Methodist preachers first appeared in the Clacton area in 1794, the same year as the Manningtree Circuit was formed. It wasn’t until 1824 that a Methodist Chapel was built in Great Clacton quickly followed by a chapel at Kirby-le-Soken in 1826 and at Little Clacton in 1851.

The building of the Royal Hotel in 1868 presaged the development of Clacton on Sea - the brain child of 3 far-sighted developers - James Harman, Thomas Young and Peter Bruff. A carefully planned network of streets was laid out and the building of shops and houses quickly followed.

James Harman, a practising Christian and a leading Wesleyan Methodist layman was probably the main influence behind the decision of the 1875 Wesleyan Conference to divide the Manningtree Circuit and create a new circuit based on Great Clacton. The Rev. J. Challmer Harrop was sent as the first minister to Great Clacton with the charge of extending Methodism in the Great Clacton area.

The first Quarterly Meeting of the new Circuit was held at Burrs Farm, Great Clacton on 28^th September, 1875. It approved plans for conducting services at Great Clacton, Little Clacton and Kirby and the holding of Sunday evening services at Mr Harman’s Public Hall at the corner of Orwell Road and Marine Parade at Clacton on Sea. The Rev J. C. Harrop was also asked to arrange for services to be held at Walton on Naze and at Thorpe- le- Soken. Membership was reported at 36 at Great Clacton, 46 at Kirby and 30 at Little Clacton

A year later at the Quarterly Meeting held in September 1876,it was unanimously agreed to build a chapel at Clacton on Sea on a site in the town centre donated by Messrs Harman and Young and that the minister should reside their instead of at Great Clacton.

Tenders for the building of the new chapel were sought and they varied from £1739 to £2299 in concrete and £2030 to £2467 in brick. Modified tenders were sought for the chapel to be built in concrete with Kentish Ragstone facings and the varied from £1685 to £1869. The lowest tender was accepted and work on the site began early in 1877

At the Quarterly Meeting held in March,1877, it was agreed unanimously that after the next Wesleyan Conference the leadership of the Circuit should be transferred to the new chapel at Clacton on Sea which would then be open for worship.

The foundation stones of Trinity Methodist Church, Clacton on Sea were laid on Tuesday, April 13^th, 1877 by Sir Francis Lycett of London, Mr G.J.Sizer of Great Bentley and Mr John Bawtree of Colchester preceded by a luncheon and followed by tea and an evening meeting in the Public Hall. Donations and promises made on the day totalled nearly £300.

Trinity was opened and dedicated a mere 4 months later on Tuesday, August 14^th, by Rev. Richard Roberts who became the President of the Wesleyan Conference in 1885. Designed by the architect Charles Bell and built by Messrs Regis Bros of London. The church was built to seat 420 with provision to add galleries in the transepts. The outer walls were built of Kentish ragstone with an inner concrete lining. The building and site cost £2400 towards which £1400 had already been raised. Collections on the day raised £132. The Church Treasurer’s statement of 1879 didn’t show such a rosy financial picture as the final cost was shown as £3045 and the outstanding debt was £1460 or nearly £1000 more than had been sanctioned by the Connexional Committee.

To help clear the debt the Trinity Trustees organised a Bazaar, but this was no ordinary bazaar! Two large marquees were erected on the cliff top for four days over the August bank holiday of 1881. As well as useful and ornamental goods being offered for sale there were sideshows and concerts including an entertainment by Mr C. H. Vickeridge of London which was described as "Facial, Mimetical, Satirical, Mirthful, Musical and Elocutionary." The proceeds of this four day effort were £300.

The main source of income in Wesleyan Churches in the 19th and early years of the 20th Centuries came from Pew Rents. At Trinity these were fixed at 3/-, 2/6 and 2/- per quarter according to the position of the seat in the church. In 1906 the Leaders Meeting had to remind one family that they were more than 3 years in arrears with their rent and if not paid within 14 days the sitting would be re-let. Pew Rents did not disappear until 1939 although abolition had been suggested in 1932.

Trinity Wesleyan Church was built in 1877 and the water tower to the left in 1881. The road is Pier Avenue with Rosemary Road branching off to the left and joining Old Road where the water tower is situated. The roads are unmade and there are no kerb stones  but trees, all carefully protected by wooden palings, have been planted on the verges of the footpaths. Pier Avenue continues into the distance where it joins Old Road, but there are no buildings yet on either side of it. the Church Schools Hall, which was built in 1887, is not shown in this picture, so the image can be dated somewhere between 1881 and 1887.

