Description
Holy Trinity Church Rotherhithe was built between 1837-39 on land provided by the Surrey Commercial Dock Company, at that time quite isolated. It was designed by Sampson Kempthorne, but was destroyed in WWII when the docks were bombed on 7 September 1940, the first church to be destroyed in WWII. A new church was erected in 1957 designed by Thomas Ford, the foundation stone laid by the Bishop of Kingston upon Thames. The churchyard had opened in 1839 and was in use until 1858. In 1885 it was converted by the MPGA into a small public garden. It has a few gravestones by the entrance on Rotherhithe Street and a small WWI memorial obelisk dedicated to those who died in the parish.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Parish Church of Holy Trinity |
|---|---|
| Site location | Rotherhithe Street/Bryan Road |
| Postcode | SE16 |
| What3Words | ///noting.gets.those |
| Type of Site | Public Gardens |
| Borough | Southwark |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | London Overground: Rotherhithe, Surrey Quays then bus. Bus: 225, 381. |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
To the south of the new church is a circular path with a central grassed bed and raised bank behind retaining wall with memorials. The main garden area has a few trees among grass and to the east it abuts Trinity School and Trinity Hall, founded as Trinity National School in 1836 by the Revd Edward Blick. The school had survived the bombing and services were held here until 1959 when the new church was built. In the church is a mural by Hans Feibuch, a Jewish-born German artist who came to England to escape Nazi Germany in 1933, whose work was exhibited and subsequently destroyed in the Nazi exhibition of Decadent Art in 1937. He completed around 40 murals before his eyesight failed in the 1970s, including a Crucifixion at St John's, Waterloo Road (q.v.).
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ365797 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 0.522 |
| Site Ownership | LB Southwark |
| Site Management | Parks |
| Dates | 1839; 1885 |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Southwark |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Churchyard, Tier Three. Regeneration Area |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
Surrey Docks Farm started life as a goat farm in the 1970s, and was then established in 1975 on a 1.5 acre site of derelict dockland between the entrance to Greenland Dock and the River Thames. The early impetus was to raise livestock and produce food from what was regarded as wasteland. In June 1986 the farm was re-located to its present riverside location at South Wharf, a historic site that had seen use as a shipyard, timber wharf, River Ambulance Receiving Station, and a station for the Auxiliary Fire Service.
Russia Dock was once was part of the Surrey Commercial Docks created in 1864 when the various companies owning Rotherhithe's C19th commercial docks amalgamated. Surrey Docks came to cover over 185 hectares, and was particularly important for imported timber. The Docks were finally closed in 1969; the linear wooded park was created by LB Southwark in 1980 from the former Russia Dock basin and part of the old canal wall and boat moorings are still visible. It contains a water feature that connects streams, a canal and lagoon, and two ponds. Numerous species of trees and shrubs were planted.
Stave Hill is on a site which once was part of the Surrey Commercial Docks, which were created on former pasture and marshland in 1864 when Rotherhithe's C19th commercial docks were amalgamated and came to cover over 185 hectares. The Docks were closed in 1969, and Stave Hill is an artificial hill created from spoil when the docks were infilled in 1985/9. From the hill are fine views and at the summit is a bronze map by Michael Rizzello, 1986, commissioned by the London Docklands Development Corporation. The hill overlooks a nature reserve created by the Trust for Urban Ecology, which was planted with saplings in 1987. Trees include field maple, alder, ash, birch, aspen, cherry, rowan and oak and numerous shrubs plus a number of ponds.