St John the Baptist's Church, Hove

Parish church
name=St John the Baptist, Hove


caption=
dedication=St John the Baptist
denomination=Church of England
tradition=
parish=Hove, St John the Baptist
deanery=Rural Deanery of Hove
archdeaconry=Chichester
diocese=Chichester
province=Canterbury
vicar=Revd Christine Wilson
curate= Revd Dr Steven Underdown
curate1= Revd Paul Doick

St John the Baptist's Church is an Anglican church in Hove, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. It was built between 1852 and 1854 to serve the community of the Brunswick area of Hove, which had originally been established in the 1830s.cite book |last=Dale |first=Antony |authorlink= |coauthors= |editor= |others= |title=Brighton Churches |origdate= |origyear=1989 |origmonth= |url= |format= |accessdate= |accessyear= |accessmonth= |edition= |series= |date= |year= |month= |publisher=Routledge |location=London EC4 |language= |isbn=0-415-00863-8 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=p110 |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= ]

History

The land on which the Brunswick estate was built was originally a farming estate known as Wick Farm. It was sold to Thomas Read Kemp, who had been responsible for the Kemp Town residential development in neighbouring Brighton, in 1825. Some houses had been built the previous year, and Read Kemp is believed to have planned to create a similar exclusive development on this land; but little happened until after it had been sold to the Jewish baronet Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid in 1830. Even then, it took another 20 years for the scheme to be altered and started properly.

Brunswick Town eventually consisted of 150 houses, many of which were exclusive and expensive, but there was no suitable church nearby. Hove's original parish church, St Andrew's, was difficult to reach, while the nearest church on the way to Brighton, also called St Andrew's, was small. Goldsmid therefore provided some land for a church to be built.

The decision to proceed with construction was taken by the diocese on 21 March 1851, and work started on 15 April 1852 after £4,500 had been raised through borrowings, private donations and a grant. Dr Ashurst Gilbert, the Bishop of Chichester, consecrated the new church on 24 June 1854.cite book |last=Dale |first=Antony |authorlink= |coauthors= |editor= |others= |title=Brighton Churches |origdate= |origyear=1989 |origmonth= |url= |format= |accessdate= |accessyear= |accessmonth= |edition= |series= |date= |year= |month= |publisher=Routledge |location=London EC4 |language= |isbn=0-415-00863-8 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=p112 |chapter= |chapterurl= |quote= ]

Architecture

The architects William and Edward Habershon, brothers who operated as a partnership, designed the church in the Victorian Gothic style, using flint and stone dressingscite web|title=The Churches and Chapels of Brighton & Hove, Sussex - Past & Present|url=http://www.roughwood.net/ChurchAlbum/EastSussex/Brighton/BrightonChurches.htm|accessdate=2007-12-03|publisher=Mark Collins|year=2007|work=The Roughwood website] and incorporating elements of the mediæval Decorated style.cite web|title=A Church Near You: Hove, St John the Baptist Church|url=http://www.acny.org.uk/venue.php?V=4998|accessdate=2007-12-03|publisher=Oxford Diocesan Publications Ltd|year=2007|work=A Church Near You website] The cruciform building has a tower at the eastern end; this was added later, as was the spire. The church has been designated a Grade II listed building — this grade is applied to "buildings of special architectural or historic interest".

The church today

As well as two Eucharist services on Sundays, there is a weekly Holy Communion service using the official 1662 version of the Book of Common Prayer, a monthly Communion service following the Celtic tradition, a film-based discussion group, children's activities and a Sunday school.

Gallery

References