Our history
Trinity College came into being on 1st January 1972. Based in Stoke House, it was a merger of three Bristol theological colleges: Clifton Theological College (which had used the building for theological education since 1932), Tyndale Hall, and the women’s college, Dalton House.
Three Became One
There were many ups and downs in the early days of Trinity’s existence (as recounted in Colin Buchanan’s book, Three Became One, which you can buy here), but we rejoice in how God has used us all. As a community, it’s exciting to think of the future ahead as we consider all that God has done through all who have been involved with Trinity over the years.
"My training in the vibrant fellowship of Trinity was the launchpad for a life of Christian ministry. Having been called to pastoral ministry in my late 20’s, I found my time there edifying and indeed thrilling, especially in contrast to the rather dry legal studies I had previously had to undergo when training as a lawyer. Wonderful to start lectures and even exams with prayer!"
The history of women at Trinity
Women have been an important part of Trinity life since its foundation, especially since Dalton House, one of the three colleges that combined to form it, was a women’s college.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the ordination of women, we put together a slideshow of photos of women going back many years. We’re always keen to see more so do send any you have to comms@trinitycollegebristol.ac.uk.
Stoke House
There is a dark side to the story of Trinity. The college’s main building, Stoke House, was completed in 1669 for Sir Robert Cann, who was a prominent merchant and was, at various times, mayor of Bristol and a Member of Parliament.
Research into the history of Stoke House carried out in 2020 by our Director of Postgraduate Research, Dr Jamie Davies, revealed links between the Cann family and the transatlantic trade in enslaved peoples. It is, he concluded, “beyond reasonable doubt” that Stoke House exists because of profits from this trade. The Cann family, he discovered, was not only passively complicit in this trade, but was itself actively involved through the kidnapping, purchase, and sale of slaves, and was involved in promoting and defending the practice of transatlantic slavery from its inception.
We believe the enslavement of other human beings is a sin and an affront to God, in whose image all people are made. We are aware that we continue to benefit from ownership of the building. Part of our vision to ‘live like the kingdom is near’ includes becoming a more diverse and inclusive institution and this is something we are actively working on.
One of the things we have done in response to this history, and in recognition of the ongoing benefits the college receives from the building, is to create the Jubilee Scholarship – an annual scholarship to cover the full cost of tuition fees for a Black, British undergraduate or taught postgraduate student.
We are on an ongoing journey to improve diversity in our curriculum, our teaching and our demographic. You can keep up to date with what we are doing on this front on our diversity page.
Programmes
Modes of Study
Come and visit us
The best way to find out if we’re the right fit for you is to come and visit us. We have several Open Days and Open Afternoons during the course of a year. If those dates don’t work for you, don’t worry – we can arrange for you to visit another time. We look forward to meeting you!