Headstones in a view of Holy Trinity church looking north west through the graveyard. The church was built 1834-7. The picture shows the church c1905 prior to the extension of the chancel in 1906. 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
Picture Stockton Archive 
It’s fab to see this pic of the church with its steeple, I’v only just been to see this as my dad told me about him climbing the steeple looking for pigeons when he was about 7 or 8. Sounds like he was a lil monkey when young.. They lived at Longley Street in the early 40s, only lived there bout 5yrs, sad to see how the church looks today.
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A few of the above comments have enquired about finding details of headstones. Stockton Reference Library have transcrips of St Thomas and I beleive Holy Trinity. A quite comprehensive set of photographs of headstones (taken in recent times) can been seen on gravestonephotos.com. I must admit that I have not checked to see if the site carries any of Holy Trinity.10/03/2012 16:30:22
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Does anyone know where I can obtain photos of the two houses that remained in York Street when I was 2 yrs old in 1954. I lived there and moved to Roseworth when I was 3, the two houses were demolished. I understand a decorators & furnishings shop now stands there.
Any information on the rest of the sreet would be of great interest.
I also had relatives that lived at no 8 Cecil Street, the end of it still has the street sign which is Bowesfield Lane that passes the end of it, near the old Stockton & Thornaby hospital.
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My Aunt Annie Simpson used to be caretaker at Holy Trinity when Cannon Salter was there. Also her husband Tommy Simpson used to be the caretaker at Holy Trinity School. I think he had something to do with the youth club as well. They lived in Lawson St nearby.
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Ten years too late but I went to Trinity School, I remember Cannon Salter, and remember the day he was found dead in the church. Mr Nesbitt was the Head Teacher, anyone from Trinity School 1954?
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I was there from 1954 to 1960, my name is David Busher.
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Betty Thomson writes of Holy Trinity Church: ‘Such a shame to have the church go to ruins’.
Yes but the shame is that any reasonable size of worshipping and active community had diminished. Buildings like these from the 18th Century onwards were usually built as the result of money given by a benefactor or benefactors. If there is no sufficient source of income then inevitably curches, and other buildings dependent on people’s giving ,then it is inevitable that they ‘go to ruins’.
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My eldest sister was baptized in Holy Trinity Church Nov 1st 1911. She only lived a short time & is presumably interred there. Her name Alys CORNEY. I wonder if she was one of the ones moved? I also wonder if grandfather John CORNEY is interred there as well? Such a shame to have the church go to ruins.
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I was christened at Holy Trinty on 30 Jan 1937 and later married by the Rev F A Youngaman on 19 Sep 1959 It was such a lovely church and a disgrace that it came to such a sorry end. I seem to remember a girl called Ann Modral who was in the same class at Oxbridge Lane School.
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Enjoyed reading all the snippets about Holy Trinity Church. Married there in 1957 but moved away from Stockton immediately afterwards. Was a member of the Youth Club from about 1948 onwards when the wonderful Mr Rock was the leader. Anyone remember him? Was also a member of the choir and netball team. My maiden name was Kennedy.
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Pat – They are buried in 47 grave spaces so there must have been a lot went into each grave.
Do you know where the cremated remains garden is? Well, there is a grey headstone for the Holy Trinity burials just outside of the cremated remains garden (near a new-ish wooden fence). The bodies are in a row of graves just in front of that headstone.
If you come into the cemetery when I’m working in there I’ll show you.
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I can’t recall a Pat Hepple Bob but I remember Margaret Boston & Moira Campbell. Moira was my friend, Stella[Allen]’s cousin. Your wife may remember my husband’s cousin, Angela Slade, who was a librarian at Stockton Library.
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In those days she was known as Pat Hepple. She went onto the Sec with Margaret Boston and Moira Campbell. After leaving Grangefield she worked at the Stockton Library in Wellington Street.
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I may know your wife Bob, what’s her name? Looking forward to the Co-op Reunion on St Georges Day,hope there’s a good turnout!
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That sounds like a lot of bodies to re-inter! Anyone know where they were buried and if there is a memorial? I have family plots in Oxbridge Cemetery, both in the old and new ends, and have not noticed anything.
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Maureen, my wife, was the last intake in 1949-50 at the old Sec School, being transferred over to Grangefield in 1951. She passed the 11 plus at Tilery. In Sept of last year she attended a 1949-50 class reunion at the Parkmore Hotel, Eaglescliffe.
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I was in the first form of Grangefield Grammar when it opened in Sept 1951. Also my husband, Colin, was a pupil at Holy Trinity from 1940, does anybody remember him?
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Ian, the reason that you and your friend Ian Grant cannot remember being in the same class at Holy Trinity from 1942 to 1947 is that very likely you weren’t!
If Ian went on to Grangefield Grammar School, he must have been in a later class than you, since Grangefield only opened in September, 1950.
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A total of 1131 bodies were exhumed from Holy Trinity and re-interred in Oxbridge Lane Cemetery in 1976 , to make way for a new road (between Borges restaurant and the riverside roundabout.
Of these bodies, 837 were adults and 294 were children.
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James Barron d1878 Sept 19th [Age 43 Years; 2nd great-grandfather of wife] and was interred on the 22nd September 1878 in the graveyard of the Holy Trinity [National Burial Index For England & Wales: held by Find my Past]. His wife, Margaret (Bell) Barron was buried on the 28th December 1916 at Durham Road Cemetery [Registration & Bereavement Services: Stockton on Tees, Borough Council]. I am still interested in locating documentation for the burial of James. The Gravestone Photographic Resource website does not recognize the Holy Trinity Church in Stockton on Tees, probably due to the 1976 re-interment or cremation of the bodies.
