Holy Trinity – Timeline/History

(Compiled by Ken Turner with information from Willenhall History Society).

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Page One

Around the turn of the 18^th Century, Short Heath and Willenhall were very different than they are today. The area was sparsely populated with the main occupation being farming. Then in 1794 the Wyrley and Essington Canal was opened. Not long after coal, iron ore and limestone were discovered in the region and this led to a population explosion of people arriving in search of work.

There were very few churches since the area all came under the control of the Parish of Wolverhampton. Most services took place in temporary or make-do buildings. The exception to this was St. Giles which had been in existence for some time. The original St. Giles was a wood and brick building, and we know it was there in 1748 because in that year it was pulled down to make way for a new church. As to how old it was is not known. The second St. Giles lasted until 1867 when it was replaced by the present church which is the one that is there today.

With the population explosion, both the Government and the Ecclesiastical Commission saw the need to cater for the spiritual needs of the people of the area. Short Heath only had temporary facilities in a factory machine shop by Straight Road.
To accommodate the needs of the people two Parishes were created. One of these was Short Heath where a church was to be built. The project started in 1847 with building being overseen by Rev. James Lecky who is described as a Perpetual Curate. Stone for the church building was obtained from a quarry in Brewood and transported by Canal to Holly Bank basin on the Wyrley and Essington Canal.
Unfortunately, James Lecky died in 1852 leaving the project unfinished. The overseeing of the building work was taken over by Rev. Wilhelm Ludwig Rosenthal, a German Jew who had converted to Christianity. Later he Anglicized his name by deed poll to be known as William Lewis Rosedale.

The building of the church was finished in 1855 and it was consecrated at a service on Wednesday 25th July of that year. Holy Trinity is therefore twelve years older than the present St. Giles.
With the building now completed Rosenthal now concentrated on the building of a permanent day and Sunday School to replace the temporary one which had lasted several years.
Rosenthal left Short Heath in 1869 and his place was taken by Rev. Alfred Wood who stayed until 1887. His tenure of the Parish was highlighted by two major events. The people of Short Heath were unhappy with the services that they received from Willenhall under whose control they had been placed. They demanded that the Parish became independent again. Surprisingly, the demands were acceded to. Therefore, on January 16th 1871 Short Heath became self-governing again and remained so for 62 years.

The other major event in Alfred Wood’s tenure was a mining disaster. This took place in 1879 and was the result of an explosion. Six men were killed in the blast. Four of the men were local and their funerals were held at Holy Trinity. The Pelsall Coal and Iron Company who were the owners of the mine contributed to the funeral costs. Alfred Wood remained the incumbent of Holy Trinity until 1887 when he passed away.

The next vicar to take charge was the Rev. George Whelpston Johnson. He led the church into the 20th Century and on to the Jubilee in 1905. Sadly, in June 1905 Short Heath suffered its second mining disaster when a large part of Wood Green Colliery was flooded. Today the area has become a fishing lake. Three men were drowned and the ground by Sneyd Road sank 10 feet. In spite of the disaster the Jubilee Celebrations went ahead later in the year. At the Jubilee, a stained-glass window was installed at the east end. It was dedicated to Wilhelm Rosenthal, the church’s first incumbent. The window was a donation off his children.