Bishop Hannington Memorial Church
Encyclopedia
Bishop Hannington Memorial Church is an Anglican
church in the West Blatchington
area of Hove
, in the English
city of Brighton and Hove. Built between 1938 and 1939, it commemorates James Hannington
, First Bishop of East Equatorial Africa, who was murdered in Uganda
in 1885 on the orders of King Mwanga II
while engaged in missionary
work.
, a few miles north of Brighton and Hove, James Hannington was part of the Brighton family which owned the long-established Hannington's department store in Brighton. He was ordained
into the priesthood in 1874, and served as the curate of St George's Church in Hurstpierpoint until volunteering for missionary work in east Africa in 1882. Although he had to return to Britain in 1883 because of illness, he went back to Uganda in 1884 and was ordained as Bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa on 24 June 1884.
Along with a group of men, he prepared to enter Uganda by way of a new, more direct route from the northeastern side of Lake Victoria
. The group had almost reached their destination when they were intercepted by representatives of King Mwanga II; they were arrested, and all but four men were killed eight days later on 29 October 1885.
The Diocese of Chichester decided to build a new church in the martyred bishop's memory. A datestone
was embedded by the entrance, commemorating Bishop Hannington and recording the date as 26 November 1938. The Bishop of Chichester
, George Bell
, laid the stone.
It was designed and built by Sir Edward Maufe
between 1938 and 1939, who was notable, chiefly, for his design of Guildford Cathedral
and his work for the Imperial War Graves Commission. The church is a large building on a corner site, with an entrance at the west end and a tall bell tower at the northeast corner. Brown brick is the main building material, although the roof is laid with pantiles. This roof has a shallow pitch, while the large tower has a similar but steeper roof topped with a cross. An annex used as a day centre was added on the northern side in the 1970s in a matching style, although it has a flat roof. The main body of the church consists of a chancel
, an organ bay
in the tower and a Lady chapel
in the southeast corner. The nave
has 5½ bays
with aisles on each side. The main entrance at the west end is set into a tall pointed arch faced with decorative brickwork. Above this is a deeply recessed arched window, and there are two similar but smaller windows in the adjacent north and south faces. The floor of the chancel is laid with travertine
, a rock which resembles both limestone and marble, and the nave incorporates locally produced beech
wood. The martyr's crown device is used frequently in the internal fittings and decoration, reflecting Bishop Hannington's martyrdom
.
The church became a listed building on 2 November 1992, attaining Grade II status. Its services are evangelical in nature; there is a weekly Communion
service on Sunday mornings at 8am, two other services on Sundays at 10am and 6.30pm, a Bible study group (Global Cafe) for non-native English speakers, and various youth groups and children's facilities. The Benefice and parish of Bishop Hannington Memorial Church includes the Holy Cross Church, a small Anglican church which worships in the Conservative Evangelical tradition. This is an older building, dating from 1903, and serves the area around Aldrington railway station
. There are services every Sunday, including a Communion service each month, and various groups and events for young people both on Sundays and during the week. The boundaries of the parish are Portland Road (between Bolsover Road and Westbourne Street), Rowan Avenue, Hangleton Road, Nevill Avenue and Hove Park.
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the West Blatchington
West Blatchington
West Blatchington is an area in Hove, East Sussex, England.The area grew rapidly in the inter-war period, but unlike nearby Hangleton it had more infrastructure, with St Peter's Church, a working farm, a windmill and an industrial area grouped around the Goldstone Pumping Station and its workers'...
area of Hove
Hove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
, in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
city of Brighton and Hove. Built between 1938 and 1939, it commemorates James Hannington
James Hannington
James Hannington was an Anglican missionary, saint and martyr.-Life:Hannington was born at Hurstpierpoint in Sussex, England, on 3 September 1847. A poor scholar, he left school at fifteen to work in his father's Brighton counting house. At twenty-one, Hannington decided to pursue a clerical...
, First Bishop of East Equatorial Africa, who was murdered in Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
in 1885 on the orders of King Mwanga II
Mwanga II of Buganda
Danieri Basammula-Ekkere Mwanga II Mukasa was Kabaka from 1884 until 1888 and from 1889 until 1897. He was the thirty-first Kabaka of Buganda.-Claim to the throne:...
while engaged in missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
work.
History
Although born at HurstpierpointHurstpierpoint
Hurstpierpoint is a village in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. Together with Sayers Common it forms one of the Mid Sussex civil parishes, with an area of 2029.88 ha and a population of 6,264 persons....
, a few miles north of Brighton and Hove, James Hannington was part of the Brighton family which owned the long-established Hannington's department store in Brighton. He was ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
into the priesthood in 1874, and served as the curate of St George's Church in Hurstpierpoint until volunteering for missionary work in east Africa in 1882. Although he had to return to Britain in 1883 because of illness, he went back to Uganda in 1884 and was ordained as Bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa on 24 June 1884.
