St Peter's Church, Brighton
Encyclopedia
St Peter's Church is a Church of England parish church
in Brighton
in the English
city of Brighton and Hove. It is near the centre of the town, on an island between two major roads, the A23
London
Road and A270 Lewes
Road. Built from 1824-28 to a design by Sir Charles Barry
, it is arguably the finest example of the pre-Victorian
Gothic Revival
style. It is a Grade II* listed building. It has been the parish church
of Brighton since 1873, and is sometimes unofficially referred to as "Brighton's cathedral".
associated with Brighton's oldest church and its existing parish church, St Nicholas'
. The contract to design the new church was won in open competition by Charles Barry, then only in his mid-twenties. It was built in an approximation of the 14th- and 15th-century Perpendicular or Late Gothic
style, typical of the so-called Commissioners' church
es, of which St Peter's was one. It was not a revival of its style in the manner of Barry's pupil Augustus Pugin, but, as Nikolaus Pevsner
described it, "[it] remedies this fault by remarkable inventiveness and boldness".
The foundation stone
was laid by the Vicar of Brighton, Rev. R. J. Carr , on 8 May 1824, at a location which was at the time "the entrance to the town" but which is now in the city centre, following the rapid development of Brighton since that date. The ceremony of consecration was led by the same man on 25 January 1828.
A spire was designed by Barry in 1841, but it was never built. The side aisles originally had galleries (such as those to be seen at churches such as Christ Church, Spitalfields), but these were taken down, as were so many, as a result of the cultural and liturgical changes made in the wake of the Oxford Movement
.
Barry's hexagonal apse
was demolished in 1898 to make way for a much larger, straight-ended chancel designed by Somers Clarke and J.T. Mickelthwaite, built in Sussex sandstone, its warm hue contrasting with the cold, white appearance of the Portland stone
in which the rest of the church was built. The building work continued until 1906. The new chancel, 53 feet (16.2 m) long and 35 feet (10.7 m) wide, was consecrated in the presence of the then Archbishop of Canterbury
, the Most Reverend Randall Thomas Davidson.
The church has a selection of stained glass
windows, most of which are by Charles Eamer Kempe
. The liturgical east
side (geographical north) has a window commemorating Queen Victoria, presented to the church on behalf of the people of Brighton using funds raised in the town.
St Peter's was listed at Grade II* on 24 March 1950. As of February 2001, it was one of 70 Grade II*-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of Brighton and Hove.
that St Peter's should be made redundant
.
On 8 May 2009, Holy Trinity Brompton Church
in London, an influential Church of England parish church which created the Alpha course
, agreed to take over its ownership and running. The parish of St Peter, previously merged with that of the Chapel Royal
, will be reconstituted as a separate, smaller parish.
Services restarted on Sunday 1 November 2009. The Vicar is Archie Coates and the Curate is Jonny Gumbel, son of Nicky Gumbel
who developed the Alpha Course.
of Music by Henry Willis
and brought to Brighton in 1910. It is the sole survivor of three almost identical instruments in the town, the others having been at the Dome Pavilion
and in Hove
Town Hall. The latter is now at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School
in Elstree
, while the former was broken up in the 1930s. It is almost identical to the famous organ in Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Truro.
The organ is a four manual organ with choir, solo, swell and great manuals with a pedal keyboard, the organ was designed to have two 32ft stops, one a contra bombard, and the other a 32ft double open wood, but these pipes were never installed and the console has two spare gapes were the pipes ranked stops should be on the pedal division; however, the dominant pedal division pipes are the 16ft reed which to replace the what would be dominate 32ft reed, was given a higher wind pressure to increase the volume of the rank. The 32ft double diapason was replaced by the 16ft open diapason which is also linked to the great division.
The solo manual is home to a splendid 8ft tuba stop which is under a higher wind pressure than the rest of the solo division to allow a great voice from the rank. The tuba is also the only stop on the solo division that is not housed in the solo box. The front of the organ case was designed in the 1980s and is mostly made up of dummy pipes, however the two tower sections of the organ case house the largest pipes of the 16ft diapason stops, and the middle section of the case houses some of the 8ft diapason stops. Although the case was completed the north aisle organ case was never attempted even though it was planned due to financial difficulties.
