St Mary the Virgin, Brighton
St Mary's Church, Kemptown, Brighton | |
---|---|
Chichester | |
Deanery | Rural Deanery of Brighton |
Parish | Brighton, Kemp Town: St Mary |
Clergy | |
Priest(s) | Revd Andrew Woodward |
St Mary's Church is an Anglican church in the Kemptown area of Brighton, in the English city of Brighton and Hove. The present building dates from the late 1870s and replaced a church of the same name which suddenly collapsed while being renovated. The Gothic-style red-brick building, whose style resembles Early English revival and French Gothic revival, is now a Grade II* listed building, and remains in use despite threats of closure.
History
Brighton's increasing popularity in the early 19th century, especially among
The 3rd
The
Elliott served as the curate of the church until his death in 1865. His brother-in-law took over temporarily until Julius Marshall Elliott, Henry Venn Elliott's youngest son, was ordained and took up the position. In 1873, St Mary's became a parish church for the first time when Brighton's parishes and ecclesiastical districts were reorganised. The ownership of the building transferred from the Elliott family to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, and all pews became rent-free.[10] By this time, the church was in a dilapidated condition; in June 1876, just as some money had been set aside for reconstruction, and initial repairs were being carried out, the chancel walls caved in, the roof fell inwards and the building collapsed.[2][10][11] Instead of trying to repair the ruin, it was decided that a new church should be built in the Gothic style which was by that time the most popular design for ecclesiastical buildings in England. Future President of the RIBA Sir William Emerson, who until then had worked almost exclusively on architectural commissions in India, was asked to design the new building.[2][11][12][13][14]
The congregation worshipped in the
St Mary's parish was extended in 1948 when the nearby St James's Church closed, and when it was demolished in 1975 some memorials and fixtures were moved.[16] St Mary's Church itself then came under threat of closure, after the Diocese of Chichester carried out a review of Anglican churches in the city of Brighton and Hove between 2002 and 2003. Its report, published in June 2003, noted that the building needed significant maintenance work, the congregation was relatively small and unable to make the church financially viable, and the nearby St George's Church had become the de facto parish church of the Kemptown area. As a result, it recommended either complete closure or the use of most of the building for a community project in conjunction with Brighton and Hove City Council, leaving space for a small Anglican chapel to be created.[17] Since the report was published, however, no closure plans have been submitted, and the church is still open and continues to offer regular services.
Architecture
The design of St Mary's Church has been described as
The church today
St Mary's Church was listed at Grade II* on 20 August 1971.[14] In February 2001, it was one of 70 Grade II*-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of Brighton and Hove.[18]
The parish covers an area of Brighton just behind the seafront and immediately east of the centre. The boundaries are the seafront, Old Steine, White Street, Sussex Street, the top of Queen's Park, Sutherland Road and Bedford Street.[19]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f Dale 1989, p. 56.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Carder 1990, §167.
- ^ a b c d e f Dale 1989, p. 57.
- ^ Carder 1990, §209.
- ^ Carder 1990, §107.
- ^ Dale 1989, p. 173.
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
- ^ Dale 1989, p. 61.
- ^ a b c Dale 1989, p. 58.
- ^ a b Dale 1989, p. 62.
- ^ a b c d Dale 1989, p. 63.
- ^ a b c Elleray 2004, p. 8.
- ^ a b c d Nairn & Pevsner 1965, p. 433.
- ^ a b c d e f g Historic England. "Church of St Mary the Virgin, St James's Street (north side), Brighton (Grade II*) (1380884)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
- ^ a b c Elleray 1981, §50.
- ^ a b c Dale 1989, p. 65.
- ^ "Strengthening the Church for God's Mission" (PDF). Report from the Brighton and Hove Deaneries Pastoral Strategy Review Group. Diocese of Chichester. 21 June 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 October 2003. Retrieved 20 March 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.
- ^ "St. Mary Kemp Town". A Church Near You website. Archbishops' Council. 2008. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
Bibliography
- Carder, Timothy (1990). The Encyclopaedia of Brighton. Lewes: East Sussex County Libraries. ISBN 0-86147-315-9.
- Dale, Antony (1989). Brighton Churches. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-00863-8.
- Elleray, D. Robert (1981). The Victorian Churches of Sussex. Chichester: Phillimore & Co. ISBN 0-85033-378-4.
- Elleray, D. Robert (2004). Sussex Places of Worship. Worthing: Optimus Books. ISBN 0-9533132-7-1.
- ISBN 0-14-071028-0.