St Stephen's Church, Brighton
Encyclopedia
St Stephen's Church is a former Anglican
church in the Montpelier
area of Brighton
, part of the English
city of Brighton and Hove. The building, which dates from 1766 in its original incarnation as the ballroom of Brighton's most fashionable Georgian-era
inn, has been used for many purposes since then, and now stands 1 miles (1.6 km) away from where it was built. It spent less than 90 years as an Anglican church, and is now used as a centre for homeless people. In view of its architectural and historical importance, it has been listed at Grade II* by English Heritage
.
and seaside resort in the mid-18th century, encouraged by local doctor Richard Russell's
influential advocacy of the therapeutic use of seawater
, by drinking it and bathing in it. These activities became fashionable among high society
and rich people, which gave the declining fishing village a surge of popularity in the 1750s.
The Steine (now Old Steine), an area of flat, grassy, sheltered land behind the seafront, developed as the growing town's promenade
, where visitors would walk and socialise. The surrounding area soon became built up, and in 1752 innkeeper Samuel Shergold bought a recently built house on the southwest side of The Steine and converted it into a tavern
with assembly rooms
. The venue, called the Castle Inn or Castle Tavern, became increasingly popular, and in 1766 John Crunden
designed an extension on the north side of the inn. This housed a 450-capacity, 80 by 40 ft (24.4 by 12.2 m) ballroom. For the next half-century it was one of the most popular social venues in the town, rivalled only by the Old Ship Inn and assembly rooms (whose owner cooperated with Shergold to provide a regular programme of alternating social events). Contemporary accounts described the Castle Inn's ballroom and assembly rooms as some of the best and most architecturally impressive in England.
Decline set in during the early 19th century, and the assembly room's first summer-season closure occurred in 1815. Crunden's ballroom was closed the previous year. In 1815, Shergold offered a 25% share in the building and its land, and the Prince Regent
(later King George IV) bought it through an intermediary, Thomas Attree, for £1,960 (£ as of ). He acquired another 25% share in 1816 and the remaining 50% in 1822, and the inn closed to the public soon afterwards and was demolished in stages between 1819 and October 1823.
The ballroom was converted into the recently completed Royal Pavilion
's private chapel for the Prince Regent—who by this time was King—and was consecrated
on 1 January 1822 by the Bishop of Chichester
. He had moved into the Pavilion the previous year. In its new guise, the chapel had over 400 seats and admission was by invitation only. Designer William Tuppen was responsible for the interior refit, which included the conversion of the musicians' gallery into the King's own pew and the installation of an organ
supported by Gothic-style
columns.
The Royal Pavilion was unpopular with Queen Victoria
, whose reign began in 1837. Her last visit was in 1845; soon afterwards the Government wanted to demolish the building and sell the land to pay for building work at Buckingham Palace
. This proposal was unpopular in the town, and in May 1850 the Town Commissioners received consent to buy the 9 acres (3.6 ha) site, including the chapel. It became the property of Brighton Corporation (the forerunners of the present-day Council) in 1855.
Because the chapel had been consecrated for Anglican worship, the Church Commissioners
claimed it on behalf of the Diocese of Chichester
. Instead of leaving the building on the same site, the Diocese decided to demolish it and re-erect it brick by brick on a site 1 miles (1.6 km) mile away, at Montpelier Place near the boundary with Hove
. Because the Diocese's claim on the church was upheld, the Town Commissioners reduced their payment to the Government for the Pavilion estate by £3,000 (£ as of ). The land at Montpelier Place was transferred free of charge to the Diocese by the Vicar of Brighton's sister. The interior of the chapel was only minimally altered by the move and reconstruction, which was completed in 1851. It was given a new stucco
ed façade in the Classical style
, however.
The church was opened for public worship under its new name, St Stephen's, on 25 July 1851, and was consecrated on 11 June 1852 by the Bishop of Chichester, Ashurst Turner Gilbert
. The Vicar of Brighton's nephew George Wagner became its first vicar; he was an adherent of the mid-19th century idea that Gothic architecture was the only appropriate design for Anglican churches, and regarded the Classical building as "pre-eminently ugly". The church could hold more than 700 worshippers, and approximately one-quarter of the pews were free (not subject to pew rents). It attracted a mostly poor congregation.
Some internal changes were made over the next 90 years, but Rev. Charles Douglas's plans for a new Byzantine-style
church on the site, announced in the 1860s, were not realised. A porch and vestry
were built in 1868, and new lectern
, altar rails, organ and pulpit
s were put in. Arthur Blomfield
carried out further renovation work in 1889. In the 1930s the church became associated with Spiritualism
, and it was closed in 1939 and converted into the Diocese of Chichester's Institute for the Deaf and Dumb. In 1974, this moved to a building next to the former St John the Evangelist's Church
on Carlton Hill
. In 1988, a local housing association
acquired the building and converted it into the First Base Day Centre for homeless people. Crunden's interior, which had survived largely intact since he built the ballroom in 1766, was damaged by fire soon after the day centre opened, but it has been restored.
