St John the Evangelist's Church, Chichester
Encyclopedia
St John the Evangelist's Church is a former Anglican
church in the cathedral city of Chichester
in West Sussex
, England. Built in 1812 to the design of James Elmes
as a proprietary chapel
, the octagonal white-brick "evangelical preaching house" reflects the early 19th-century ideals of the Church of England
's evangelical wing before High church
movements such as the Cambridge Camden Society
changed ideas on church design. The Diocese of Chichester
declared it redundant
in 1973. Although worship no longer takes place in the building, its theatre-like design has made it a popular venue for concerts and musical events. English Heritage
has listed the church at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.
of West Sussex, is an ancient settlement at the junction of several Roman
and medieval roads. Roman walls
encircle the heart of the city, which is divided into quadrants by straight streets with a market at the centre. Its cathedral
, the seat of the Bishop of Chichester
, makes Chichester a major ecclesiastical centre, as well as an important commercial and administrative centre.
Within the city walls there were eight medieval or older parish churches, including the 13th-century All Saints-in-the-Pallant, St Andrew Oxmarket and St Olave's. The southeastern quarter of the city centre, site of an ancient friary, was mostly developed in the 18th century and became known as New Town. It lacked an Anglican church until the early 19th century. At that time, a combination of urban growth throughout Sussex, the challenge posed by the rise of Protestant Nonconformism
, and new ideas about the style of Anglican worship—which were closely linked with different styles of architecture—"gave rise to an unprecedented wave of churchbuilding". Many were funded by the government (by way of the Church Building Act
), diocesan
organisations and national societies; but in some areas, particularly Sussex, private fundraising was a popular alternative method of getting churches built. The proprietary system
involved the purchase of shares in the church by private individuals, who received in exchange a "sitting" (the right to own a pew
). The shareholders, known as proprietors, could use this pew for themselves and worship at the church, or sell it or rent it out. In some cases, an admission fee was levied on visitors who were not proprietors of the church. Some of the income from this process would support the curate
and any clerks or other ministers. A minority of pews were free: they were kept aside for poor local worshippers.
This method was followed in Chichester, where St John the Evangelist's Church was founded in 1812 by a group of trustees who wanted a church in the southeastern quadrant. They commissioned 30-year-old architect James Elmes
to design the proprietary chapel. He was ill during the design and building process, so the project was overseen on his behalf by George Haviland, an architect who was at the start of his career and who later became a prominent prison designer in the United States.
At the time, ideas about Anglican church design were starting to split along ideological and theological lines. The High church
movement demanded formality and ritual, placed central importance of the Eucharist and was less concerned about preaching; its churches reflected this by favouring the Gothic Revival
architectural style and features, large central altars and lavish decoration. The Low church
or Evangelical wing of Anglicanism emphasised preaching, personal belief and an absence of ritual. St John the Evangelist's Church was designed according to an "extreme Low church plan" in which an enormous central pulpit
was the focus for the congregation and the altar was so insignificant that it "dwindled to a kind of kitchen table". The height and prominence of the pulpit ensured that the preacher could see all worshippers, and they could see and hear him. The church, an elongated octagon in the Classical style
with some Greek Revival
features, was built of white brick and cost £7,000 (£ as of ). It was opened in 1813, and served the local area for more than 160 years thereafter. It later passed into the control of the Diocese of Chichester
, the local Anglican diocese; but falling attendances caused the church to be declared redundant
in 1973. Three years later, it was transferred into the care of the Redundant Churches Fund—now the Churches Conservation Trust
. It is still consecrated and holds occasional services.
-style building with some Greek Revival and Egyptian Revival
elements, and is characteristic of a late Georgian
"auditory church" (one set up for preaching and evangelising) designed according to Low church principles. Sussex church historian David Beevers, writing in 1989, noted that "the survival of this typical Georgian Low-church interior from the enthusiasts of the [High church] Cambridge Camden Society
[who dominated church design later in the 19th century] is surprising". Ian Nairn
had the same view, calling its survival a mystery. The "severely elegant" and simple design is more reminiscent of a Nonconformist chapel than an Anglican church.
