A new event space in one of Sunderland’s most historic buildings has been given an official seal of approval by some of those who made its transformation possible.
The former Holy Trinity Church at the heart of the city’s East End has undergone a 10-year-long, multi-million-pound renovation to become the Seventeen Nineteen cultural, arts and heritage centre.
And among those who turned out (on 16 June) to see the fruits of their work were its owner The Churches Conservation Trust and the National Lottery Heritage Fund which gifted £3.5m to the project.
They were joined by Deputy Lord Lieutenant, Dr Norman Taylor MBE, deputy Mayor of Sunderland, Cllr Dorothy Trueman and Archdeacon of Sunderland the Venerable Bob Cooper, who officially rededicated the building as place of worship.
Built in 1719 and one of only two early Georgian churches remaining in the North East, the Grade I listed building also housed Sunderland’s first library and public reading room, first fire station and first seat of local government, where all decisions about the new parish of ‘Sunderland’ were made.
However, Liz Peace, CBE, chair of the Board of Trustees of the Churches Conservation Trust, told the invited guests that prior to the renovation, the church, originally built on marshland, “had been in danger of falling down.
“Now,” she said, “this stunning building, is once again a focal point for the community, who are taking ownership of it and using it.”
Since Seventeen Nineteen opened in May the project has won numerous awards, including Restoration or Conservation Project of the Year at the prestigious 2022 Museums and Heritage Awards.
And earlier this year it scooped two honours at the CCT’s National Volunteer of the Year awards.
David Renwick of the National Lottery Heritage Fund said he was “delighted” its funding had enabled the Churches Conservation Trust “to give this building a new lease of life.
“And to save not just the fabric of the church but also the stories of Sunderland’s past and its people that are linked to it.”
For more information about events and activities being held at Seventeen Nineteen visit https://www.visitchurches.org.uk/1719/