The first parish church in the town, St John’s, had reached capacity by 1838 and it was decided that a new church should be built. Plans were drawn up by the former convict architect, James Blackburn. The Governor, Sir John Franklin, approved an application for the land in August 1839 and the church opened for worship on 27 September 1842. The first Rector (inducted in May 1844) was the Rev’d William Gibbon, the first of several short incumbencies before the 46 year ministry of the Rev’d Francis Hales.

It was towards the end of Hales’ time as Rector that the original church developed structural issues and work commenced on the current building designed by Alexander North. Opened in 1902, the present church was intended to be only stage one, consisting of the chancel, transepts, chapel and vestries. A ‘temporary’ corrugated iron wall (which stayed in place for 80 years!) covered the space where the nave and spire were to join, but these were never constructed. Financial constraints, two World Wars and a Depression all no doubt contributed to the delay, and by the 1980s it was clear that the building as planned would never be completed. The present narthex, office, kitchen and toilets have provided a very functional smaller scale alternative.

Extensive information about Holy Trinity’s pipe organ can be found here.

In addition to the traditional staples of Sunday services, Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals, the parish has featured many groups and activities through its history of more than 175 years. These have included choirs, GFS (for girls), CEBS (for boys), women’s groups, men’s groups, Sunday Schools and servers guilds - each an attempt to meet the needs of the community at the particular time.

At various times the parish has also included the churches of St Barnabas’ Alanvale, St George’s Invermay, All Saints Ravenswood, Holy Family Inveresk, St Peter’s St Leonards and All Souls Patersonia. Some of these continued independently and others have been closed and sold over the years. The parish currently incorporates St Andrew’s, Evandale, which has a service at 5.00pm each Sunday, as well as St Matthias’, Windermere and St James’, Franklin Village, in each of which services are held twice a month and on special occasions.

As is true of every church, Holy Trinity has had its share of both prosperous and lean times. In more recent years, some of the housing in the parish has given way to commercial premises. People have therefore travelled in from the wider area and we have seen fewer families among the regular attenders. The changing nature of the local community has brought new challenges which stretch our resources. But the essential task of proclaiming Christ is unchanged and remains our priority.

Some years ago, an urgent need for conservation / restoration work to be carried out on the stained glass and the the carved sandstone led to the establishment of a Conservation Fund. Work of the kind necessary can only be carried out by expert craftsmen and is, necessarily, quite an expensive undertaking.

With the assistance of the National Trust of Australia, we are able to accept tax-deductible donations towards all such restoration work, and new projects are always on the horizon. Please contact us for more information.

There are no mid-week services at present. As restrictions ease further this information will be updated and in time we hope to return to the patterns listed below.

There is a clear emphasis on hearing God’s word in the Bible readings, and grappling with its meaning and significance in Bible focused sermons. Joining in Holy Communion each Sunday is a regular reminder that we gather in the name of Jesus Christ, who gave his life for our sins. When possible, we include one or two hymns in the service, but otherwise all parts of this service are said rather than sung.

We share in Morning Tea at the conclusion of the service.

Apart from January, our small but dedicated choir is present to lead the music and the service — using the second form from A Prayer Book for Australia 1995 — is rather formal, and includes the use of incense on some Sundays.

A key part of our time together is hearing God's word in the Bible readings, and grappling with its meaning and significance in Bible focused sermons. Holy Communion is a regular reminder that Christ gave his life for our sins.

We share in Morning Tea at the conclusion of the service.

Regular evening services are at St Andrew’s, Evandale at 5.00pm each Sunday.

Our usual pattern for Christmas Services is:

Christmas Eve:
5pm Family Service
11pm Eucharist/Holy Communion (with choir)
Christmas Day:
9am Eucharist/Holy Communion

A 'carols and lessons' service is usually held in the preceding weeks, depending on where in the week Christmas falls.

Our usual pattern for Easter Services is:
Maundy Thursday:
6pm Eucharist/Holy Communion
Good Friday:
9.45am Devotional Meditation: 'The Way of the Cross' (or 'Stations of the Cross')
10.30am Good Friday service (including Communion)
Easter Sunday:
8.30am Eucharist/Holy Communion
10.30am Eucharist/Holy Communion