The exterior walls of the elongated octagonal building are of yellowish-white brick covered in parts with stucco
. There are some stone dressings as well. A curious external feature is a miniature copy of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates
forming a sort of cupola
on the roof, and described variously as "preposterous" and "excellent". This stone structure is shaped like a cylinder and has a spherical roof set on top of an entablature
held up by Corinthian
-style columns. Inside is a bell cast in London in 1813 by Thomas Mears II of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
. The entrance, in the west-facing wall, sits below a stone entablature
with a stone-pilaster
ed doorcase. Above this is a round-arched stone-dressed window with mouldings
, linked to the entablature by a stone balustrade
. Above the window is a stone pediment
. Arched windows to a similar design are on each of the other seven walls at first-floor level. The entrance is flanked by two single-storey rooms which accommodate staircases to the first-floor galleries.
Inside, the most prominent features are these galleries, which form a rectangle and are held up on Egyptian-style iron columns, and the large pulpit, which "towers over everything". The layout and these fittings "represent a unique survival" and a "superb example" of a late Georgian style which was quite common in the early 19th century, particularly in Nonconformist chapels but also in Anglican churches with a Low church character. The galleries are of American birch
and are reached by staircases which have separate entrances in the single-storey wings to the side of the main entrance. Separate entrances were characteristic of churches of this era, which often required the sexes to sit apart; also, at St John the Evangelist's Church, the free pews (on the ground floor) were kept separate from those owned by the proprietors (in the galleries). The pulpit stands centrally in the nave
, hiding the small chancel
and sanctuary. It has been called the best surviving three-decker pulpit in Sussex. An unusual refinement of the more common two-decker structure, a three-decker allowed different parts of the service to be read from different levels according to their importance. Responses to prayers were read from the lowest deck, usually by the church clerk. The main part of the service, including prayers, came from the middle deck; and the sermon—the most important part of a Low church service—took place in the circular upper deck. The pulpit is free-standing on a fluted
stem with a spiral motif. Like the rest of the internal fittings, it is of American birch. The three sections are now side by side, but originally they were aligned one in front of the other in a tiered formation.
on 5 July 1950. Such buildings are of "exceptional interest [and] sometimes considered to be internationally important". As of February 2001, it was one of 80 Grade I listed buildings, and 3,251 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Chichester
.
The Diocese of Chichester
declared St John the Evangelist's Church redundant
on 22 June 1973. It was placed into the care of the Redundant Churches Fund (now the Churches Conservation Trust
) on 17 August 1976, and is now one of five former churches in West Sussex administered by the charity; the others are at Church Norton
, North Stoke
, Tortington
and Warminghurst
. The church had a strong musical tradition, which is maintained in the 21st century by its regular use as a concert venue—especially during the annual Chichester Festivities arts and music festival.
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 cathedral city of Chichester
Chichester
Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, South-East England. It has a long history as a settlement; its Roman past and its subsequent importance in Anglo-Saxon times are only its beginnings...
in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
, England. Built in 1812 to the design of James Elmes
James Elmes
James Elmes was an English architect, civil engineer, and writer on the arts.-Biography:...
as a proprietary chapel
Proprietary Chapel
A proprietary chapel is a chapel that originally belonged to a private person. In the 19th century Britain they were common, often being built to cope with urbanisation. Frequently they were set up by evangelical philanthropists with a vision of spreading Christianity in cities whose needs could no...
