Church Overview

History Trinity Church was built for the Free Church following the Disruption in 1843 when its members broke away from the Established Church, represented by the Parish Church, St Mary’s. The Parish Minister at the time was the Rev. Francis William Grant, who himself being a dissenter had made plans for the Congregation’s future. The dissenters aproached the office bearers of the Seatown Chapel who granted them temporary use of their chapel. One of the dissenting elders wrote directly to the Earl Of Seafield who had granted part of Banff Castle grounds for a new street, and South Castle Street was being laid out. He suggested a tastefully built Church would enhance the new street. A site was granted. James Raeburn, an Edinburgh architect, was engaged and plans drawn. The foundation stone was laid in August 1843 and records show that following the custom of the time, coins of the realm to the value of 11 1/2 pence were interred (perhaps a sixpence, groat, penny and half-penny). The exact date of the Church’s opening is unclear but it is thought to have been the end of May or early June 1844. The cost of the original building was £1,800. Trinity Church was designed in a monumental classical style. The façade of the cruciform church is of Palladian design with a pedimented portico with Ionic columns and pilasters, giving access to three entrance doors. The portico is surmounted by a plinth and octagonal drum belfry with a domed top. The interior, refurbished in l876, has timber-fronted galleries supported by cast-iron columns. The timber roof has a complex structure of trusses configured in an interesting layout. The leaded stained glass windows have an elegant simple design on all 28 windows, with the three large windows having a sympathetic but more detailed fern motif. Lyman Moody, American evangelist, and Ira David Sankey, Moody’s choir director who wrote and sang gospel hymns, visited the Church in 1874. The building passed to the Church of Scotland who worshipped here until 1995. The neighbouring hall (the original day school built in 1844) was acquired in 2002 by Riverside Movement of Churches and became the Harvest Centre. The congregation has now acquired the church to accommodate their Church activities and rapidly growing community involvement. The Church has undergone major conservation and restoration in order to retain many of the fine features of the building while making it fit as a place of worship once again and an adaptable community facility. Work started in May 2013 and has now been completed.​

Services

Sunday 10.30 am

Kids Unlimited for kids of primary school age Sunday 10.30 am

Little Arrows for 2-5 year olds Sunday 10.30 am

Opening Arrangements

Open by arrangement

Disclaimer

The information about churches in Scotland’s Churches Scheme has been provided by the congregations or taken from the Historic Scotland list and published sources, in particular, the Buildings of Scotland volumes and the RIAS Illustrated Architectural Guides. To contact this specific church please complete the Contact this Church form above. The information is not authoritative; please contact Scotland’s Churches Trust to let us know of any errors or omissions.