The organ also has two doors either side of the console on the casing, one is a cupboard for the organist to house music, and the other is a side door to allow the organist quick access to the organ from the back door which is nearest to the choir room.
The organ is voiced in a Victorian style with dominant diapason or principal ranks to add a wholeness to the sound, but the voicing also allows the quieter stops and ranks to be blended with the diapasons to add colour to the sound made by the organ. The organ would typically play at its best in Victorian compositions such as 'I was glad' by Hubert Parry, and other composers such as Stanford, Howells and Dyson. Although the organ at a quiet registration mostly on the swell, would be ideal for baroque compositions from Handel and Greene.
and Dyson
, but also sang baroque, classical and romantic styled music. The choir was a well-toured choir, touring English cathedrals to sing in place of the cathedral choir, usually in August for a week or two.
The choir was well known in Brighton to sing regular choral evensong every week, this was one of two local churches (the other being All Saints’ Hove) which sang regular evensong, however All Saints' Hove sang once a month. Now St Peter's and All Saints' no longer sing evensong regularly, but only on occasional feast days.
The choir in July 2008 on St Peter's feast day sang at St Peter's for the last time due to the change at St Peter's as Holy Trinity Brompton prepared to move in and the last choir service was a choral evensong with past and present members joining to sing. The number attending was over 40 members and 3 past organists, one of whom came from his home in South Africa to play just for the service.
The choir's possessions such as robes and music are now housed at the new parish church of Brighton the Chapel Royal which replaced St Peter's when Holy Trinity Brompton moved in and became a parish in its own right (see above, HTB). The choir still sing but only evensong at the Chapel Royal on Sundays.
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
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. It is near the centre of the town, on an island between two major roads, the A23
A23 road
The A23 road is a major road in the United Kingdom between London and Brighton, East Sussex. It became an arterial route following the construction of Westminster Bridge in 1750 and the consequent improvement of roads leading to the bridge south of the river by the Turnpike Trusts...
London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Road and A270 Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
Road. Built from 1824-28 to a design by Sir Charles Barry
Charles Barry
Sir Charles Barry FRS was an English architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster in London during the mid-19th century, but also responsible for numerous other buildings and gardens.- Background and training :Born on 23 May 1795 in Bridge Street, Westminster...
, it is arguably the finest example of the pre-Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style. It is a Grade II* listed building. It has been the 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 Brighton since 1873, and is sometimes unofficially referred to as "Brighton's cathedral".
History of the building
St Peter's Church was founded as a chapel of easeChapel 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....
associated with Brighton's oldest church and its existing parish church, St Nicholas'
St Nicholas' Church, Brighton
The Church of Saint Nicholas of Myra, usually known as St. Nicholas Church, is an Anglican church in Brighton, England. It is both the original parish church of Brighton and the oldest surviving building in Brighton. It is located on high ground at the junction of Church Street and Dyke Road in...
. The contract to design the new church was won in open competition by Charles Barry, then only in his mid-twenties. It was built in an approximation of the 14th- and 15th-century Perpendicular or Late Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
style, typical of the so-called Commissioners' church
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...
es, of which St Peter's was one. It was not a revival of its style in the manner of Barry's pupil Augustus Pugin, but, as Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
described it, "[it] remedies this fault by remarkable inventiveness and boldness".
The foundation 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...
was laid by the Vicar of Brighton, Rev. R. J. Carr , on 8 May 1824, at a location which was at the time "the entrance to the town" but which is now in the city centre, following the rapid development of Brighton since that date. The ceremony of consecration was led by the same man on 25 January 1828.
A spire was designed by Barry in 1841, but it was never built. The side aisles originally had galleries (such as those to be seen at churches such as Christ Church, Spitalfields), but these were taken down, as were so many, as a result of the cultural and liturgical changes made in the wake of the Oxford Movement
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of High Church Anglicans, eventually developing into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose members were often associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of lost Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy...
.
