It was opened in 1719 as the church for the newly created Parish of Sunderland,[2] and served the local community until dwindling numbers forced its closure in 1988.

[3] Some local merchants came together and started an appeal to build a new church in the east end of the city, and a site on the town moor was chosen.

Inside, the building is described by Whellan as "handsome",[9] with the aisles of pews being separated from the central nave by seven pillars on each side, each being capped with a corinthian-style capital.

[12] In 1735, Daniel Newcombe, the rector of the church who almost certainly had been involved in the original design of the building, decided to add an apse to the eastern end.

In 1888, Holy Trinity Church erected a headstone in its graveyard in his honour.The sailor who heroically nailed Admiral Duncan's flag to the main-top-callant-mast of H.M.S.

Venerable, after it had been shot away, in the glorious action off Camperdown, October 11th 1797.Jack Crawford was born in the pottery-bank Sunderland 1775, and died in his native town 1831, aged 56 years.This was followed two years later by a statue of commemoration in Mowbray Park.

The 1900s started with the church being re-glazed,[6] before community life began to degrade and the number of churchgoers in the east end of Sunderland diminished.