Buried Gravestones Found at Colchester's Holy Trinity Church

Three headstones and a ledger stone have been found buried beneath other monuments in the churchyard of Holy Trinity Church, Colchester. They turned up during work on the churchyard’s new paths, steps and gates. Colchester City Council now needs fresh consent to restore them, and its Planning Committee decides tonight, Thursday 5 November, at 6pm.

Officers recommend approval. The committee report describes the stones as “previously unknown”. It does not say who they commemorate, how old they are or when they were found.

The committee has to decide two matching applications, 261571 and 261572. A new application is needed because the report says a listed building consent cannot be amended.

What would change

Permission granted in 2024 already covers moving 23 gravestones as part of the scheme. The new applications add these changes:

• The newly found stones: the three headstones and one ledger stone would be restored and reinstated.
• Stones beyond repair: two headstones and one ledger stone would not be kept. They have deteriorated since a 2023 survey and are now in broken pieces, which the report says makes them “unrecognisable”.
• Which way they face: relocated headstones would stand east to west with inscriptions facing east. The Diocese of Chelmsford asked for this as customary religious practice.

What Historic England said

Historic England does not object in principle and recommends approval. It raised one concern: the use of detergent to clean the gravestones. It advised that water is usually effective and the least damaging option.

Officers propose a condition to deal with that. No monument could be cleaned until the council’s planners have approved a cleaning strategy.

The report records no comments from neighbours or other notified parties.

Why this churchyard matters

Holy Trinity’s tower is the oldest standing building in Colchester, according to the council. Historic England says it is pre-Conquest and built in Roman brick, on to an earlier church of about the year 1000. The church itself is Grade I listed.

The building was made redundant in 1956, and the report says re-use has “struggled to achieve long term viability”. It now has permission to become a community hub, helped by a £2.65m National Lottery Heritage Fund award, with reopening aimed at the second half of 2028. The churchyard work is under construction now.

What it means for you

• Watch the meeting: it starts at 6pm in the Grand Jury Room at the Town Hall, and the council streams it on its YouTube channel. Anyone can attend.
• Speaking: the deadline to register passed at noon on the working day before the meeting.
• If you have family connections to the churchyard: the report names no one. It lists a heritage statement with the application, but we could not reach that document.

Also on tonight’s agenda

The committee also considers the council’s own extension at the High Woods Country Park visitor centre. It would add an artist’s studio, a Changing Places toilet and two outdoor canopies. Officers recommend approval. Myland Community Council supports it in principle but says the design statement does not mention footpath 78, which crosses the site.

We will update this story with the result.