Getting Married at Trinity
Holy Trinity Church will perform wedding ceremonies on application.
Marriage Preparation courses are held from
time to time, and are strongly recommended.
Church Tours
Tours of the historical Church buildings
may be arranged through the church office (Ph. 8213 7300).
History of Trinity
Holy Trinity Church was built at the very foundation of the city of Adelaide in 1836, and is continuing to be a witness for the Lord Jesus Christ in the City of Adelaide.
The Revd Charles Beaumont Howard, the first Colonial Chaplain, who arrived on H.M.S Buffalo on 28th December 1836, was the first Rector.
Its foundation stone was laid by Captain John Hindmarsh, South Australia's first Governor, on 26th January 1838. Among its early Trustees were Sir James Hurtle Fisher, first Mayor of Adelaide, and Captain Charles Sturt, the noted explorer and devout Anglican.
The site where Holy Trinity stands was selected by Colonel William Light, the Surveyor General of the newly founded colony of South Australia. He was authorised to select an acre of land for the South Australian Church Society. An enthusiastic supporter of the Church Society, Mr. Pascoe St. Leger Grenfell, gave the Town Acre, No. 9, for the building of the Church.
A temporary Church was used until the stone building was completed in 1838, and there have been a number of alterations and additions with a majopr reconstruction in 1888-89. There is a model outside the church office.
The Church architecture is in the Victorian Gothic style, with pointed windows, roof trusses and masonry arches. It is entered in the Register of the National Estate.
The Church property contains, as well as the church building, a Parish Centre (formerly the Rector's residence), a Parish Hall, a smaller hall, offices, infants' creche and a cottage.
Since Holy Trinity spiritually, communally and materially dates back to the beginnings of South Australia, a number of items have been preserved to illustrate this link with South Australia's past, and these are located in the vestry.
From its beginning, the Church Clergy and Trustees have maintained a testimony to Jesus Christ as Lord, and because of its Evangelical tradition and City location, the people who worship at Holy Trinity come from all parts of greater Adelaide and beyond. The congregation is represented overseas and in Australia by members who are involved in missionary work of all kinds, but particularly bringing the message of hope from God to the people around them.
The following Leaflets and Publications relevant to the history of Holy Trinity are available at the office:
- Illustrated Church Brochure
- Educational Booklet
- Holy Trinity Adelaide 1836 - 1988 by Prof Brian Dickey
- We
Wanted the First One to be a Winner. Urban Church planting and the
origins of the Holy Trinity Hills congregations, by Prof B. Dickey
(3.9MB).
Family Records
Details of the history of families of people who have been associated with Holy Trinity Church may be made available on request.
- Records of baptisms begin on 19 March 1967.
- Records of weddings begin on 28 October 1995.
- All other earlier records, back to 1836, are kept at the State Library of SA, GPO Box 419, Adelaide, SA 5001 (Tel: 8207 7350, E-mail: research@slsa.sa.gov.au). These are as follows:
- Baptisms 1836 - 1948
- Marriages 1836 - 1957; 1963 - 1969
- Burials 1837 - 1842. CB Howard maintained a register of burials in these years, however there are no specific Holy Trinity burial records. Burials for people from Holy Trinity are recorded in the West Terrace Cemetery records under the Anglican section. There has never been a specific Holy Trinity burial site.
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Copyright © 2001 Holy Trinity Adelaide
Last modified 2 May 2005