The original building was cruciform in shape much as now but with a central pulpit. There was no organ until 1885 when the Trustees purchased and installed an organ which cost £300 and came from Melrose Castle in Scotland. Attached to the church was a schoolroom. As early as 1882 there were discussions about enlarging the building as work among young people was proving to be most effective and with the aid of visiting evangelists to the growing seaside town the church congregation was growing too.

In 1885, the Clacton Town Meeting asked if the Schoolroom could be used as an Elementary Day School. As the Wesleyan Connexion was at that time very much in favour of such arrangements, the Trustees readily agreed and in May 1887 a Board of Managers was appointed. Mr A. E. Brown M.A. was offered the office of Master and the school opened its doors to pupils on Monday 27^th June 1887. The average attendance during the first four weeks was 109 and by the end of the first year the average daily attendance had reached 198. Two more classrooms and a Minister’s Vestry were added to the building in August 1889 and by August 1891 average attendance had reached 268.

View from the water tower circa 1885

As there was no room to extend the buildings and concern was being expressed about the "offices " [toilets] provided for the children the Managers opened discussions with the National School Board with the result that in 1893 the building of St Osyth Road Board School began. On 11^th June 1894, Mr Brown and all his staff transferred to the new school. On 15^th June 1894, Mr Brown wrote in his Log Book, "The names of 400 children have been placed on the register this week. The accommodation of the school is 350. 89 scholars have never attended school before and owing to the want of accommodation in this district, a great many others have not been attending school for a long time. In September 1894 "owing to the overcrowded state of the school, the Board have today opened the Wesleyan School Buildings, Pier Avenue, as temporary premises." 116 pupils and 2 teachers were transferred back to Trinity an arrangement that last until 1897, after which the Trustees Minutes state "We have often wished that with the Staff, the School Board had taken the School Furniture. It remains with us still - antiquated, uncomfortable and utterly unsuited for our work."

In 1889 a 10 day Mission was held at Trinity and the Leaders Meeting noted its disappointment at the lack of visible results. One outcome was introduction of a regular Prayer Meeting on Sundays at 7am. Trustees Meetings at this time were held at unusual times too - 11am, 2.30pm and even 9pm usually in the Manse. The minutes of the Trustees Meetings also list the charges for the use of the School Rooms: 5/- per night [1.5 hours] plus 1/- per hour thereafter; Tea meeting 7/6; to practice on the organ 1/- per hour or £2/2/- per quarter for 2 hours per week.

A Manse was built on land adjoining the Church in 1898 at a cost of £1248. Fundraising must have started some years earlier as a Tea Meeting, cost 6d each was organised for 100 ladies with the proceeds going to the Renovation and Extension Fund. The minute book also records that "each trustee should make himself responsible for the sum of £1 for the repairs to the Turret." With the growing numbers of summer visitors helping to fill the Church the Leaders Meeting requested the Circuit Quarterly Meeting "that both Circuit ministers be planned for Trinity in the season in order that they may alternately conduct morning and evening services in Church and Schoolroom."

Trinity entered the Twentieth Century as a lively and growing church catering both for the growing population of Clacton and the large numbers of visitors to the town. The Wesley Guild formed in 1897 and the Sunday School were flourishing and the church had been renovated. Gas lights were installed - the fittings being supplied by Mr Lewellen. Hymn Boards were purchased as were 50 new chairs at 2/- each and 4 new collection plates at 5/- each.

By 1903 membership had risen to 120. Further improvements to the Church included better Sunday School rooms, a notice board displaying the name of the Minister and the following Sunday’s preachers. It was still customary to announce the following Sunday’s preachers with the notices and the previous Sunday’s collections. The purchase of Books of Offices [or Service Books] was authorised, pew rents were revised and the request by the Chapel Keeper [Caretaker] for a pay rise was refused.

In 1907 the Leaders’ Meeting organised a 10 day mission starting on December 8^th and led by Rev J Grange Bennett [Connexional Evangelist]. The Leaders at this time were Rev W w Thackray, and Messrs W Adams, Kittle, G Manning, A E Brown, E Appleby and G Hole. They estimated that Expenditure on the Mission would come to £11/2/4. This included:

Collection boxes to be held at the door at each weekday service and at a tea meeting on the last day. Clacton was divided into 10 districts for visitation purposes. One Superintendent and 4 visitors to each District. The Superintendents were:

There was a week of Prayer before the Mission with prayer meetings each evening at 8pm. The Choirmaster, Organist and Choir were asked to lead the singing during the Mission.

