshua Hughes-Games * 1904 Arthur Blackwell Goulburn Lillingston * 1914 Louis George Buchanan * 1924 Cecil Francis Ayerst * 1927 William Seldon Morgan * 1937 Frederick Boreham * 1947 Leslie Oldfield Kenyon * 1956 Reginald Iliff * 1967 Gerald Bernard Bridgman * 1988 John Watson Waller * 2002 James Oliphant Forrester * 2010 Neal Duncan Barnes * 2020 Dominic Paul Black

Organ

Letters in the possession of the Corporation of Hull from an Archbishop of York to the Mayor and aldermen of Kingston upon Hull dating from 1622–23 refer to the ''organs that in former times adorned your church'' and requests that ''these may be restored and used'' and that a builder, ''one John Roper, be employed for this work''. The first post

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

organ is believed to have been the work of "Father" Smith in 1711–12, an organ he built originally in 1704 for

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

London, but which was subsequently removed from there as being too small. This organ was further enlarged by

John Snetzler John Snetzler (or Schnetzler) was an organ builder of Swiss origin, who worked mostly in England. Born in Schaffhausen in 1710, he trained with the firm of Egedacher in Passau and came to London about 1741. When he retired in 1781, his business ...

during the 18th century. Ryley of York produced a new organ in 1788. Forster & Andrews built and enlarged organs between 1845 and 1908, their last organ providing the basis for the present substantially enlarged organ of 4-manuals and 104 speaking stops by the John Compton Organ Company in 1938. A specification of the organ can be found on the

National Pipe Organ Register The British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS) is a British organisation and registered charity which aims to promote study and appreciation of all aspects of the pipe organ. Further, it acts as a lobbying body to raise awareness of organ issue ...

Organists

* Mr. Baker ???? – 1715 * George Smith 1715–1717 * Musgrave Heighington 1717–1720 (later organist of St Nicholas Church, Great Yarmouth) * William Avison 1720–1751 * Matthias Hawdon 1751–1769 (later organist of

Beverley Minster Beverley Minster, otherwise known as the Parish Church of Saint John and Saint Martin, in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, is a parish church in the Church of England. It is one of the largest parish churches in the UK, larger than one-thir ...

) * John Hudson 1768–1787 * Thomas Hawdon 1787–1789 * George Lambert 1789–1838 * George James Skelton 1838–1851 – 1868 * Thomas Craddock 1868–1875 * G. E. Jackman 1875–1881 * Fred K. Bentley 1881 – 1921 – 1929 * Norman Ewart Strafford 1929–1951 * Peter Goodman 1951–1961The Succession of Organists of the Chapel Royal and Cathedrals of England and Wales. Watkins Shaw. (previously organist of

Guildford Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford, commonly known as Guildford Cathedral, is the Anglican cathedral in Guildford, Surrey, England. Richard Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow, Earl Onslow donated the first of land on which the cathedral ...

) * Ronald Arthur Styles 1961–1977 * Desmond Swinburn 1977–1986 * Julian Savory 1986–1991 * John Pemberton 1991 * Alan Dance, 1991–1999 * Roland Dee 1999–2004 * Paul Derrett and Serena Derrett 2005 – 2007 * Serena Derrett – Director of Music 2007 – 2015 (now known as Jerome Robertson) * Mark Keith – Organist 2007 – Organ Scholars *David Thomas, 2011–2014 *Richard Harrison Cowley, 2017–2021 *Niamh Drew, 2021–2023

Gallery

File:HullMinster02.jpg, Hull Minster Front Outside File:HullMinster03.jpg, Hull Minster Inside Font File:HullMinster04.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster05.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster07.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster08.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster09.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster10.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster11.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster12.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster13.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster16.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:Hull, Holy Trinity church window (29053166025).jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster17.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster18.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster19.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster21.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster23.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster25.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster27.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster29.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster30.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster32.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster34.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster36.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster37.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster38.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster40.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster44.jpg, Hull Minster Inside File:HullMinster46.jpg, Hull Minster Inside

References

External links

Official website
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hull, Holy Trinity Church Holy Trinity Church Church of England church buildings in the East Riding of Yorkshire Grade I listed churches in the East Riding of Yorkshire