Holy Trinity Church, Hastings

Although it was an ancient port and fishing town with origins well before 928, when it was first mentioned in a written document, Hastings developed so rapidly in the 19th century that it is now principally a Victorian town. Improved transport links, putting it within reach of daytrippers from London, made it an extremely popular seaside resort and a "wealthy, successful town of strength and confidence". For part of the 19th century it was one of Britain's most fashionable resorts. The growth of the town encouraged church-building, particularly by the Church of England. The Old Town area of Hastings had seven churches in the 13th century, but medieval decline and encroachment from the sea…

Samuel Sanders Teulon had to fit his design for Holy Trinity Church into the difficult, restricted town centre site The porch, set at an angle facing Robertson Street, leads into the south aisle. The tall structure is dominated by a large figure of the Trinity in its tympanum. A shallow hipped roof takes the place of the planned tower. The church combines the Decorated and Early English Gothic styles and is built entirely of stone, mostly rubble laid out in courses. Teulon's typical style was "vigorous and idiosyncratic Gothic", and he had a "highly individual command" of that architectural movement. Inside, the roof of the chancel is intricately carved (especially on its corbels), and…

Holy Trinity Church was listed at Grade C by English Heritage on 14 September 1976, and was later upgraded to Grade II*. In February 2001, it was one of 13 Grade II* listed buildings, and 535 listed buildings of all grades, in the borough of Hastings. The parish of Holy Trinity covers Hastings town centre. The boundaries (clockwise from southwest) are Falaise Road, Linton Road, Amherst Road, Lower Park Road, Mann Street, South Terrace, Queens Road, Harold Place and the seafront. Critical assessment of the church in the 20th century was generally positive. The Victoria County History of Sussex, written in 1937, referred to "a rather florid rendering of the Decorated style" in its…