The first Wesleyan Church in Sutton was in Benhill Avenue and was opened in 1867. This was replaced by a new Church in Carshalton Road which was severely damaged by fire in 1906 and in the same year the stone-laying of the present building in Cheam Road took place. The church was opened on October 2nd 1907 and was renamed Trinity Methodist Church following Methodist Union in 1932. The attractive Grade 2 listed building is a landmark in the town and over the years appeals, particularly at the Golden and Diamond Jubilees, have paid for renovation.

The first Congregational Chapel in Sutton was established in Marshall’s Road just off the High Street in 1799. Sixty years later a much more substantial building was opened in Benhill Street (now Benhill Avenue). Growth in the population in Sutton in the next two decades (from 3,000 to 10,000) led to the need for larger premises and in 1883 a “temporary” iron building was erected in Sutton Court Road. This was later known as the Lecture Hall, after a new stone church was built in 1889-90 on the same site but fronting onto Carshalton Road.

The site was next door to Sutton Police Station and it was in this church that many of our present URC members worshipped, had leadership roles or experienced their Christian upbringing. Both minister and congregation greatly welcomed the church’s incorporation into the United Reformed Church on its inauguration in October 1972.

In 1971 the four churches in central Sutton, St. Nicholas’ Parish Church, Sutton Baptist Church, Trinity Methodist Church and Sutton Congregational Church signed a covenant with the aim of sharing life and buildings by Easter 1980. The coming together of the Methodist and URC congregations was seen as the first step in this process. On 15th April 1973, Palm Sunday, a Service of Thanksgiving was held in the now United Reformed Church Sutton and on the following Sunday, Easter Day, a Communion Service celebrated the coming together of the two congregations at the present church now called Trinity Church Sutton, United Reformed/Methodist.

The closure and sale of the Carshalton Road premises was by no means immediate and for some years the buildings at the back of the church were used for certain activities, storage,etc. Members of the newly formed church also enjoyed the benefits of the cleared land as car park accessed from Sutton Court Road.

Partly financed by this sale several major and minor changes have taken place to Trinity’s buildings since 1973, including the redesign of the rear part of the premises prior to the opening of Oasis in 1991, the establishment of a coffee area at the back of the church and a major renovation of the organ in 1993.

A number of institutional changes have also been introduced over the last twenty-five years; establishing one church account, developing a Trinity constitution and linking Methodist Stewards with URC Elders under the title of Deacons, of whom there are ten elected by Church Meeting. Church Meeting became the final forum for decision making and Pastoral Visitors drawn from a wider field than just Deacons share the pastoral care of the congregation.

The vision of one united church in central Sutton was never realised but Trinity URC/Methodist, St. Nicholas’ Parish Church and Sutton Baptist Church have formed a local ecumenical partnership (LEP) known as Churches Uniting in Central Sutton. This partnership includes united worship and fellowship and close co-operation between the clergy.

The attractive Grade 2 listed building is a landmark in the town and, over the years, appeals, particularly at the Golden and Diamond Jubilees, have paid for renovation. The exterior of the church is in Kent ragstone and the highly unusual crown and lantern spire is shared with St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh and Newcastle Cathedral. The interior resembles a traditional parish church, for which it is often mistaken, except for the wide nave, which means that everyone has an unrestricted view of the pulpit and indicates the importance placed on preaching.

2007 marks the centenary of the buildings and further major restoration works are underway to celebrate that event. This has included the installation of a peal of electronic bells in the tower which now clearly proclaim our presence in the town centre.

(revised September 2007)