Providence Strict Baptist Chapel, Burgess Hill
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Providence Strict Baptist Chapel is a former Strict Baptist place of worship in the town of
Burgess Hill Burgess Hill is a town and civil parish in West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park, south of London, north of Brighton and Hove, and northeast of the county town, Chichester. It ...
in
Mid Sussex Mid Sussex is an area in the central part of Sussex. It may refer to: * Mid Sussex District, a local government district in West Sussex * Mid Sussex (UK Parliament constituency) * Mid Sussex Football League * Mid Sussex Times, a local newspaper * A ...
, one of seven local government districts in the English county of
West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ar ...
. Founded in 1875 by two prominent residents of the town at a time when
Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
Nonconformism Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to: Culture and society * Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior *Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity ** ...
was well established in Sussex, the chapel continued in religious use for over a century until it was sold for conversion to a family home in 1999. The Neoclassical building stands in a
conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
opposite Burgess Hill's main park. English Heritage has listed the building at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.


History

Burgess Hill—now a town of about 30,000 people—did not exist until the mid-19th century, when the
London and Brighton Railway The London and Brighton Railway (L&BR) was a railway company in England which was incorporated in 1837 and survived until 1846. Its railway ran from a junction with the London and Croydon Railway (L&CR) at Norwood – which gives it access fro ...
built a railway line across St John's Common, an area of common land divided between the parishes of Clayton and Keymer. The line and
Burgess Hill railway station Burgess Hill railway station is on the Brighton Main Line, serving the town of Burgess Hill, West Sussex. It is down the line from via and is situated between and on the main line. Train services are provided by Southern and Thameslink. ...
opened in 1841, and rapid population growth led to the building of an Anglican church, St John the Evangelist's, in the early 1860s and the creation of an ecclesiastical parish in 1863. One of the most important early residents was Frederick Hoadley. In 1857 he founded a department store on a prominent site near the railway station; it was so successful that other branches were opened elsewhere in Sussex. In 1875, together with fellow resident Eli Ashdown, he formed a trust to fund the establishment of a Strict Baptist place of worship in the town. St John's Park, a recreational area in the town centre, was presented to the town in 1871 as a memorial to a local philanthropist. Hoadley and Ashdown bought a site on Park Road, with a southward view across the park, in 1875 and commissioned architect Simeon Norman to design a chapel. It was registered for marriages on 20 June 1876. There were already other Nonconformist places of worship in the town: a Congregational church of 1829 predated the railway-influenced development, and congregations of both
Plymouth Brethren The Plymouth Brethren or Assemblies of Brethren are a low church and non-conformist Christian movement whose history can be traced back to Dublin, Ireland, in the mid to late 1820s, where they originated from Anglicanism. The group emphasizes ...
and General Baptists were founded in 1870. Methodists, Congregationalists and the Salvation Army also had a presence by 1900. Simeon Norman's chapel continued to serve the Strict Baptist community throughout the 20th century, but attendances gradually fell. It was therefore sold in 1999, and has been converted into a family home and renamed ''Providence House''. The Providence Strict Baptist Chapel was listed at Grade II by English Heritage on 27 November 1975; this defines it as a "nationally important" building of "special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 958 Grade II listed buildings, and 1,028 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Mid Sussex. It is within the St John's Common Conservation Area designated by Mid Sussex District Council.


Architecture

The chapel was built in a style described as either Classical or Neoclassical. The two-storey structure has three equally spaced round-headed windows on the upper floor of the façade, and two square-headed windows flanking the entrance door below. Between these are four
Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...
pilasters which are topped with a pediment. Originally faced with cement, it is now
stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...
ed.


See also

*
List of places of worship in Mid Sussex The district of Mid Sussex, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex, has nearly 100 churches and other places of worship. Most are in the three main towns of Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath and East Grins ...


Notes


Bibliography

* * * * {{Sussex Nonconformism Churches completed in 1875 19th-century Baptist churches Former churches in West Sussex Grade II listed churches in West Sussex Former Baptist churches in England Strict Baptist chapels Burgess Hill 19th-century churches in the United Kingdom Neoclassical church buildings in England