, the octagonal white-brick "evangelical preaching house" reflects the early 19th-century ideals of the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
's evangelical wing before High church
High church
The term "High Church" refers to beliefs and practices of ecclesiology, liturgy and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality, and resistance to "modernization." Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term has traditionally been principally associated with the...
movements such as the Cambridge Camden Society
Cambridge Camden Society
The Cambridge Camden Society, later known as the Ecclesiological Society from 1845 when it moved to London, was a learned architectural society founded in 1839 by undergraduates at Cambridge University to promote "the study of Gothic Architecture, and of Ecclesiastical Antiques." Its activities...
changed ideas on church design. The Diocese of Chichester
Diocese of Chichester
The Diocese of Chichester is a Church of England diocese based in Chichester, covering Sussex. It was created in 1075 to replace the old Diocese of Selsey, which was based at Selsey Abbey from 681. The cathedral is Chichester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Chichester...
declared it redundant
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
in 1973. Although worship no longer takes place in the building, its theatre-like design has made it a popular venue for concerts and musical events. English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
has listed the church at Grade I for its architectural and historical importance.
History
Chichester, the county townCounty town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of West Sussex, is an ancient settlement at the junction of several Roman
Roman roads in Britain
Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the vast standing Roman army , constituted the three most impressive features of the Roman Empire. In Britain, as in other provinces, the Romans constructed a comprehensive network of paved trunk roads Roman roads, together with Roman aqueducts and the...
and medieval roads. Roman walls
Defensive wall
A defensive wall is a fortification used to protect a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements...
encircle the heart of the city, which is divided into quadrants by straight streets with a market at the centre. Its cathedral
Chichester Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England...
, the seat of 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...
, makes Chichester a major ecclesiastical centre, as well as an important commercial and administrative centre.
Within the city walls there were eight medieval or older parish churches, including the 13th-century All Saints-in-the-Pallant, St Andrew Oxmarket and St Olave's. The southeastern quarter of the city centre, site of an ancient friary, was mostly developed in the 18th century and became known as New Town. It lacked an Anglican church until the early 19th century. At that time, a combination of urban growth throughout Sussex, the challenge posed by the rise of Protestant Nonconformism
Nonconformism
Nonconformity is the refusal to "conform" to, or follow, the governance and usages of the Church of England by the Protestant Christians of England and Wales.- Origins and use:...
, and new ideas about the style of Anglican worship—which were closely linked with different styles of architecture—"gave rise to an unprecedented wave of churchbuilding". Many were funded by the government (by way of the Church Building Act
Commissioners' church
A Commissioners' church is an Anglican church in the United Kingdom built with money voted by Parliament as a result of the Church Building Act of 1818 and 1824. They have been given a number of titles, including Commissioners' churches, Waterloo churches and Million Act churches...
), diocesan
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
organisations and national societies; but in some areas, particularly Sussex, private fundraising was a popular alternative method of getting churches built. The proprietary system
Proprietary Chapel
A proprietary chapel is a chapel that originally belonged to a private person. In the 19th century Britain they were common, often being built to cope with urbanisation. Frequently they were set up by evangelical philanthropists with a vision of spreading Christianity in cities whose needs could no...
involved the purchase of shares in the church by private individuals, who received in exchange a "sitting" (the right to own a pew
Pew
A pew is a long bench seat or enclosed box used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, or sometimes in a courtroom.-Overview:Churches were not commonly furnished with permanent pews before the Protestant Reformation...
). The shareholders, known as proprietors, could use this pew for themselves and worship at the church, or sell it or rent it out. In some cases, an admission fee was levied on visitors who were not proprietors of the church. Some of the income from this process would support the curate
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
and any clerks or other ministers. A minority of pews were free: they were kept aside for poor local worshippers.
This method was followed in Chichester, where St John the Evangelist's Church was founded in 1812 by a group of trustees who wanted a church in the southeastern quadrant. They commissioned 30-year-old architect James Elmes
James Elmes
James Elmes was an English architect, civil engineer, and writer on the arts.-Biography:...
to design the proprietary chapel. He was ill during the design and building process, so the project was overseen on his behalf by George Haviland, an architect who was at the start of his career and who later became a prominent prison designer in the United States.
