St Mary's Church, Hampden Park, Eastbourne
Encyclopedia
St 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. The first building was destroyed by a bomb during World War II, and Edward Maufe
was commissioned to design a replacement church; the hilltop building, finished in 1954, has been called "one of his most charming designs". English Heritage
has listed it at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
. Residential development was focused on the seafront until the start of the 20th century, when suburbs began to develop inland around the main roads and railway line. These were initially served by the ancient parish church of Willingdon, a village which was later surrounded by 20th-century housing.
Housing developed near Hampden Park railway station
(initially named Willingdon) after it opened in 1888. In June 1906, the vicar of Willingdon considered opening a chapel of ease
to serve the area. He received support from Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon
and his wife Marie
: he gave land for the church and she arranged a fundraising concert which added £200 (£ as of ) to the building fund. The Marchioness laid the first stone
of the chapel of ease on 2 May 1908, and it opened in November of that year. Architect William Hay Murray designed a Vernacular-style
red-brick, stone and tile building with windows extending above the line of the eaves
. Born in London, Murray had established an architectural practice in Hastings
by 1874 and had apparently moved to Eastbourne by 1894. He designed or altered several Anglican churches in both towns.
Attempts to make St Mary's Church independent of its mother church at Willingdon, thereby giving it parish church
status in its own right, failed in 1939 because such changes had been suspended since the start of World War II. On 10 October 1940, a bombing raid by a Junkers Ju 88
destroyed the church: only the bell tower survived. A temporary building was put to use as a church by 1945, but a separate parish could still not be established because a permanent church building no longer existed. In December 1948, the Diocese of Chichester
commissioned architect Edward Maufe
to design a new church on the site. Known nationally for his work on Guildford Cathedral
, he had already designed one new church in Sussex
—the Bishop Hannington Memorial Church
in Hove
(1938). Later he also designed the new St Nicholas' Church at Saltdean
.
Work started in 1952, and the new church was ready in 1954. At the same time, a long-planned church in The Hydneye, a suburban area east of the railway line, was taking place. Originally to have been dedicated to St Nicholas
, it was later called St Peter's Church. It was within the new parish of St Mary's Church. Stained glass
was installed in the east window of St Mary's in 1953: Moira Forsyth, daughter of ceramicist Gordon Forsyth
, designed it. She had worked with Edward Maufe at Guildford Cathedral and elsewhere.
Rev. Donald Carpenter, the first incumbent at the new church, served for 21 years and is commemorated by a clock on the south face of the tower. Restoration and improvement work was carried out on the interior and exterior between 2000 and 2006.
" featuring "the most distinctive elements of his personal style", architectural historian Elain Harwood called it "one of his most charming designs". The style is a simplified, unadorned interpretation of Perpendicular Gothic Revival
with elements of the domestic Vernacular style
—in particular in the treatment of the wood-framed nave
windows. The plan comprises a nave with north and south aisles supported by buttress
es, a chancel
and sanctuary with an apsidal
end, a bellcote
at the northwest corner, a Lady chapel
and an axially placed tower—an unusual style for Maufe—at the east end. The brick walls are painted white. The wide tower and the church's position on a low hill next to the park make it stand out from the surrounding houses. The roof has a shallow pitch and is laid with red pantiles. The tower, which has the memorial clock on one side, has two pointed-arched openings on each face. The straight-headed entrance is at the west end, set beneath an arch with decorative moulding
. A large simplified lancet window
is set into the pointed-arched recess above this.
The interior is coated with greyish-white render
, and the ceiling is painted pale blue. There is a gallery at the west end. A series of pointed concrete transverse arches form the arcades between the aisles and nave. They have square bases and lack mouldings or capitals
, recalling Maufe's earlier (1934) St Thomas the Apostle's Church
at Hanwell
, London. Other internal features drew inspiration from Scandinavian architecture, including the Högalidskyrkan in Stockholm
(by Ivar Tengbom
) and the Stockholm City Hall
by Ragnar Östberg
. Each bay
of the aisle has a square timber-framed leaded light window
. Stone sedilia
are placed in an arched recess near the central altar in the sanctuary, whose ceiling is decorated with stars.