The Leaders’ meeting on December 20^th, 1907 heard that expenditure on the Mission had exceeded £14 instead of £11/2/4 and that there was a deficiency of £2/15/-. However the mission was considered a success as 45 members had stood up for consecration, 80 people had passed through the Enquiry Room - 34 adults and 46 children and of the 34 adults 6 were joining other churches.

In July 1909, the Trustees got very upset with the local Council for agreeing to a Stand for Horse Carriages outside the Church. The Secretary of the Trustees informed the Council that "the Stand was likely to prove very detrimental to the peace and quiet of the Sunday services. The touting [for trade] was annoying last Sunday and from a sanitary point of view the condition of the road was objectionable." The Council agreed to withdraw its permission for the use of the site on Sundays and although this did not satisfy the Trustees the matter seems to have ended there for the time being.

Further improvements included the introduction of individual Communion Cups in 1911, and the renewal of the carpet and cushions at the Communion Rail. At the same time the interior of the Church was redecorated and electric lighting installed thanks to the ladies of the "Work Meeting" who raised £136 for that purpose.

By 1912 , Trinity was 35 years old and important changes were made to the Church organisation. A new Trust was formed and for the first time the Leaders Meeting included representatives elected by the Annual Society Meeting. Membership at Trinity had now reached 182.

Membership dropped sharply during the First World War as young men joined the forces, families moved to safer areas and the seasonal influx was smaller. The mission of the Church however expanded during this period with Trinity carrying out a special ministry among the soldiers of the Coastal Defence Force. Also during the War years , "a number of ladies were asked to be responsible for the weekly provision of flowers on the Communion table." On November 17^th, 1918 a special Thanksgiving Service was held at Trinity attended by the Chairman and members of Clacton Urban District Council.

In February 1918, the Trustees were asked to give the U.D.C. a small piece of land at the apex of the triangle formed by Rosemary Road and Pier Avenue. The Trustees agreed to this on the proviso that the offending Hackney carriage Stand outside the Church was removed for good which it was!

By 1919, membership had recovered to 158 and there was now a 100 strong Boys Brigade Company. A Company of Girl Guides had been formed under the Captaincy of Miss Eva Webb with Misses Price, E Appleby and R Appleby as Assistant officers. In 1920 the ladies were asked to raise £200 towards reducing the Church debts and also to organise a Thanksgiving Fund.

1920 also saw the retirement of Mr A. E. Brown as the Headmaster of St Osyth Road School. Mr Brown had been the Headmaster of Trinity Wesleyan School from 1887-1894 and transferred to the St Osyth Road Board School when it opened in 1894. He was a great servant of his Lord at Trinity and served as Trustees Meeting Secretary, Circuit Meeting Secretary and Choirmaster as well as in many other capacities. His minute books are models of clarity and written in perfect handwriting.

Pew Rents were still being collected and the Chapel Steward asked for an assistant to help him collect the rents. The Leaders’ Meeting decided to pay the Organ Blower 1/- per week probably as a result of asking the Organist to play "for 10 or 15 minutes before each service."

In 1922, further improvements were undertaken at a cost of nearly £1000 - services were held in the local cinema while the work was going on. A special service was held to celebrate the completion of these improvements in February 1923 when the preacher was Rev Dinsdale T. Young, D.D., a former President of the Wesleyan Conference and at that time Minister of Westminster Central Hall. In the same month the Church Trustees voted by 8 votes to 2 to oppose Methodist Union; they were also opposed to the Girl guides using the Church premises for Morris Dancing but permitted the playing of Badminton on Saturdays from 2pm-5pm but the premises must then be vacated promptly so that the Caretaker could prepare the Schoolroom for Sunday School.

In 1924 and 1925 there was much discussion in the Leaders’ Meetings about the manner in which the collection was taken. Eventually it was decided that the collection should start from the front of the Church at the Communion Rail and that the stewards should work their way back to the Church entrance and then return and hand the plates to a Society Steward. Two years later the Minister at that time, Rev. Irving Armstrong suggested that he should leave the pulpit and offer prayer when the collection was received. The Leaders left him to arrange things with the Society Stewards.

Mr J.H. Harman - Senior Circuit Steward

In November 1930, Mrs. Harman wrote to the Trustees asking permission to erect a Memorial Hall to her late husband, Mr John Herbert Harman who died in 1929, an offer that was enthusiastically accepted. The Trustees Meeting Minutes at the time records, "The Trustees decided to place on record their high appreciation of the late Mr J Harman. His Christian zeal in all things pertaining to Trinity marked his activities and his generosity to Church and Sunday school was most pronounced."