Issue No.7 September 1992
In 1992 Holy Trinity, the Parish Church in Lenton, celebrated its 150th anniversary. Consequently the focus for Issue No.7 was 'Holy Trinity Connections'.
The Building of Holy Trinity Church
After a year as curate the Rev. George Browne became vicar of Lenton in 1840 and immediately set about raising sufficient funds to replace the existing parish church. This he considered to be too small for present purposes, in the wrong part of theThis shows a drawing of Holy Trinity Church carried out prior to the arrival of the railway line in 1848.number of local worthies, sufficient money was raised to get the project underway, and by October 1842 Lenton had its new Parish Church.
The Inside Story
As tastes changed so the fabric of Holy Trinity was altered. It also gained stained glass in its windows and the odd extension. This article outlines the various restorations and additions undertaken since the church was first opened.
Francis Wright: Church Benefactor
All the land and a large part of the money needed for the new church were provided by Francis Wright of Lenton Hall. He had Osmaston Manor built for himself and in 1849 the Wright family left Lenton for Osmaston in Derbyshire. Francis Wright was one of the partners in the Butterley Company based at Ripley and this article also provides a thumbnail sketch of his business career.
A View of New Lenton 1935
In 1935 an intrepid photographer climbed on to the roof of Holy Trinity's church tower and took a panoramic shot of New Lenton. Set along side the relevant section of the O.S. map for Nottingham we reproduce the photograph and explore the changes wrought on the area since that time.
The Story of Rev. George Despard
For a short time in the mid 1850s the Rev. George Pakenham Despard was curate at Lenton. He was a leading light in the Patagonian Missionary Society which wished to bring 'enlightenment' to the native people of Tierra del Fuego in South America. The natives proved hostile and a number of the missionaries lost their lives. When a new plan of campaign appeared to be in trouble George Despard resolved to resign his curateship in Lenton, go out to South America and take control himself. This he did but there was a further tragedy awaiting his fellow missionaries. George Despard returned to England a disillusioned man and in due course emigrated to Australia.
Lenton's Suffragette: Helen Watts
Helen Watts was the daughter of Rev. A.H. Watts, vicar of Lenton from 1893 to 1917. She had become involved in the 'Votes for Women' campaign, hitting the headlines when she was arrested at a suffragette demonstration. At the resulting court case she was sentenced to one month's imprisonment in Holloway Gaol. When she came out Helen Watts was in great demand as a speaker at meetings and public functions. Some of her correspondence and the text of her talks were found in Bristol and copies of these have now been deposited at Nottinghamshire Archives. Chris Weir, the Senior Archivist, explains what these letters and speeches reveal about our Lenton suffragette.
Time for Celebration
A celebration Holy Trinity's 150th anniversary.
William Goodacre Player: Church Benefactor
William Goodacre Player, son of John Player of Player's cigarettes, lived for many years at Lenton Hurst. A devout churchman, W.G. Player, maintained close links with Lenton Parish Church. We provide a short history of the Players' business, including more recent events, while focussing on W.G. Player and his various acts of munificence both within Lenton and elsewhere in Nottingham.
Society Snips & Letters
The Society's recent news section. Local Burial Customs.
Editorial for this issue
Lenton's present parish church on Church Street was officially opened on Wednesday 5th October 1842 which means that this October Holy Trinity will be celebrating its 150th anniversary. It has always been our intention to produce an issue of Lenton Times which focuses on this anniversary and helps commemorate the event. It seemed appropriate to bring out the issue in sufficient time to publicise events at the Church but we didn't want to appear before the Church's plans could be finalised. Had we kept to our promise, made in the last issue, of producing Issue No. 7 by May it is extremely doubtfully whether we could have brought out No. 8 in sufficient time for Holy Trinity's 150th anniversary. Hence the reason why Lenton Times No.7 has only now appeared. May we offer our thanks to all regular readers for displaying such patience and, while we can't promise to produce the magazine on time, we hope any future delays will be of somewhat shorter duration than that experienced between the appearance of No. 6 and No.7.
The articles for this issue all have the common theme of Holy Trinity Church running through them. We have, however, tried to avoid a simple regurgitation of what appears in those standard histories of the Church already published. Apart from our dis,cussion of the fabric of the building, which we hope will serve as a brief guide to the church as it is today, we trust readers will find the remaining material at least has the merit of novelty. Although the focus is always Lenton we found the articles frequently took us way beyond the parish boundary - in one case as far as the southern tip of South America. Inevitably a great deal of help has been required in the construction of some these articles and we have enlisted assistance from various people the length and breadth of the country. Apart from two particular instances this help goes unacknowledged. So may we take this opportunity to thank all concerned and trust the end product meets with their approval.