Fittings include a set of limed oak
altar rails
, a stone font
with a wooden cover, and a stone and rendered pulpit
attached to the side of the chancel arch.
on 25 September 1998. This defines it as a "nationally important" building of "special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 100 Grade II listed buildings, and 109 listed buildings of all grades, in the borough of Eastbourne. Few postwar buildings have this status: English Heritage states that "post-1945 buildings have to be exceptionally important to be listed", as the criteria become stricter the newer a building is.
The parish covers the suburb of Hampden Park in the north of Eastbourne. Its eastern boundary is formed by the railway line
between Cross Levels Way and the edge of the urban area. Maywood Avenue, Lindfield Road and Maplehurst Road are the northern limits. The boundary then follows Willingdon Park Road and extends to the southwest as far as the Willingdon Road, then runs north of Eridge Road and Eastbourne District General Hospital. Now separately parished, but part of a joint benefice with St Mary's Church, is St Peter's Church in the Hydneye housing estate. Started in 1953 and completed in the 1970s, the brick church took the dedication of the former St Peter's Church in the Meads
area of Eastbourne, which was demolished in 1971. Some stained glass by Charles Eamer Kempe
was taken from that church and installed in the new building.
Worship is in the Modern Catholic style of the Anglican Church. Each Sunday there is a morning Holy Communion service
using the Book of Common Prayer
and (except on the fifth Sunday) another service later in the morning. Another Holy Communion service is held on Thursday mornings.
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...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of the Hampden Park suburb of Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
, a town and borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
in the English county of East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
. Originally linked to the church at nearby Willingdon, it later became a separate parish church. The first building was destroyed by a bomb during World War II, and Edward Maufe
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...
was commissioned to design a replacement church; the hilltop building, finished in 1954, has been called "one of his most charming designs". 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 it at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
History
Until the early 19th century, the area covered by the present town of Eastbourne was thinly populated: there were four small settlements separated by farmland. The oldest, originally known as Bourne and now as the Old Town, was the site of the old parish churchParish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
. Residential development was focused on the seafront until the start of the 20th century, when suburbs began to develop inland around the main roads and railway line. These were initially served by the ancient parish church of Willingdon, a village which was later surrounded by 20th-century housing.
Housing developed near Hampden Park railway station
Hampden Park railway station
Hampden Park railway station serves Hampden Park in East Sussex. It is on the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southern. It was originally called "Willingdon Halt". It is one of two stations serving Eastbourne, the other being Eastbourne railway stationThe station is located...
(initially named Willingdon) after it opened in 1888. In June 1906, the vicar of Willingdon considered opening a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a 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....
to serve the area. He received support from Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon
Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon
Major Freeman Freeman-Thomas, 1st Marquess of Willingdon was a British Liberal politician and administrator who served as Governor General of Canada, the 13th since Canadian Confederation, and as Viceroy and Governor-General of India, the country's 22nd.Freeman-Thomas was born in England and...
and his wife Marie
Marie Freeman-Thomas, Marchioness of Willingdon
Marie Freeman-Thomas, Marchioness of Willingdon, GBE CI was born as Marie Adelaide Brassey, a daughter of Thomas Brassey, 1st Earl Brassey....
: he gave land for the church and she arranged a fundraising concert which added £200 (£ as of ) to the building fund. The Marchioness laid the first stone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
of the chapel of ease on 2 May 1908, and it opened in November of that year. Architect William Hay Murray designed a Vernacular-style
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...
red-brick, stone and tile building with windows extending above the line of the eaves
Eaves
The eaves of a roof are its lower edges. They usually project beyond the walls of the building to carry rain water away.-Etymology:"Eaves" is derived from Old English and is both the singular and plural form of the word.- Function :...
