In September 2017, we celebrated our 40th anniversary. Though a young church, we are part of a much longer Christian history in the area that goes back to Norman times through our links to St Andrew’s Church in Bebington and the Lancelyn Green family of Poulton Hall.
St Andrew’s Church
St Andrews Church dates to before the Norman Conquest when a creamy-white church of freshly quarried Storeton stone was erected. The name “Whitchurch” was used for the area, and some of the stones are still in the south wall of today’s church. The Domesday Book mentions a priest here in 1087.
Six years later a Norman settler, Scirard Lancelyn, gave the church and several acres of land to the new Abbey of St Werburgh in Chester. His descendants have been linked to the church ever since. The coat of arms of the Green side of the family features three stags; one can be seen on top of the spire, and all three on the pub of that name at Spital crossroads.
The church contains various memorials of the Lancelyn Green family.
Poulton Hall and the Lancelyn Green family
Poulton Hall has been the home of the Lancelyn family since the 11th century, and it is conjectured that a castle may have stood on the site. The OS map of 1899 shows what it calls ‘remains of castle’ and whatever the building was, it is referred to in the forestry court records of 1282 as Willian de Launcelyn’s ‘own house’.
In the 16th century their surname became Lancelyn Green (or Greene) when Elizabeth Lancelyn married Randle Greene of Congleton.
The present hall dates from 1653, and it was extended to the rear in 1720 when Revd Robert Green added a library. In 1840 a larger addition was made, consisting of a dining room and service wing, and a billiard room.
Poulton Hey
Poulton Hey was built in 1843 as the dower house of the Lancelyn Green family, but was never used for that purpose.
In the 1960’s the Lancelyn Green family sold land in the area in order to meet death duty obligations. St Andrew’s church wanted to create a daughter church at Poulton Lancelyn; Roger Lancelyn Green, a deeply religious man who counted C S Lewis amongst his friends, donated the building and grounds to the church in order to service the needs of the new housing estates.
Holy Trinity was officlally opened in September 1977.
The current church building
The number of people attending the services in the Hey grew steadily, and it became clear that the building simply could no longer meet the needs. Funded mainly by the congregation, the new church was built next to the Hey. Roger Lancelyn Green was present at the laying of the foundation stone, and the building was opened in 1987.
Whilst maintaining close links with St Andrews, Holy Trinity is now a parish church in its own right.
Poulton Hey continues to play an important role in the life of the church; as well as housing the church office, it is used by many different groups including Holy Trinity Pre School.