The concert finished prematurely after Curtis suffered a seizure.
The remaining members reformed and performed at Trinity under the name by which they were enjoy continual success New Order, Friday 27 March 1981.
As testament to its reputation for the rebel punk music, Trinity hosted Bristol's first festival of punk in 1981.
]]>In1983 Arts Opportunity Theatre (AOT ) staged the play Black and White in Colour. The play explored the causes of the St Paul’s riot in 1980.
In 2008 the site specific play At Tether’s End used the space itself to bring Trinity’s history to life. Trinity has also supported individual practitioners and companies by offering cheap rehearsal and performance space. Notable performances include Ratupadrainpipe's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 2009.
Other performance arts activities include two First Light Movie projects between 2008-2010; a scriptwriting project supported by British actor Stephen Graham and a short film project that culminated in three-minute film aptly entitled 3, working with a group of local young people to teach them recording and production skills.
The intended support band, Fashion, also do not show. Two local bands replace Fashion as support - The Stingrays and The Electric Guitars.
Chris from The Stingrays remembers feeling decidedly underwhelmed by their performance:
“They'd been on the front cover of NME that week. They'd been spotted as the next big thing and they assumed there was gonna be a big crowd. And we were there as support and they were trying to get the show going and we didn't want to go on in front of ten people – I tried to delay matters...in fact although it got a bit better there wasn't that many people there that night...personally I wasn't that impressed. My feeling was, not many people in the crowd were either. You didn't think you were looking at a group that was gonna be the biggest group in the world within about a year.”
Chris from the Stingrays, interviewed by Edson Burton, 2009
Do you have a photograph from this gig or a story you would like to share? Get in touch.
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Jan 21-22 Arts Opportunity Theatre staged 'Black & White in Colour' in 1983. The play explored causes of the St Paul's Riots in 1980.
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Bristol Caribbean Community Enterprise Group had debts of more than £100,000.
Midland Bank was the company's biggest creditor, but the Inland Revenue (who was owed £23,000) brought legal action.
Its Chairman at the time (from November 1983), Mr Richard Davis, said in Venue no.70:
"We had several months' work to do on improving the appearance of the place...it's tragic and we feel very bad about it all."
He believed they could turn their losses around but needed to overcome the drawbacks (like the gravestones outside the road widening and the state of the building) which were thought responsible for people's reluctance to use the place: "We inherited a lot of problems. It's been a long, hard slog and it seems everything's been against us."
Centre Manager, Fitzroy De Freitas was accused of stealing money and running away to Jamaica. It transpired that he was actually living at his sister's house in Clevedon, penniless, with massive loans out on his former property due to Trinity. Sadly, the rumours stuck anyway.
Designs were produced by Architect Daniel Pacaud, which at the time caused great controversy with the Church Commissioners Advisory Board for Redundant Churches, who felt that the proposed works compromise the architectural heritage of the space.
The Church was at the time considered to be one of the finest examples of the work of Architect Thomas Rickman, who built the church between 1829-1932 with Henry Hutchinson.
Pacaud's plans for conversion, involved the installation of a dividing floor. But, despite the Church Commissioners' discontent, the build project went ahead.
The images found show this development in full flow and include pictures of a visit by politicians - including a rather young looking Kenneth Clarke - to see first hand the "Community Initiative" in progress.
Works included:
However, the costly process meant that many of the works proposed by Pacaud - particularly the developments of the upstairs hall spaces - were eventually abandoned.
Today, Trinity continues to renovate and develop the space to try to avoid any further compromising of the interior and realise this original vision to make a multi-functional community hub.
"Although the very fine interior of this church would be ruined by the proposals as the building now belonged to the local authority Board members felt that it would be a waste of time to try and say it by fighting a rearguard action. It was RESOLVED: That the Church Commissioners be informed that the Advisory Board regards the church of Holy Trinity, Bristol, Diocese of Bristol, as a building of considerable architectural and historic interest with a fine interior that would be entirely compromised by the present proposals for conversion to a community centre" - Church Commissioners Advisory Board for Redundant Churches, June 1987.
In 1991, almost a decade after the BCCE group ceased to exist, the new landlords Bristol City Council leased Trinity to the New Trinity Community Association who reopened the building as 'The Trinity Hall' in 1992.
The new tenants and a dedicated team of volunteers began a second round of development and renovations, which included the installation of the sprung wooden floor downstairs.
It was under this new management that Trinity would again gain international fame, playing host to the biggest domestic and international music stars of the time. This helped to bring Bristol to the world's attention as a creative melting pot with its own distinct flavour - The Bristol Sound.
As well as the successful music nights there were also daytime community activities from bingo madness to a boxing club, the two levels provided a much needed space for local people's use.
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In 1992 Trinity was reopened by the New Trinity Community Association.
The new tenants and a dedicated team of volunteers began a second round of development and renovations, which included the installation of the sprung wooden floor downstairs.
]]>Trinity was originally designated a Grade II Listed building in January 1959.
On 30 December 1994 the Church was re-listed by the Department of National Heritage as Grade II* - This means it is a 'particularly important building of more than special interest.'
The listing details on Historic England's website states:
Church. 1829-32. By Thomas Rickman and Hutchinson. Later work c1882 by John Bevan and 1905 by WV Gough. Bath stone ashlar with a slate-roofed nave and leaded aisles. Chancel and aisled nave. Perpendicular Gothic Revival style. Small semi-hexagonal apse with pointed windows, beneath a crenellated, gabled end with angled buttresses and a large Perpendicular E window. The N aisle is 4 bays, with segmental-headed windows between weathered buttresses, and a coped parapet ending with crocketed pinnnacles; at the W end is an arched doorway; 2-light clerestory windows. Similar S elevation. The W front has a pair of crenellated octagonal towers of openwork tracery flanking 3 Tudor-arched doorways, the largest in the middle within a label mould with chamfered reveals and quatrefoils in the spandrels; above is a large 5-light window similar to the E end, and a traceried balustrade with open merlons and a cross finial to the top of the gable. INTERIOR: all fittings have been removed and a floor inserted near the top of the nave arcade. This consists of 4-bay arcade of square piers without capitals and pointed arches, with slender stanchions between for the absent gallery. Flights of stairs lead up either side from the narthex. An early Commissioners' church, now put to community use. (Gomme A, Jenner M and Little B: Bristol, An Architectural History: Bristol: 1979-: 292; Crick C: Victorian Buildings in Bristol: Bristol: 1975-: 9).
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