St Martin's Church, Brighton
St Martin's Church | |
---|---|
Chichester | |
Deanery | Brighton |
Parish | Brighton, St Martins |
Clergy | |
Priest(s) | Fr Trevor Buxton |
St Martin's Church (in full, St Martin with St Wilfrid, St Alban and St Richard Hollingdean) is an
Selecting the site
Although the church was built between 1872 and 1875 and consecrated on 1 May 1875, its founding was closely connected with the former Vicar of Brighton, Reverend
Wagner's son, Arthur, had been
One action the Revd Henry Wagner had taken before his death was the creation of a "building committee", consisting of other prominent members of the local clergy. The three Wagners offered this committee a choice between constructing a new church on a site chosen by the committee members - in which case only the original £3,000 set aside for the project would be granted, with the committee paying for any work beyond this - and accepting a site chosen by the Wagners, in which case the brothers would bear the full cost. The committee decided to allow the Wagners to choose the site themselves; accordingly, a position on the west side of Lewes Road, just north of the bottom of Elm Grove, was selected.[4]
Construction
The first bricks were laid in October 1872. A building contractor named Jabez Reynolds, son of Jabez Reynolds senior who had built about 1,000 houses including many significant buildings in Brighton and Hove, including the Cliftonville[5] area of neighbouring Hove in the 1850s and 1860s, was chosen for the building work, while the architect was George Somers Clarke, a long-standing friend of the Wagner family: his father had been Clerk of the Vestry (the equivalent of a modern-day parochial church council) of Brighton since 1830, and had provided support to Rev. Henry Wagner during periods of tension between different sects and groups within the Vestry.[3]
Clarke (junior) studied under the prominent architect
Design
The exterior of St Martin's reflects the
The church floor lies six feet below street level, creating an architectural illusion of being larger internally and from the entrance there is an unimpeded view across the nave and into the chancel. Octagonal stone columns topped by brick arches separate the aisles from the nave; above these arches are a series of clerestory windows. A large series of stained windows dominates the west wall.[6] A series of 144 painted shields adorn the nave ceiling, representing the Anglican missionary dioceses founded within 100 years of the church.
Although the marble altar is not original, dating from 1949, the large
Consecration, opening and later events
The Bishop of Chichester consecrated the church on 1 May 1875 and the vicar in charge of the temporary church nearby, the Revd R. I. Salmon, was appointed to the perpetual curacy of the new church by the Revd John Hannah, Fr Wagner's successor as Vicar of Brighton.
Later in 1875, St Martin's was granted its own parish: that of Brighton The Resurrection. This covers parts of the Lower Bevendean, Queen's Park, Round Hill and South Moulsecoomb areas.[9]
The Lady chapel was improved in 1925, the 50th anniversary of the consecration, as a memorial to Fr Wagner, using money raised through a special collection. At the same time, part of the reredos was replaced.[10]
The church was closely connected with the former Preston Barracks, situated further up the Lewes Road in the north of the parish. A gallery was built on the east side of the chancel for troops and members of military bands to participate in services; also, two different regiments erected memorials to comrades killed in the Siege of Khartoum in 1884 and 1885.[11]
Organ
The organ at St Martin's Church was built between 1875 and 1888 by the London-based organ building firm of Hill & Sons, and is housed in an incomplete case designed by Somers Clarke which complements the reredos. With 29 stops over three manuals and pedals, its voicing is influenced by Hill's time in Germany and capable of most repertoire. The Institute of Organ Studies has described it as "outstanding", and noted its historical importance for being in almost totally original condition. Since 2015 the Organist has been Mr Nic Robinson.
Present
The church is a Grade II* listed building, defined as a "particularly significant building of more than local interest".[12][13] As of September 2022,[update] it was one of 72 Grade II* listed buildings, and 1,220 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of Brighton and Hove.[14] The church maintains its Catholic style of liturgy and is often involved with other churches of the Wagner dynasty in group events.
See also
References
Notes
- ^ Dale 1989, p. 136.
- ^ Dale 1989, p. 90.
- ^ a b c d Dale 1989, p. 137.
- ^ Dale 1989, pp. 136–137.
- ^ "My Brighton and Hove: Introduction to Central Hove (History of Cliftonville)".
- ^ St. Martin's, Brighton- Full Guide. Cannell & Rees-Davis, 2012
- ^ Dale 1989, p. 139.
- ^ Dale 1989, pp. 139–140.
- ^ "A Church Near You: Parish information (Brighton, The Resurrection)". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
- ^ Dale 1989, p. 141.
- ^ Dale 1989, pp. 140–141.
- ^ "A Church Near You: Brighton, St. Martin's Church". Archived from the original on 25 June 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2007.
- ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1381667)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 31 May 2009.
- ^ "Images of England — Statistics by County (East Sussex)". Images of England. English Heritage. 2007. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
Bibliography
- Dale, Antony (1989). Brighton Churches. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-00863-8.