Holy Trinity Church, Colchester

There was a church on the present site by circa 1000, of which only the west wall remains. The oldest substantially-remaining portion of Holy Trinity Church is the west tower, dated to the middle of the 11th century; this is built in three stages, primarily from reused Roman bricks, and has a pyramidal tiled roof. The original Anglo-Saxon church was likely single-celled, with the nave and chancel in the same space. In the mid 14th century the nave and chancel were rebuilt, and in the late 15th century the south arcade, south porch, and south chapel were built. These additions underwent significant restoration work in 1886. The church contains a mural alabaster monument to William Gilbert. == History ==

Holy Trinity Church was closed in 1953, and officially made redundant in 1956. It was left vacant until 1972, and during this period, the 17th century church bell was stolen. Work began in 1972 to convert the building to a museum of rural history, opening in 1974. There are also plans to refurbish the church itself, pending a £3.8 million funding package from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. This includes plans for a glass mezzanine floor to provide increased floorspace, and for the creation of a community hub and events venue within the building. == Notable burials ==

• Physicist William Gilbert, d. 1603 • Composer John Wilbye, d. 1638 • Mary Darcy, Lady Darcy of Chiche, d. 1644 – a pyramidal monument was once in the churchyard, but was removed by 1748 • Politician Sir John Shaw, d. 1690 • Sir Richard Bacon, 8th Baronet of Mildenhall, d. 1773 == References ==