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In remembrance of my paternal great-grandfather Samuel Fenny [ 68 Years at death ] was interred at the Holy Trinity graveyard on the 10th August 1879.
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In remembrance of my paternal 2nd great-grandfather Samuel Fenny [ 68 Years ] who was interred at Holy Trinity on the 10th August 1879.
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About two years ago I was told that a move was being made to re build Holy Trinity Church. That would be something for the local council to be really proud of. It is time to show some drive to give the area some credit, most has been thrown away since the second world war. I was a Trinity pupil 1936-1942. The town has a fantastic history but who cares! Most of the people who do, make comment through Picture Stockton. Keep it up.
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Both Church and School have gone. I was at the school from 42 to 47 moving on to the Grammar School. Alan Wealleans may have been a bit younger if starting in 44 – us older chaps would not remember such shrimps! Sadly so many names of good people have slipped out of the memory bank. Many years later when we retired to our house in Robin Hoods Bay I met Ian Grant – who still lives there – but neither of us have any memory of each other even having been in the same class from 42 to 47. Ian G moved to Grangefield Grammar school – a much less gloomy place than the old Grammar School and probably better teachers.
The Church was very handsome and active.
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My paternal grandparents were married at Holy Trinity in 1909. I’ve heard that the church has been relocated from its original location. Is this true? Could someone provide me with the original address for Holy Trinity Church? I would like to visit there someday and find out more about my family.
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The disappearing steeple: I wasn’t sure whether my memory was playing tricks but Keith Bradshaw confirmed it almost as I’d remembered. As I heard the story, Ray was after birds’ eggs when he fell. However, I hadn’t remembered that the steeple was already being demolished and the legend was that it was removed because of the fall. I was born in ’52 so this must have been ’56 or a bit later. I remember Keith well.
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The steeple came down in the mid 50s. I know this because when the steeple was being removed my brother Ray Bradshaw (Shirty )climbed the scaffold and fell from where the clock is, he was in hospital for over two years. The doctors wanted to amputate one of his arms and one of his legs but my father would not agree to it and what a good decision as Ray later went on to swim for the county.
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Burial registers for the Teesside area are held at Teesside Archives, Middlesbrough. These give plot details.
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Does anyone know where the burial records are kept for this church as many interments were exhumed and placed at Oxbridge Cemetery? Do the gravestones still exist? Which record office would have these records?
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When I first came to Stockton on Tees I became a member of the church choir. Later I married my lovely wife here in 1971. I remember Shirty Bradshaw falling off the outside of the church tower climbing for pigeons while at Bowesfield Boys School. Crazy glorious days indeed!
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I THINK the steeple had to come down after a fire at some time.Can anyone confirm that?
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I remember the steeple demolition must have been pre 1960 I started at Trinity school then and I’d had already gone, In 1992 I returned to Stockton for a visit and saw the church was burnt out I was told it was vandals, but I read later it could not be demolished as it was a listed building
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THIS PARISH CHURCH, IM PRESUMING IT”S THE “CHUGGY”, I”M ONLY A YOUNGISH LAD AND MY FOSTER PARENTS MARRIED THERE IN 1969 (I think the year is right) BUT I HAVE NEVER SEEN OR EVEN KNEW A STEEPLE WAS ON THIS BUILDING. WHERE HAS IT GONE? I KNOW ITS A LISTED BUILDING AND CURRENTLY HAS A STEEL FENCE GOING ROUND IT AND THAT IT IS JUST A SHELL OF ITS FORMER GLORY. DID THE STEEPLE FALL OFF IN WINDS?
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I have a copy of my Great-Grandmother”s marriage certificate. Her name was Mary Eley and was born in Stockton, she married John Smith (born Glasgow, Scotland)in 1890 in Holy Trinity. The Vicar was James A Sharrock and the witnesses were Thomas Morgan and Isabella Thompson. It is great to see these pictures and get the history of the church. Many thanks. P.S. Mary & John and their family moved to Scotland around 1900
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I attended Holy Trinity School from 1944 until 1952 and was a member of both the church and the very good youth club. Youth club membership was from 1951″ish until the Army grabbed me in 1958. I made some good friends during my time as a member and spent many hours on the full size snooker tables playing both billiards and snooker with Canon Salter and many others. I have read Anne Modral”s entry but do not remember her name.( Apologies to her!) I memember we had an active hiking group which went first to church communion and then took the Crowes bus from the stop opposite the shambles to Swainby for a Sunday hike.
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I attended this church for many years from the age of 5 to being married there on 21st May 1959 by the Rev F A Youngman. I was a member of the Youth Club (1951-1958), the Youth Club Choir (1951-1954). I was a Sunday school teacher from (1951-1959) and I lived in Hind Street. I was absolutely devastated when I revisited the church a few years ago and found it to be a ruin. I have many happy memories.
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I was Christened at Holy Trinity Church in 1930. At that time I lived at 31, Bridge Road, Stockton, above my grandparants Tool shop. In later years I attended Holy Trinity School. I am enjoying this site, please keep up the good work, I will sort some old photographs out. I am looking for a picture of 69, High Street during the years 1939-1950.
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I lived not far from Holy Trinity Church in the 1950′ and earily 1960’s, in Clifton Avenue, and attended church services and Sunday school at the Church. It has very special memories for me.
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I used to live in ParliamentStreet in the 50`s and early 60`s Our house backed onto the churchyard. This picture brings back memories of a beautiful church.
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