, which is still discernible in the interior despite the many changes of use the building has experienced. The internal walls had elaborate pilaster
s decorated with scrolls and friezes, and at the north and south ends there were recessed areas separated from the main section by columns. Between the pilasters were a series of wall paintings
. When the building was re-erected at Montpelier Place, galleries were added above the north and south recesses. In contrast to the Adamesque interior, the church was given a plain stuccoed Classical frontage facing Montpelier Place, with Doric
pilasters below a pediment
and cornice
, topped by a lantern. The east and west faces have arched windows. Local architect George Cheeseman was responsible for this work. The porch, a later addition, has three bays
with arched windows in the outer pair and the entrance door in the centre.
on 13 October 1952. This status is given to "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". 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.
The First Base Day Centre, as the building is now known, is run by Brighton Housing Trust. It was established in the 1960s and now has several sites in the city. About 100 people use the centre daily. Since the trust acquired the building, it has made several internal alterations.
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...
church in the Montpelier
Montpelier, Brighton
Montpelier is an inner suburban area of Brighton, part of the English city and seaside resort of Brighton and Hove. Developed together with the adjacent Clifton Hill area in the mid-19th century, it forms a high-class, architecturally cohesive residential district with "an exceptionally complete...
area of 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...
, part of 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. The building, which dates from 1766 in its original incarnation as the ballroom of Brighton's most fashionable Georgian-era
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...
inn, has been used for many purposes since then, and now stands 1 miles (1.6 km) away from where it was built. It spent less than 90 years as an Anglican church, and is now used as a centre for homeless people. In view of its architectural and historical importance, it has been listed at Grade II* by 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...
.
History
Brighton began to develop as a spa townSpa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
and seaside resort in the mid-18th century, encouraged by local doctor Richard Russell's
Richard Russell (doctor)
Richard Russell was an 18th century British Physician who encouraged his patients to use a form of water therapy that involved the submersion or bathing in, and drinking of, seawater...
influential advocacy of the therapeutic use of seawater
Thalassotherapy
Thalassotherapy is the unproven medical use of seawater as a form of therapy. The properties of seawater are believed to have beneficial effects upon the pores of the skin. Thalassotherapy was developed in seaside towns in Brittany, France during the 19th century...
, by drinking it and bathing in it. These activities became fashionable among high society
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
and rich people, which gave the declining fishing village a surge of popularity in the 1750s.
The Steine (now Old Steine), an area of flat, grassy, sheltered land behind the seafront, developed as the growing town's promenade
Esplanade
An esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The original meaning of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress' guns...
, where visitors would walk and socialise. The surrounding area soon became built up, and in 1752 innkeeper Samuel Shergold bought a recently built house on the southwest side of The Steine and converted it into a tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
with assembly rooms
Assembly rooms
In Great Britain and Ireland, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, assembly rooms were gathering places for members of the higher social classes open to members of both sexes. At that time most entertaining was done at home and there were few public places of entertainment open to both sexes...
. The venue, called the Castle Inn or Castle Tavern, became increasingly popular, and in 1766 John Crunden
John Crunden
John Crunden was an English architectural and mobiliary designer.-Biography:Most of his early inspiration was drawn from Chippendale and his school, but he fell later under the influence of a bastard classicism...
designed an extension on the north side of the inn. This housed a 450-capacity, 80 by 40 ft (24.4 by 12.2 m) ballroom. For the next half-century it was one of the most popular social venues in the town, rivalled only by the Old Ship Inn and assembly rooms (whose owner cooperated with Shergold to provide a regular programme of alternating social events). Contemporary accounts described the Castle Inn's ballroom and assembly rooms as some of the best and most architecturally impressive in England.
Decline set in during the early 19th century, and the assembly room's first summer-season closure occurred in 1815. Crunden's ballroom was closed the previous year. In 1815, Shergold offered a 25% share in the building and its land, and the Prince Regent
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
(later King George IV) bought it through an intermediary, Thomas Attree, for £1,960 (£ as of ). He acquired another 25% share in 1816 and the remaining 50% in 1822, and the inn closed to the public soon afterwards and was demolished in stages between 1819 and October 1823.
The ballroom was converted into the recently completed Royal Pavilion
Royal Pavilion
The Royal Pavilion is a former royal residence located in Brighton, England. It was built in three campaigns, beginning in 1787, as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales, from 1811 Prince Regent. It is often referred to as the Brighton Pavilion...
's private chapel for the Prince Regent—who by this time was King—and was consecrated
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
on 1 January 1822 by 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...
. He had moved into the Pavilion the previous year. In its new guise, the chapel had over 400 seats and admission was by invitation only. Designer William Tuppen was responsible for the interior refit, which included the conversion of the musicians' gallery into the King's own pew and the installation of an organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
supported by Gothic-style
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....
columns.
