Trinity Green is a public park located on the edge of Stockton Town Centre inStockton-on-Tees, England. The park is dominated by the preserved ruins andGrade II* listed building of Holy Trinity Church which was gutted by fire in Autumn 1991.^[1] Trinity Green was given to the town of Stockton by BishopWilliam van Mildert at the start of the 19th century, and now serves a space open to the public, hosting occasional cultural and community events.

In 1833 the then Bishop of Durham,William Van Mildert (1765–1836) gifted five acres and the land of an existing burial site called "The Monument" (originally a mass grave from a priorcholera outbreak) to the town ofStockton.^[2][3] Upon this land, the process of building of and designing Holy Trinity Church began, using funds originally allocated for church building in theChurch Building Act 1818.^[4] It was designed byJohn and Benjamin Green, and construction began in 1834.^[4][5][6][3] It was consecrated as anAnglican church on 22 December 1835, making it the first parish church of Stockton.^[2] The church spire originally measured 200 feet high making it the tallest building in the area at the time, however, the top was lost during a gale in 1882.^[4][7]

Holy Trinity continued to serve the Anglican community of Stockton faithfully for many years, being listed as a Grade II* protected building on the 19 January 1951.^[5][6] In September 1955 it was reported that the churchyard was to be converted into an open space.^[4] From this point onwards, the area was designated a public park for local citizens, but the church itself continued to be in service.

The church continued to operate until 1982 when the decline in members and finances forced it to close. In 1985 the building was taken over by theGreek Orthodox church, but the church was plagued by vandalism until it was destroyed by fire in Autumn of 1991 and added to the 'Heritage at Risk register' byHistoric England. The cause of the fire was never established.^[4][2][8]

The ruin continued to be vandalised until it was protected by a steel fence. In 2007, funding was secured to improve the site using funding from theEuropean Regional Development Fund, as well as an additional £350,000 was secured through discussion between the local government andEnglish Heritage.^[7][8] By 2009, the site had undergone renovation with works including boundary improvements, entrance features, seating, a heritage trail and interpretation panels and preparation works for illumination of the ruin. With the safety of the site being secured, the status of the protected building was removed from theHeritage at Risk register in June of that year.^[8]

The park is now the site of many of Stockton's cultural events such asStockton International Riverside Festival^[2][9] and itscarnival,^[10] as well hosts annualRemembrance Day services.

The church once featured a highly ornamental exterior, however the decorated Gothic style still remains today.

The remaining building is entirely adorned withAshlar stone. On each wall there are gabledbuttresses with scrolledlabel stops, with set backbuttresses at each corner. At each of these corners there arePinnacle towers, withgargoyles below. Each wall is alsoarcaded withparapets built at the top, with each having acorbel arch with minimalgabled stone. There is a wide 4-baynave with lowertransepts withgabled extensions pointing towards the east. There are also a double bayedchancel. On the east of thetransept, there is a smallgabledporch.

The tower of the church is at west end, and displays a large hexagonal base for the now missing steeple, as well as the main entrance below. The tower has set backbuttresses andpinnacles, a pointed doorway withlabel stops.^[6]There were also once coupled and decorated windows adjourning the chancel. These windows were in theLancet andRose styles, and were placed into the nave and transepts with 'poppyhead'label moulds. In the tower, there were once windows inblind tracery with arches above.^[6]

54°33′37″N1°18′55″W / 54.5602°N 1.3153°W /54.5602; -1.3153

• Parks and open spaces in County Durham
• Stockton-on-Tees

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