In recent weeks, Holy Trinity Church, Frankfield has undergone some renovation to preserve the fabric of the building. The church was built in 1838 is a preserved building in the Cork City Council records.

Some background on the church…

Holy Trinity Church was built at the sole expense of Samuel Lane. The nave was designed by Sir Thomas Deane and a small chancel was added later by William Burges circa 1867. It was converted from an east vestry and has distinctive triple lancets.  

The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage describes it in very positive terms as follows:

“Built by the renowned architects, Deane & Woodward, and commissioned by Samuel Lane, a member of an influential Cork family, this is an excellent nineteenth century church. The architectural design and detailing apparent in the building set it apart from other contemporary churches found in the county. The almost intact interior continues the careful design and execution seen on the exterior.”

Of special note are the stained glass windows in the sanctuary which were designed by William Burges. They represent the classical virtues. The modern stained glass windows in the south wall by James Scanlon were installed in the 1990s and were donated by the Kingston family.

The repairs…

They include repointing the east and south-west walls to prevent damp penetration of the interior. Structural repairs are being made to the chimney and coping stones at the east end, the bell tower over the west wall, as well as re-slating the porch roof and repairing the ridge tiles. 

The Ven. Adrian Wilkinson, Rector of Douglas Union with Frankfield, comments:

This is a very significant restoration project for the parishioners of Holy Trinity Church, Frankfield. The church is unique in this Diocese in that it is a trustee church. To date the parishioners have been extremely generous and have donated just over €25k. 

We are also very grateful to the Cork City Council Heritage Department who reviewed the works on an ongoing basis and have provided €15k in grant aid, and to the Representative Church Body which has offered approx. €8k on completion of the works.

While the original contract was for €100k, additional works were needed and so the final expenditure will be approx. €130k. If anyone reading this would like to support this work financially, I would be delighted to hear from them.

Throughout the project, our builder Des Rainey of B & D Rainey from Swords, and our engineers Paul and John Hegarty of Cork based Fourem have been both professional and helpful. Once the scaffolding is removed, we hope that this small and very attractive place of worship in the southern suburbs of Cork will continue to be appreciated for many generations to come. We have services here every Sunday at 10am and all are welcome.