The Royal Pavilion was unpopular with Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
, whose reign began in 1837. Her last visit was in 1845; soon afterwards the Government wanted to demolish the building and sell the land to pay for building work at Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
. This proposal was unpopular in the town, and in May 1850 the Town Commissioners received consent to buy the 9 acres (3.6 ha) site, including the chapel. It became the property of Brighton Corporation (the forerunners of the present-day Council) in 1855.
Because the chapel had been consecrated for Anglican worship, the Church Commissioners
Church 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...
claimed it on behalf 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...
. Instead of leaving the building on the same site, the Diocese decided to demolish it and re-erect it brick by brick on a site 1 miles (1.6 km) mile away, at Montpelier Place near the boundary with 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...
. Because the Diocese's claim on the church was upheld, the Town Commissioners reduced their payment to the Government for the Pavilion estate by £3,000 (£ as of ). The land at Montpelier Place was transferred free of charge to the Diocese by the Vicar of Brighton's sister. The interior of the chapel was only minimally altered by the move and reconstruction, which was completed in 1851. It was given a new 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...
ed façade 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...
, however.
The church was opened for public worship under its new name, St Stephen's, on 25 July 1851, and was consecrated on 11 June 1852 by the Bishop of Chichester, Ashurst Turner Gilbert
Ashurst Turner Gilbert
Ashurst Turner Gilbert was an English churchman and academic, Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford from 1822 and bishop of Chichester.-Life:...
. The Vicar of Brighton's nephew George Wagner became its first vicar; he was an adherent of the mid-19th century idea that Gothic architecture was the only appropriate design for Anglican churches, and regarded the Classical building as "pre-eminently ugly". The church could hold more than 700 worshippers, and approximately one-quarter of the pews were free (not subject to pew rents). It attracted a mostly poor congregation.
Some internal changes were made over the next 90 years, but Rev. Charles Douglas's plans for a new Byzantine-style
Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. The empire gradually emerged as a distinct artistic and cultural entity from what is today referred to as the Roman Empire after AD 330, when the Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire east from Rome to...
church on the site, announced in the 1860s, were not realised. A porch and vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
were built in 1868, and new lectern
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
, altar rails, organ and 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...
s were put in. Arthur Blomfield
Arthur Blomfield
Sir Arthur William Blomfield was an English architect.-Background:The fourth son of Charles James Blomfield, an Anglican Bishop of London helpfully began a programme of new church construction in the capital. Born in Fulham Palace, Arthur Blomfield was educated at Rugby and Trinity College,...
carried out further renovation work in 1889. In the 1930s the church became associated with Spiritualism
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
, and it was closed in 1939 and converted into the Diocese of Chichester's Institute for the Deaf and Dumb. In 1974, this moved to a building next to the former St John the Evangelist's Church
Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity, Brighton
The Church of the Holy Trinity is a Greek Orthodox church in Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. Built in 1838 in one of Brighton's most notorious slum districts, Carlton Hill, it was an Anglican church for most of its life: dedicated to St John the Evangelist, it was used by...
on Carlton Hill
Carlton Hill, Brighton
Carlton Hill is an inner-city area of Brighton, part of the English city and seaside resort of Brighton and Hove. First developed in the early and mid-19th century on steeply sloping farmland east of central Brighton, it grew rapidly as the town became a fashionable, high-class destination...
. In 1988, a local housing association
Housing association
Housing associations in the United Kingdom are independent not-for-profit bodies that provide low-cost "social housing" for people in housing need. Any trading surplus is used to maintain existing homes and to help finance new ones...
acquired the building and converted it into the First Base Day Centre for homeless people. Crunden's interior, which had survived largely intact since he built the ballroom in 1766, was damaged by fire soon after the day centre opened, but it has been restored.
Architecture
John Crunden designed the Castle Inn ballroom in the Adam styleAdam style
The Adam style is an 18th century neoclassical style of interior design and architecture, as practiced by the three Adam brothers from Scotland; of whom Robert Adam and James Adam were the most widely known.The Adam brothers were the first to advocate an integrated style for architecture and...
, which is still discernible in the interior despite the many changes of use the building has experienced. The internal walls had elaborate 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....
s decorated with scrolls and friezes, and at the north and south ends there were recessed areas separated from the main section by columns. Between the pilasters were a series of wall paintings
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
. When the building was re-erected at Montpelier Place, galleries were added above the north and south recesses. In contrast to the Adamesque interior, the church was given a plain stuccoed Classical frontage facing Montpelier Place, with Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
pilasters below a 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...
and cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
, topped by a lantern. The east and west faces have arched windows. Local architect George Cheeseman was responsible for this work. The porch, a later addition, has three 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 arched windows in the outer pair and the entrance door in the centre.
The building today
St Stephen'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 13 October 1952. This status is given to "particularly important buildings of more than special interest". 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.
The First Base Day Centre, as the building is now known, is run by Brighton Housing Trust. It was established in the 1960s and now has several sites in the city. About 100 people use the centre daily. Since the trust acquired the building, it has made several internal alterations.
See also
- Grade II* listed buildings in Brighton and Hove
- List of places of worship in Brighton and Hove