. Born in London, Murray had established an architectural practice in Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
by 1874 and had apparently moved to Eastbourne by 1894. He designed or altered several Anglican churches in both towns.
Attempts to make St Mary's Church independent of its mother church at Willingdon, thereby giving it parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
status in its own right, failed in 1939 because such changes had been suspended since the start of World War II. On 10 October 1940, a bombing raid by a Junkers Ju 88
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
destroyed the church: only the bell tower survived. A temporary building was put to use as a church by 1945, but a separate parish could still not be established because a permanent church building no longer existed. In December 1948, 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...
commissioned architect Edward Maufe
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...
to design a new church on the site. Known nationally for his work on 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...
, he had already designed one new church in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
—the Bishop Hannington Memorial Church
Bishop Hannington Memorial Church
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...
in 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...
(1938). Later he also designed the new St Nicholas' Church at Saltdean
Saltdean
Saltdean is a residential district located on the chalk cliffs of the south coast of England in East Sussex, United Kingdom. It is situated on the eastern edge of the city of Brighton and Hove, with part outside the city boundary in Lewes district...
.
Work started in 1952, and the new church was ready in 1954. At the same time, a long-planned church in The Hydneye, a suburban area east of the railway line, was taking place. Originally to have been dedicated to St Nicholas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
, it was later called St Peter's Church. It was within the new parish of St Mary's Church. Stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
was installed in the east window of St Mary's in 1953: Moira Forsyth, daughter of ceramicist Gordon Forsyth
Gordon Forsyth
Gordon Mitchell Forsyth was a Scottish ceramic designer. Born in Fraserburgh, he attended the Gray's School of Art, in Aberdeen and the Royal College of Art. Moving in 1903 to Stoke-on-Trent, he became art director of the tileworks Minton Hollins & Co, where he began a career which "spanned over...
, designed it. She had worked with Edward Maufe at Guildford Cathedral and elsewhere.
Rev. Donald Carpenter, the first incumbent at the new church, served for 21 years and is commemorated by a clock on the south face of the tower. Restoration and improvement work was carried out on the interior and exterior between 2000 and 2006.
Architecture
St Mary's Church became one of the first postwar churches to gain listed status, and it has been praised for the "sculptural quality of its interior" and its "attractive" Perpendicular Gothic Revival form "refined by Maufe in a very personal way". Describing the style as "quintessential MaufeEdward 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...
" featuring "the most distinctive elements of his personal style", architectural historian Elain Harwood called it "one of his most charming designs". The style is a simplified, unadorned interpretation of Perpendicular Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
with elements of the domestic Vernacular style
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...
—in particular in the treatment of the wood-framed 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...
windows. The plan comprises a nave with north and south aisles supported by buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es, 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...
and sanctuary with an apsidal
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
end, a bellcote
Bell-Cot
A bell-cot, bell-cote or bellcote, is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells, supported on brackets projecting from a wall or built on the roof of chapels or churches which have no towers. It often holds the Sanctus bell rung at the Consecration....
at the northwest corner, 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...
and an axially placed tower—an unusual style for Maufe—at the east end. The brick walls are painted white. The wide tower and the church's position on a low hill next to the park make it stand out from the surrounding houses. The roof has a shallow pitch and is laid with red pantiles. The tower, which has the memorial clock on one side, has two pointed-arched openings on each face. The straight-headed entrance is at the west end, set beneath an arch with decorative moulding
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...
. A large simplified lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
is set into the pointed-arched recess above this.
The interior is coated with greyish-white render
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...