At the time, ideas about Anglican church design were starting to split along ideological and theological lines. The High church
High church
The term "High Church" refers to beliefs and practices of ecclesiology, liturgy and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality, and resistance to "modernization." Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term has traditionally been principally associated with the...
movement demanded formality and ritual, placed central importance of the Eucharist and was less concerned about preaching; its churches reflected this by favouring the Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
architectural style and features, large central altars and lavish decoration. The Low church
Low church
Low church is a term of distinction in the Church of England or other Anglican churches initially designed to be pejorative. During the series of doctrinal and ecclesiastic challenges to the established church in the 16th and 17th centuries, commentators and others began to refer to those groups...
or Evangelical wing of Anglicanism emphasised preaching, personal belief and an absence of ritual. St John the Evangelist's Church was designed according to an "extreme Low church plan" in which an enormous central pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
was the focus for the congregation and the altar was so insignificant that it "dwindled to a kind of kitchen table". The height and prominence of the pulpit ensured that the preacher could see all worshippers, and they could see and hear him. The church, an elongated octagon in the Classical style
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
with some Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
features, was built of white brick and cost £7,000 (£ as of ). It was opened in 1813, and served the local area for more than 160 years thereafter. It later passed into the control of the Diocese of Chichester
Diocese of Chichester
The Diocese of Chichester is a Church of England diocese based in Chichester, covering Sussex. It was created in 1075 to replace the old Diocese of Selsey, which was based at Selsey Abbey from 681. The cathedral is Chichester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Chichester...
, the local Anglican diocese; but falling attendances caused the church to be declared redundant
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
in 1973. Three years later, it was transferred into the care of the Redundant Churches Fund—now the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. It is still consecrated and holds occasional services.
Architecture
St John the Evangelist's Church is a broadly ClassicalClassical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
-style building with some Greek Revival and Egyptian Revival
Egyptian Revival architecture
Egyptian Revival is an architectural style that uses the motifs and imagery of ancient Egypt. It is attributed generally to the public awareness of ancient Egyptian monuments generated by Napoleon's conquest of Egypt and Admiral Nelson's defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of the Nile during 1798....
elements, and is characteristic of a late Georgian
Georgian era
The Georgian era is a period of British history which takes its name from, and is normally defined as spanning the reigns of, the first four Hanoverian kings of Great Britain : George I, George II, George III and George IV...
"auditory church" (one set up for preaching and evangelising) designed according to Low church principles. Sussex church historian David Beevers, writing in 1989, noted that "the survival of this typical Georgian Low-church interior from the enthusiasts of the [High church] Cambridge Camden Society
Cambridge Camden Society
The Cambridge Camden Society, later known as the Ecclesiological Society from 1845 when it moved to London, was a learned architectural society founded in 1839 by undergraduates at Cambridge University to promote "the study of Gothic Architecture, and of Ecclesiastical Antiques." Its activities...
[who dominated church design later in the 19th century] is surprising". Ian Nairn
Ian Nairn
Ian Nairn was a British architectural critic and topographer.He had no formal architecture qualifications; he was a mathematics graduate and a Royal Air Force pilot...
had the same view, calling its survival a mystery. The "severely elegant" and simple design is more reminiscent of a Nonconformist chapel than an Anglican church.
The exterior walls of the elongated octagonal building are of yellowish-white brick covered in parts with stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
. There are some stone dressings as well. A curious external feature is a miniature copy of the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates
Choragic Monument of Lysicrates
The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates near the Acropolis of Athens was erected by the choregos Lysicrates, a wealthy patron of musical performances in the Theater of Dionysus to commemorate the award of first prize in 335/334 BCE, to one of the performances he had sponsored...
forming a sort of cupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
on the roof, and described variously as "preposterous" and "excellent". This stone structure is shaped like a cylinder and has a spherical roof set on top of an entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
held up by Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
-style columns. Inside is a bell cast in London in 1813 by Thomas Mears II of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
. The entrance, in the west-facing wall, sits below a stone entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
with a stone-pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
ed doorcase. Above this is a round-arched stone-dressed window with mouldings
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
, linked to the entablature by a stone balustrade
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
. Above the window is a stone pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
. Arched windows to a similar design are on each of the other seven walls at first-floor level. The entrance is flanked by two single-storey rooms which accommodate staircases to the first-floor galleries.
