Cork Trinity Presbyterian Church

The Trinity Presbyterian Church is located on Little William Street, Summerhill North. The church is set back from Summerhill North on top of a grassy bank.

According to Mr Vincent Kerr, formerly of the Gosvenor Inn in MacCurtain St, the site was once used as grazing grounds by drovers, staying at his premises and bringing cattle to the docks.

The church was designed by Colin Tarring, a well known architect of many Protestant non-conformist church buildings in the UK. Work was completed in 1861 and it has been used for worship by a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland ever since.

Interesting architectural features include the three stained glass windows which represent the Holy Trinity. The pipe organ was installed in 1904 by the Cork firm of Magahy and the acoustics for choral music and instruments are excellent. A distinctive interior feature of the church is its lack of pillars.

There is a distinctive kink in the spire of the church and it is said that the workmen did this deliberately to spite the architect or else that it was an accident through drunkenness! There is also a story that the architect hanged himself in the tower and although this is a good though gruesome story it is pure fiction.

This building with its distinctive spire and green setting adds character to its neighbourhood.