, and the ceiling is painted pale blue. There is a gallery at the west end. A series of pointed concrete transverse arches form the arcades between the aisles and nave. They have square bases and lack mouldings or capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
, recalling Maufe's earlier (1934) St Thomas the Apostle's Church
St Thomas the Apostle, Hanwell
St Thomas the Apostle is a Church of England church, which is situated along Boston Road in Hanwell, in the London Borough of Ealing. It forms part of the Diocese of London. It was designed to hold 428 people...
at Hanwell
Hanwell
Hanwell is a town situated in the London Borough of Ealing in west London, between Ealing and Southall. The motto of Hanwell Urban District Council was Nec Aspera Terrent...
, London. Other internal features drew inspiration from Scandinavian architecture, including the Högalidskyrkan in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
(by Ivar Tengbom
Ivar Tengbom
Ivar Justus Tengbom was a Swedish architect and one of the best-known representatives of the Swedish neo-classical architecture of the 1910s and 1920s....
) and the Stockholm City Hall
Stockholm City Hall
Stockholm City Hall is the building of the Municipal Council for the City of Stockholm in Sweden. It stands on the eastern tip of Kungsholmen island, next to Riddarfjärden's northern shore and facing the islands of Riddarholmen and Södermalm. It houses offices and conference rooms as well as...
by Ragnar Östberg
Ragnar Östberg
Ragnar Östberg was a Swedish architect who is most famous for designing Stockholm City Hall. He is the most famous architect within the so-called "national romanticist" movement in Sweden...
. Each 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:...
of the aisle has a square timber-framed leaded light window
Leadlight
Leadlights or leaded lights are decorative windows made of small sections of glass supported in lead cames. The technique of creating windows using glass and lead came is discussed at lead came and copper foil glasswork...
. Stone sedilia
Sedilia
Sedilia , in ecclesiastical architecture, is the term used to describe stone seats, usually to be found on the south side of an altar, often in the chancel, for the use of the officiating priests...
are placed in an arched recess near the central altar in the sanctuary, whose ceiling is decorated with stars.
Fittings include a set of limed oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
altar rails
Altar rails
Altar rails are a set of railings, sometimes ornate and frequently of marble or wood, delimiting the chancel in a church, the part of the sanctuary that contains the altar. A gate at the centre divides the line into two parts. The sanctuary is a figure of heaven, into which entry is not guaranteed...
, a stone font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
with a wooden cover, and a stone and rendered 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...
attached to the side of the chancel arch.
The church today
St Mary's Church was listed at Grade II 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 25 September 1998. This defines it as a "nationally important" building of "special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 100 Grade II listed buildings, and 109 listed buildings of all grades, in the borough of Eastbourne. Few postwar buildings have this status: English Heritage states that "post-1945 buildings have to be exceptionally important to be listed", as the criteria become stricter the newer a building is.
The parish covers the suburb of Hampden Park in the north of Eastbourne. Its eastern boundary is formed by the railway line
East Coastway Line
East Coastway is the name used by the train operating company, Southern , for the routes it operates along the south coast of Sussex and Kent to the east of Brighton, England. Those to the West of Brighton are named the West Coastway Line...
between Cross Levels Way and the edge of the urban area. Maywood Avenue, Lindfield Road and Maplehurst Road are the northern limits. The boundary then follows Willingdon Park Road and extends to the southwest as far as the Willingdon Road, then runs north of Eridge Road and Eastbourne District General Hospital. Now separately parished, but part of a joint benefice with St Mary's Church, is St Peter's Church in the Hydneye housing estate. Started in 1953 and completed in the 1970s, the brick church took the dedication of the former St Peter's Church in the Meads
Meads
Meads is an area of the town of Eastbourne in the English county of East Sussex. It is situated at the westerly end of the town below the South Downs.- Boundaries :...
area of Eastbourne, which was demolished in 1971. Some stained glass by Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
was taken from that church and installed in the new building.
Worship is in the Modern Catholic style of the Anglican Church. Each Sunday there is a morning Holy Communion service
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...
using the Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
and (except on the fifth Sunday) another service later in the morning. Another Holy Communion service is held on Thursday mornings.