Barry's hexagonal apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
was demolished in 1898 to make way for a much larger, straight-ended chancel designed by Somers Clarke and J.T. Mickelthwaite, built in Sussex sandstone, its warm hue contrasting with the cold, white appearance of the Portland stone
Portland stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries consist of beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building stone throughout the British Isles, notably in major...
in which the rest of the church was built. The building work continued until 1906. The new chancel, 53 feet (16.2 m) long and 35 feet (10.7 m) wide, was consecrated in the presence of the then Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
, the Most Reverend Randall Thomas Davidson.
The church has a selection of 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...
windows, most of which are 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...
. The liturgical east
Cathedral diagram
In Western ecclesiastical architecture, a cathedral diagram is a floor plan showing the sections of walls and piers, giving an idea of the profiles of their columns and ribbing. Light double lines in perimeter walls indicate glazed windows. Dashed lines show the ribs of the vaulting overhead...
side (geographical north) has a window commemorating Queen Victoria, presented to the church on behalf of the people of Brighton using funds raised in the town.
St Peter's was listed at Grade II* on 24 March 1950. As of February 2001, it was one of 70 Grade II*-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of Brighton and Hove.
HTB church plant
In December 2007, after a long period of consultation, the Diocesan Pastoral Committee recommended to the Church CommissionersChurch Commissioners
The Church Commissioners is a body managing the historic property assets of the Church of England. It was set up in 1948 combining the assets of Queen Anne's Bounty, a fund dating from 1704 for the relief of poor clergy, and of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners formed in 1836...
that St Peter's should be made 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 8 May 2009, Holy Trinity Brompton Church
Holy Trinity Brompton Church
Holy Trinity Brompton with St Paul's, Onslow Square is an Anglican church in Brompton, London, United Kingdom. The church consists of three church buildings, HTB Brompton Road, HTB Onslow Square and HTB Queen's Gate, as well as being the home for Worship Central, St Paul's Theological Centre and...
in London, an influential Church of England parish church which created the Alpha course
Alpha course
The Alpha course is a course which seeks to explore the basics of the Christian faith, described as "an opportunity to explore the meaning of life" . Alpha courses are currently being run in churches, homes, workplaces, prisons, universities and a wide variety of other locations...
, agreed to take over its ownership and running. The parish of St Peter, previously merged with that of the Chapel Royal
Chapel Royal, Brighton
The Chapel Royal is an 18th-century place of worship in the centre of Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. Built as a chapel of ease, it became one of Brighton's most important churches, gaining its own parish and becoming closely associated with the Prince Regent and...
, will be reconstituted as a separate, smaller parish.
Services restarted on Sunday 1 November 2009. The Vicar is Archie Coates and the Curate is Jonny Gumbel, son of Nicky Gumbel
Nicky Gumbel
Nicholas Glyn Paul Gumbel is an ordained Anglican priest, vicar and author. He is most famous as the developer of the Alpha course, a basic introduction to Christianity supported by churches of many Christian traditions....
who developed the Alpha Course.
Organ
St Peter's is the proud owner of a large and fine pipe organ built in 1888 for the Hampstead ConservatoireHampstead Conservatoire
The Hampstead Conservatoire was a private college for music and the arts at 64, Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage, London.The building, previously the Eton Avenue Hall, was reconstructed in 1890...
of Music by Henry Willis
Henry Willis
Henry Willis was a British organ player and builder, who is regarded as the foremost organ builder of the Victorian era.-Early Life and work:...
and brought to Brighton in 1910. It is the sole survivor of three almost identical instruments in the town, the others having been at the Dome Pavilion
Brighton Dome
The Brighton Dome is an arts venue in Brighton, England that contains the Concert Hall, Corn Exchange and the Pavilion Theatre. All three venues are linked to the rest of the Royal Pavilion Estate by an underground tunnel to the Royal Pavilion in Pavilion Gardens and through shared corridors to...
and 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...
Town Hall. The latter is now at Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School
Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School
The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School is a British independent school for boys aged 4–19. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference and of the Haileybury Group....
in Elstree
Elstree
Elstree is a village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire on the A5 road, about 10 miles north of London. In 2001, its population was 4,765, and forms part of the civil parish of Elstree and Borehamwood, originally known simply as Elstree....
, while the former was broken up in the 1930s. It is almost identical to the famous organ in Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Truro.
