The consecration of Holy Trinity, Attleborough, Warwickshire, was performed by the Lord Bishop of Worcester, (in whose diocese Attleborough was at the time) on Friday 19th August 1842, the foundation stone having been laid some seventeen months earlier.
The church, with it's body of brick and it's tower and spire of stone, was built at a cost of £3,000 - £4,000 by William Arthur Watson.
It was erected on a site which was the gift of the Right Honourable Dudley, Earl of Harrowby, by means arising from the voluntary contributions of the principal landowners and inhabitants of the parish of Nuneaton in order to "supply the spiritual wants of their poorer brethren residing in the hamlet of Attleborough."
They were assisted by grants from Her Majesty's Commissioners for Building New Churches; the Incorporated Society for Promoting the Enlargement, Building and Repairing of Churches and Chapels; and from the Church Building Society of the Arch-deaconry of Coventry.
Funds were boosted by the proceeds of a 'Fancy Bazaar' promoted by the ladies of the neighbourhood under the patronage of Her Majesty, Adelaide, the Queen Dowager.
At the time when the church was built, Attleborough, with a population of 1,094, was essentially a working clas
s village. Over 60% of it's total workforce were engaged in the ribbon weaving industry, over 12% in farming, over 5% in local quarries and mines, 3% in the building trade and the rest in various other jobs.
Originally there was one bell in the tower - but two more were added in 1892, on the occasion of the church's Golden Jubilee.
The spire was struck by lightning in June 1936, and was restored in the following year in Staffordshire stone. At 87 feet, the spire is 8 feet taller than the original one. The burnt-out clock from the tower was never replaced.
In readiness for it's 150th Anniversary celebrations in the summer of 1992, the church building went through it's greatest transformation since it's opening.
The existing gallery was replaced by a larger one; a hall, kitchen, office, toilets and upstairs rooms were added; as were an entrance hall, foyer and crèche. The result is a user-friendly, multi-purpose building.
Attleborough today is a vastly different place, with most of the former farmland being used for housing, and with a population in excess of 16,000, it has virtually become joined to Nuneaton. The only factor preventing this, is it's boundary, which is marked by the River Anker to the east and north; the Ashby Canal to the south; and the Wem Brook to the west.
Copyright © 2003 [Holy Trinity Church, Attleborough, Warwickshire, UK]. All rights reserved