St Peter's Church is a church in
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
in the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
city of
Brighton and Hove
Brighton and Hove () is a city and unitary authority in East Sussex, England. It consists primarily of the settlements of Brighton and Hove, alongside neighbouring villages.
Often referred to synonymously as Brighton, the City of Brighton and H ...
. It is near the centre of the city, on an island between two major roads, the
A23 London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
Road and
A270 Lewes
Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...
Road. Built from 1824–28 to a design by Sir
Charles Barry
Sir Charles Barry (23 May 1795 – 12 May 1860) was a British architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster (also known as the Houses of Parliament) in London during the mid-19th century, but also responsi ...
, it is arguably the finest example of the pre-
Victorian Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
style. It is a Grade II*
listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.
It was the
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
of Brighton from 1873 to 2007 and is sometimes unofficially referred to as "Brighton's cathedral".
History
St Peter's Church was founded as a
chapel of ease
A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently.
Often a chapel of ea ...
associated with Brighton's oldest church and its existing parish church,
St Nicholas
Saint Nicholas of Myra, ; la, Sanctus Nicolaus (traditionally 15 March 270 – 6 December 343), also known as Nicholas of Bari, was an early Christian bishop of Greeks, Greek descent from the maritime city of Myra in Asia Minor (; modern-da ...
. The contract to design the new church was won in open competition by Charles Barry, then only in his mid-twenties. It was built in an approximation of the 14th- and 15th-century
Perpendicular
In elementary geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at a right angle (90 degrees or π/2 radians). The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the ''perpendicular symbol'', ⟂. It can ...
or
Late Gothic style, typical of the so-called
Commissioners' church
A Commissioners' church, also known as a Waterloo church and Million Act church, is an Anglican church in the United Kingdom built with money voted by Parliament as a result of the Church Building Acts of 1818 and 1824. The 1818 Act supplied ...
es, of which St Peter's was one. It was not a revival of its style in the manner of Barry's pupil
Augustus Pugin
Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 181214 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and, ultimately, Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival st ...
, but, as
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner (30 January 1902 – 18 August 1983) was a German-British art historian and architectural historian best known for his monumental 46-volume series of county-by-county guides, ''The Buildings of England'' (1 ...
described it, remedies this fault by remarkable inventiveness and boldness.
The
foundation stone
The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.
Over time ...
was laid by the Vicar of Brighton, the Revd R. J. Carr, on 8 May 1824,
at a location which was at the time "the entrance to the town"
but which is now in the city centre, following the rapid development of Brighton since that date. The ceremony of
consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...
was led by the same man on 25 January 1828.
A spire was designed by Barry in 1841, but it was never built. The side aisles originally had galleries (such as those to be seen at churches such as
Christ Church, Spitalfields
Christ Church Spitalfields is an Anglican church built between 1714 and 1729 to a design by Nicholas Hawksmoor. On Commercial Street in the East End and in today's Central London it is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, on its western bord ...
), but these were taken down, as were so many, as a result of the cultural and liturgical changes made in the wake of the
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of high church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of O ...
.
Barry's hexagonal
apse
In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an ''exedra''. In ...
was demolished in 1898 to make way for a much larger, straight-ended chancel designed by Somers Clarke and J. T. Mickelthwaite, built-in Sussex sandstone, its warm hue contrasting with the cold, white appearance of the
Portland stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries are cut in beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building sto ...
in which the rest of the church was built. The building work continued until 1906.
The new chancel, long and wide,
was consecrated in the presence of the then
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
, the Most Reverend
Randall Thomas Davidson
Randall Thomas Davidson, 1st Baron Davidson of Lambeth, (7 April 1848 – 25 May 1930) was an Anglican priest who was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1903 to 1928. He was the longest-serving holder of the office since the English Reformation, Re ...
.
The church has a selection of
stained glass
Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...
windows, most of which are by
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe (29 June 1837 – 29 April 1907) was a British Victorian era designer and manufacturer of stained glass. His studios produced over 4,000 windows and also designs for altars and altar frontals, furniture and furnishings, lichg ...
