Holy Trinity – Timeline/History
(Compiled by Ken Turner with information from Willenhall History Society).
Page Two
The other major event in Alfred Wood’s tenure was a mining disaster. This took place in 1879 and was the result of an explosion. Six men were killed in the blast. Four of the men were local and their funerals were held at Holy Trinity. The Pelsall Coal and Iron Company who were the owners of the mine contributed to the funeral costs. Alfred Wood remained the incumbent of Holy Trinity until 1887 when he passed away.
The next vicar to take charge was the Rev. George Whelpston Johnson. He led the church into the 20th Century and on to the Jubilee in 1905. Sadly, in June 1905 Short Heath suffered its second mining disaster when a large part of Wood Green Colliery was flooded. Today the area has become a fishing lake. Three men were drowned and the ground by Sneyd Road sank 10 feet. In spite of the disaster the Jubilee Celebrations went ahead later in the year. At the Jubilee, a stained-glass window was installed at the east end. It was dedicated to Wilhelm Rosenthal, the church’s first incumbent. The window was a donation off his children.
Another improvement in 1906 was the installation of streetlights in the New Invention area.
In 1906 George Johnson moved on and the Rev. George Pimbury took over the reins. His main contribution to improvements was to improve the facilities for the younger members of the Parish. He overseed the building of the Church Institute to provide a venue for the teenagers. He left the parish in 1916. He is remembered by the name of a road, Pimbury Avenue, which is in the Trinity Estate by the church.
Rev. George Holmes took over in 1916 and turned out to be the longest serving incumbent of Holy Trinity. His tenure lasted until 1949 and only ended with his death.
Vicar Holmes guided the Parish through two world wars. One problem he had to deal with was that a suitable memorial to those that had lost their lives in the First World War. Finally, a suitable site was found on the corner of Hayley Street and Council Crescent. The wheel had now come full circle and in April 1934 after 62 years of independence the Parish was once again made part of Willenhall.
By the late 1940s, Rev. George Holmes’ health was failing, and he died in 1949.
There was a long interregnum with the Rev. William Hopkinson taking up the reins in 1950. The fabric of the church was in a poor state including the floor and it was necessary to do the extensive repairs. The church was closed for a time while this was being carried out. The costs were born by a fund-raising campaign through out the Parish.
The work was finished in 1955 in time for Holy Trinity to celebrate its Centenary. This was carried out with a choir festival and a series of special sermons with several guest preachers taking part.