Inside, the most prominent features are these galleries, which form a rectangle and are held up on Egyptian-style iron columns, and the large pulpit, which "towers over everything". The layout and these fittings "represent a unique survival" and a "superb example" of a late Georgian style which was quite common in the early 19th century, particularly in Nonconformist chapels but also in Anglican churches with a Low church character. The galleries are of American birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
and are reached by staircases which have separate entrances in the single-storey wings to the side of the main entrance. Separate entrances were characteristic of churches of this era, which often required the sexes to sit apart; also, at St John the Evangelist's Church, the free pews (on the ground floor) were kept separate from those owned by the proprietors (in the galleries). The pulpit stands centrally in 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...
, hiding the small 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...
and sanctuary. It has been called the best surviving three-decker pulpit in Sussex. An unusual refinement of the more common two-decker structure, a three-decker allowed different parts of the service to be read from different levels according to their importance. Responses to prayers were read from the lowest deck, usually by the church clerk. The main part of the service, including prayers, came from the middle deck; and the sermon—the most important part of a Low church service—took place in the circular upper deck. The pulpit is free-standing on a fluted
Fluting (architecture)
Fluting in architecture refers to the shallow grooves running vertically along a surface.It typically refers to the grooves running on a column shaft or a pilaster, but need not necessarily be restricted to those two applications...
stem with a spiral motif. Like the rest of the internal fittings, it is of American birch. The three sections are now side by side, but originally they were aligned one in front of the other in a tiered formation.
The church today
St John the Evangelist's Church was listed at Grade I by English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on 5 July 1950. Such buildings are of "exceptional interest [and] sometimes considered to be internationally important". As of February 2001, it was one of 80 Grade I listed buildings, and 3,251 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Chichester
Chichester (district)
Chichester is a largely rural local government district in West Sussex, England. Its council is based in the city of Chichester.-History:The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, as a merger of the municipal borough of Chichester and the Rural Districts of...
.
The Diocese of Chichester
Diocese of Chichester
The Diocese of Chichester is a Church of England diocese based in Chichester, covering Sussex. It was created in 1075 to replace the old Diocese of Selsey, which was based at Selsey Abbey from 681. The cathedral is Chichester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Chichester...
declared St John the Evangelist's Church redundant
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
on 22 June 1973. It was placed into the care of the Redundant Churches Fund (now the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
) on 17 August 1976, and is now one of five former churches in West Sussex administered by the charity; the others are at Church Norton
St Wilfrid's Chapel, Church Norton
St Wilfrid's Chapel, also known as St Wilfrid's Church and originally as St Peter's Church, is a former Anglican church at Church Norton, a rural location near the village of Selsey in West Sussex, England...
, North Stoke
St Mary the Virgin's Church, North Stoke
North Stoke Church, rededicated in 2007 to St Mary the Virgin after its medieval dedication was unexpectedly rediscovered, is a former Church of England parish church in the riverside hamlet of North Stoke in the Horsham District of West Sussex...
, Tortington
St Mary Magdalene's Church, Tortington
St Mary Magdalene's Church is the former Anglican parish church of the hamlet of Tortington in the district of Arun, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. Founded in the 12th century to serve a priory and villagers in the riverside location, it has...
and Warminghurst
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Warminghurst
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a former Anglican church in the hamlet of Warminghurst in the district of Horsham, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. The present building, which is no longer used for worship, has 13th-century origins, but a church may...
. The church had a strong musical tradition, which is maintained in the 21st century by its regular use as a concert venue—especially during the annual Chichester Festivities arts and music festival.
See also
- Grade I listed buildings in West Sussex
- List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in South East England