. The
liturgical east
Liturgical east and west is a concept in the orientation of churches. It refers to the fact that the end of a church which has the altar, for symbolic religious reasons, is traditionally on the east side of the church (to the right in a diagram) ...
side (geographical north) has a window commemorating
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
, presented to the church on behalf of the people of Brighton
using funds raised in the town.
The Church also contains reredos panels by the artist and designer
Edward Arthur Fellowes Prynne
Edward Arthur Fellowes Prynne (1854–1921) was a leading British late Pre-Raphaelite painter of portraits and subject pictures, who in later life became one of the country's best known creators of decorative art for churches.
Family and Early ...
.
St Peter's was
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
at Grade II* on 24 March 1950.
it was one of
72 Grade II* listed buildings, and 1,220 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of
Brighton and Hove
Brighton and Hove () is a city and unitary authority in East Sussex, England. It consists primarily of the settlements of Brighton and Hove, alongside neighbouring villages.
Often referred to synonymously as Brighton, the City of Brighton and H ...
.
St Peter's parish was legally united with that of the
Chapel Royal
The Chapel Royal is an establishment in the Royal Household serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the British Royal Family. Historically it was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarch. The term is now also applie ...
in North Street from 25 July 1978 by means of an
Order in Council
An Order-in-Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' Ki ...
.
HTB church plant
In December 2007, after a long period of consultation, the Diocesan Pastoral Committee recommended to the
Church Commissioners
The Church Commissioners is a body which administers the property assets of the Church of England. It was established in 1948 and combined the assets of Queen Anne's Bounty, a fund dating from 1704 for the relief of poor clergy, and of the Eccle ...
that St Peter's should be made
redundant.
On 8 May 2009,
Holy Trinity Brompton Church
Holy Trinity Brompton with St Paul's, Onslow Square and St Augustine's, South Kensington, often referred to simply as HTB, is an Anglican church in London, England. The church consists of six sites: HTB Brompton Road, HTB Onslow Square (formerl ...
in London, an influential Church of England parish church which created the
Alpha course, agreed to take over its ownership and running. St Peter's previously merged parish with that of the
Chapel Royal
The Chapel Royal is an establishment in the Royal Household serving the spiritual needs of the sovereign and the British Royal Family. Historically it was a body of priests and singers that travelled with the monarch. The term is now also applie ...
was reconstituted as a separate and smaller parish.
Services restarted on Sunday, 1 November 2009. The vicar is Archie Coates and the associate vicar is Jonny Gumbel, the son of
Nicky Gumbel
Nicholas Glyn Paul Gumbel (born 1955), known as Nicky Gumbel, is an English Anglican priest and author in the evangelical and charismatic traditions. He is known as the developer of the Alpha Course, a basic introduction to Christianity supp ...
who developed the Alpha Course. Since then, the church has grown to "almost 1000"
[''Go Forth And Multiply'']
The Economist, 17 Jan 2015 and has a focus on social action, especially through a project known as Safehaven to help homeless people. There are four services on a Sunday: a liturgical Holy Communion at 8.00 am, two-family services at 9.30 and 11.30, and a student and youth-oriented service at 6:30 pm. St Peter's has a satellite church on the
Whitehawk
Whitehawk is a suburb in the east of Brighton, England, south of Bevendean and north of Brighton Marina. The area is a large, modern housing estate built in a downland dry valley historically known as Whitehawk Bottom. The estate was originally ...
estate, known as St Cuthman's, and has also planted a church in
Holy Trinity Church, Hastings
Holy Trinity Church is an Anglican church in the centre of Hastings, a town and borough in the English county of East Sussex. It was built during the 1850s—a period when Hastings was growing rapidly as a seaside resort—by prolific and eccen ...
. In August 2016, the vicar and 30 parishioners moved to
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
to start Harbour Church, a church plant in the city centre "aimed specifically at students and young adults".
Organ
St Peter's had a large pipe organ
built-in 1888 for the
Hampstead Conservatoire
The Hampstead Conservatoire was a private college for music and the arts at 64, Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage, London.[Henry Willis
Henry Willis (27 April 1821 – 11 February 1901), also known as "Father" Willis, was an English organ player and builder, who is regarded as the foremost organ builder of the Victorian era. His company Henry Willis & Sons remains in busin ...]
and brought to Brighton in 1910. It is the sole survivor of three almost identical instruments in the town, the others having been at the
Dome Pavilion and in
Hove
Hove is a seaside resort and one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove, along with Brighton in East Sussex, England. Originally a "small but ancient fishing village" surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th cen ...