Along with a group of men, he prepared to enter Uganda by way of a new, more direct route from the northeastern side of Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
. The group had almost reached their destination when they were intercepted by representatives of King Mwanga II; they were arrested, and all but four men were killed eight days later on 29 October 1885.
The Diocese of Chichester decided to build a new church in the martyred bishop's memory. A datestone
Datestone
A datestone is typically an embedded stone with the date of engraving and other information carved into it. They are not considered a very reliable source for dating a house, as instances of old houses being destroyed and rebuilt have been reported.Specific locations have often been chosen for...
was embedded by the entrance, commemorating Bishop Hannington and recording the date as 26 November 1938. The Bishop of Chichester
Bishop of Chichester
The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the Counties of East and West Sussex. The see is in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity...
, George Bell
George Bell (bishop)
George Kennedy Allen Bell was an Anglican theologian, Dean of Canterbury, Bishop of Chichester, member of the House of Lords and a pioneer of the Ecumenical Movement.-Early career:...
, laid the stone.
Architecture
Edward Maufe
Sir Edward Brantwood Maufe KBE, R.A, F.R.I.B.A. was an English architect and designer, noted chiefly for his work on places of worship and remembrance memorials. He was a skilled interior designer and designed many pieces of furniture...
between 1938 and 1939, who was notable, chiefly, for his design of Guildford Cathedral
Guildford Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford is the Anglican cathedral at Guildford, Surrey, England.-Construction:Guildford was made a diocese in its own right in 1927, and work on its new cathedral, designed by Sir Edward Maufe, began nine years later, with the foundation stone being laid...
and his work for the Imperial War Graves Commission. The church is a large building on a corner site, with an entrance at the west end and a tall bell tower at the northeast corner. Brown brick is the main building material, although the roof is laid with pantiles. This roof has a shallow pitch, while the large tower has a similar but steeper roof topped with a cross. An annex used as a day centre was added on the northern side in the 1970s in a matching style, although it has a flat roof. The main body of the church consists of a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, an organ bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
in the tower and a Lady chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
in the southeast corner. The nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
has 5½ bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
with aisles on each side. The main entrance at the west end is set into a tall pointed arch faced with decorative brickwork. Above this is a deeply recessed arched window, and there are two similar but smaller windows in the adjacent north and south faces. The floor of the chancel is laid with travertine
Travertine
Travertine is a form of limestone deposited by mineral springs, especially hot springs. Travertine often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, and cream-colored varieties. It is formed by a process of rapid precipitation of calcium carbonate, often at the mouth of a hot...
, a rock which resembles both limestone and marble, and the nave incorporates locally produced beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
wood. The martyr's crown device is used frequently in the internal fittings and decoration, reflecting Bishop Hannington's martyrdom
Christian martyrs
A Christian martyr is one who is killed for following Christianity, through stoning, crucifixion, burning at the stake or other forms of torture and capital punishment. The word "martyr" comes from the Greek word μάρτυς, mártys, which means "witness."...
.
The church today
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
service on Sunday mornings at 8am, two other services on Sundays at 10am and 6.30pm, a Bible study group (Global Cafe) for non-native English speakers, and various youth groups and children's facilities. The Benefice and parish of Bishop Hannington Memorial Church includes the Holy Cross Church, a small Anglican church which worships in the Conservative Evangelical tradition. This is an older building, dating from 1903, and serves the area around Aldrington railway station
Aldrington railway station
Aldrington railway station, sometimes known by its former names of Aldrington Halt and Dyke Junction, is a railway station in Hove, in East Sussex, England...
. There are services every Sunday, including a Communion service each month, and various groups and events for young people both on Sundays and during the week. The boundaries of the parish are Portland Road (between Bolsover Road and Westbourne Street), Rowan Avenue, Hangleton Road, Nevill Avenue and Hove Park.
See also
- Grade II listed buildings in Brighton and Hove: A–BGrade II listed buildings in Brighton and Hove: A–BAs of February 2001, there were 1,124 listed buildings with Grade II status in the English city of Brighton and Hove. The total at 2009 was similar. The city, on the English Channel coast approximately south of London, was formed as a unitary authority in 1997 by the merger of the neighbouring...
- List of places of worship in Brighton and Hove
- St Mary's Church, Hampden Park, EastbourneSt Mary's Church, Hampden Park, EastbourneSt Mary's Church is the Anglican parish church of the Hampden Park suburb of Eastbourne, a town and borough in the English county of East Sussex. Originally linked to the church at nearby Willingdon, it later became a separate parish church...