Holy Trinity Church in Cloudesley Square, until recently used by the Celestial Church of Christ, has been in need of major restoration for many years.  Now that the London Diocese has taken back possession of the church, a programme of repairs and improvement has begun which will hopefully restore the church to its former glory, assuming funding can be secured.  This section of the website is for residents affected by or with an interest in this topic.

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Now that restoration work on the church has actually started, we've created a Church Restoration "Blog" to keep you updated on progress.

The Tales From the Crypt Exhibition mentioned in the earlier post, below, was only on for one day then had to be cancelled because of Coronavirus.  But don't despair, because the panels from the exhibition have now been published on the Diocese website, here.  Do take a look - it's a great story, beautifully illustrated.  Several Cloudesley Association members worked as volunteers on the project, led by our guide and mentor, Susan Skedd (here's Susan's Linked-In entry, complete with nice photo).  Here's a picture of most of us at Highgate cemetery, tracking down clues.  The picture serves as a volunteers' Roll of Honour - pictured, left to right are:

• Nick Brealey

• Derrick Chivers

• (Highgate Guide - Peter - great value!)

• Nick Collin

• Sian Whitaker

• Kieran Garvey

• Virginia Low

• Jenny Tatton

Not Shown:

• Alison Pollard

• Chris Wells

• Patricia Wenz

The Diocese website also has links to another strand of the research carried out by Rebecca Preston which is also well worth checking out.  Rebecca researched the Chronology of Holy Trinity Church, together with a Summary Timeline 1811-1980.  The latter is a litany of requests for funds to repair damage wrought by water, fire, lightning (1963!) and just the passage of time - twas ever thus!  Interestingly, Dove Brothers were involved in repairs and restoration on no less than 5 times starting in 1867.

 My neighbour Henrietta has unearthed this charming article about the Celestial Church of Christ (click to download) from the Sunday Correspondent of 1990.  As a fully signed up member of the "Middle-Class Intelligentsia" of the time I can confirm that I miss their cheerful and vibrant presence, especially during these strange times.  Just for completeness, here are the lyrics to "The Ratcatcher's Daughter of Islington" mentioned in the article.

The Diocese research project on Holy Trinity has now been running for almost a year and you can read about it on the Diocese website, here.  Several Association volunteers have been working on the "Tales from the Crypt" strand and our work will feature at an exhibition at the Islington Museum, 245 St John St (junction with Skinner St, below Finsbury Library).

Call for social history volunteers!  The Diocese have received funding for a project to research local Cloudesley history, focused initially on the parishioners of Holy Trinity buried in the crypt.  Download the press release here.  This exciting project will build on the work we have already started (read about that here).   Anyone wishing to volunteer to help with the research should contact the Diocese at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Church Commissioners Draft Scheme, March 2019

Diocese meeting at St Andrews, October 2018.  The Diocese presented plans for Holy Trinity Church at a well attended meeting held in St Andrews Church, Thornhill Square.  The minutes of the meeting are included in the Association's December 2018 Newsletter, here.

"Cloudesley Challenge" Newsletter.  The London Diocese has produced a newsletter setting out plans for the church restoration and asking for feedback from residents.  If you have views on the project, please complete the online survey at https://bit.ly/2Ocuf5d 

Holy Trinity.  A personal appreciation.

More History.  Extract from Parish Churches of London by Basil Clarke, Batsford, 1966.

Draft Letter of Support from the Association to the Diocese regarding the church renovation.  Please tell Amanda whether you support the Association sending this letter or not.

"Cloudesley Challenge" Questionnaire, March 2018.  Please fill this in if you wish to be involved in the church restoration project and return to Susan Speece at the Diocese

Update on the church, January 2018

A Brief History of Holy Trinity Church.

Church Restoration Action Plan (2015 - now out of date).  

Church Images

The East Window

More Windows

Reaching out to the Community

The Church Crypt

 Polling Day at the church