Town Hall. The latter is now at
Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School
Haberdashers' Boys' School (also known as Haberdashers', Habs, or Habs Boys), until September 2021 known as Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, is a public school for pupils age 4 to 18 in Elstree, Hertfordshire, England. The school is a me ...
in
Elstree
Elstree is a large village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England. It is about northwest of central London on the former A5 road, that follows the course of Watling Street. In 2011, its population was 5,110. It forms part of the ...
, while the former was broken up in the 1930s. It is almost identical to the famous organ in
Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Truro. The organ in St. Peter's has been unusable for some years due to asbestos.
At a meeting of the Diocesan Advisory Committee held on 14 March 2019, it was proposed that the organ be removed from St Peter's and installed in St John's College Chapel, Cambridge.
The organ has now been removed from St Peter's, some parts will be re-used at St John's College Chapel, Cambridge.
The organ features in a recording made in June 1977 when the Choir of Guildford Cathedral gave a concert at St Peter's. Louis Vierne's Organ Symphony No.1 (Prelude) demonstrates the impressive Swell to good effect.
Bells
The tower of St Peter's currently houses 10 bells, all of which were cast in 1914 by Mears and Stainbank of London. The tenor bell weighs 25-2-0 cwt and is tuned to the key of D. The bells hang in a cast iron frame on two levels, bells 1, 2 and 9 hang on the upper level. This ring of 10 replaces an earlier ring of 8 and were given to the church by John Thornton-Rickman.
Following a period of silence while work was carried out on the tower, the bells rang out for the first time in almost three years on Sunday 18th December 2022.
Photo gallery
Image:Brighton-StPeter-fromWest-01.jpg, West end and War Memorial
Image:Brighton-StPeter-TowerDetail-01.jpg, Arch in the liturgical west face of the tower
Image:Brighton-StPeter-ChancelWindows-01.jpg, Windows on the liturgical south side of the later chancel
Image:Brighton-StPeter-ChancelWindows-02.jpg, Wwindows on the liturgical south side, the one on the left in the original nave, the one on the right in the later chancel
Image:Brighton-StPeter-NaveWindow-01.jpg, Window on the liturgical south side of the original nave
Image:Brighton-StPeter-fromESE-02.jpg, Looking across the church from the liturgical south-east
St. Peter's Church, Brighton, January 2015 maintenance work.jpg, Church undergoing maintenance work in January 2015
See also
*
Grade II* listed buildings in Brighton and Hove
There are 72 Listed building, Grade II* listed buildings in the city of Brighton and Hove, England. The city, on the English Channel coast approximately south of London, was formed as a unitary authority in 1997 by the merger of the neighbou ...
*
List of places of worship in Brighton and Hove
The city of Brighton and Hove, on the south coast of England, has more than 100 extant churches and other places of worship, which serve a variety of Christian denominations and other religions. More than 50 former religious buildings, althou ...
*
Regency architecture
Regency architecture encompasses classical buildings built in the United Kingdom during the Regency era in the early 19th century when George IV was Prince Regent, and also to earlier and later buildings following the same style. The period co ...
*
Edwardian architecture
Edwardian architecture is a Neo-Baroque architectural style that was popular in the British Empire during the Edwardian era (1901–1910). Architecture up to the year 1914 may also be included in this style.
Description
Edwardian architecture is ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
External links
The official website of St. Peter's, Brightonon
Ship of Fools
The ship of fools is an allegory, originating from Book VI of Plato's ''Republic'', about a ship with a dysfunctional crew. The allegory is intended to represent the problems of governance prevailing in a political system not based on expert kn ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Peter's Church, Brighton
Church of England church buildings in Brighton and Hove
Churches completed in 1828
19th-century Church of England church buildings
Brighton, Saint Peter
Brighton, Saint Peter
Grade II* listed buildings in Brighton and Hove
Holy Trinity Brompton plants
Charles Barry buildings