The organ is a four manual organ with choir, solo, swell and great manuals with a pedal keyboard, the organ was designed to have two 32ft stops, one a contra bombard, and the other a 32ft double open wood, but these pipes were never installed and the console has two spare gapes were the pipes ranked stops should be on the pedal division; however, the dominant pedal division pipes are the 16ft reed which to replace the what would be dominate 32ft reed, was given a higher wind pressure to increase the volume of the rank. The 32ft double diapason was replaced by the 16ft open diapason which is also linked to the great division.
The solo manual is home to a splendid 8ft tuba stop which is under a higher wind pressure than the rest of the solo division to allow a great voice from the rank. The tuba is also the only stop on the solo division that is not housed in the solo box. The front of the organ case was designed in the 1980s and is mostly made up of dummy pipes, however the two tower sections of the organ case house the largest pipes of the 16ft diapason stops, and the middle section of the case houses some of the 8ft diapason stops. Although the case was completed the north aisle organ case was never attempted even though it was planned due to financial difficulties.
The organ also has two doors either side of the console on the casing, one is a cupboard for the organist to house music, and the other is a side door to allow the organist quick access to the organ from the back door which is nearest to the choir room.
The organ is voiced in a Victorian style with dominant diapason or principal ranks to add a wholeness to the sound, but the voicing also allows the quieter stops and ranks to be blended with the diapasons to add colour to the sound made by the organ. The organ would typically play at its best in Victorian compositions such as 'I was glad' by Hubert Parry, and other composers such as Stanford, Howells and Dyson. Although the organ at a quiet registration mostly on the swell, would be ideal for baroque compositions from Handel and Greene.
Choir
The choir of St Peter's was once a mainly boys' and men's choir with a choir of ladies singing on certain occasions. The choir sang a vast array of music from all periods including Victorian composers such as ParryParry
- As a surname :Parry is a name originally derived from shortening 'ap Harry' .It is a surname of Welsh origin and may refer to:* Alan Parry - As a surname :Parry is a name originally derived from shortening 'ap Harry' (Welsh for "son of Harry").It is a surname of Welsh origin and may refer to:*...
and Dyson
Dyson
-People:*Andre Dyson , an American football player*Charles W. Dyson , a U.S. Navy rear admiral*Esther Dyson , consultant and philosopher in emerging digital technology, the daughter of Freeman Dyson...
, but also sang baroque, classical and romantic styled music. The choir was a well-toured choir, touring English cathedrals to sing in place of the cathedral choir, usually in August for a week or two.
The choir was well known in Brighton to sing regular choral evensong every week, this was one of two local churches (the other being All Saints’ Hove) which sang regular evensong, however All Saints' Hove sang once a month. Now St Peter's and All Saints' no longer sing evensong regularly, but only on occasional feast days.
The choir in July 2008 on St Peter's feast day sang at St Peter's for the last time due to the change at St Peter's as Holy Trinity Brompton prepared to move in and the last choir service was a choral evensong with past and present members joining to sing. The number attending was over 40 members and 3 past organists, one of whom came from his home in South Africa to play just for the service.
The choir's possessions such as robes and music are now housed at the new parish church of Brighton the Chapel Royal which replaced St Peter's when Holy Trinity Brompton moved in and became a parish in its own right (see above, HTB). The choir still sing but only evensong at the Chapel Royal on Sundays.
See also
- List of places of worship in Brighton and Hove
- Regency architectureRegency architectureThe Regency style of architecture refers primarily to buildings built in Britain during the period in the early 19th century when George IV was Prince Regent, and also to later buildings following the same style...
- Edwardian architectureEdwardian architectureEdwardian architecture is the style popular when King Edward VII of the United Kingdom was in power; he reigned from 1901 to 1910, but the architecture style is generally considered to be indicative of the years 1901 to 1914....
External links
- The official website of St. Peter's, Brighton
- Review of a service on Ship of FoolsShip of Fools (website)Ship of Fools is a UK-based Christian website. It was first launched as a magazine in 1977. The magazine folded in 1983 and was resurrected as a website on April Fool's Day, 1998. Subtitled "the magazine of Christian unrest", Ship of Fools pokes fun and asks critical questions about the Christian...
.