History
Brighton had only one Roman Catholic place of worship until 1861: St John the Baptist's Church, built in 1835 in the Kemptown area to replace an earlier building. [1] A mission district was established to serve West Brighton, and priest Fr George Oldham was responsible for planning a church to serve it. Gilbert Blount, who entered the field of ecclesiastical architecture (specialising in Roman Catholic churches) after an earlier career as an engineer working alongside Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was commissioned to design it. [2]
The first part of the church to be built was the sanctuary and its adjoining chapels, which were finished in 1861. The first part of the nave was added in 1862; this was then extended in 1864, when the spire was also built. The official opening date was 16 August 1864. [2] No significant work was carried out for many years, but in 1962 the original organ was replaced and two statues carved by Joseph Cribb, a pupil of Eric Gill, [3] were installed above the entrance. These depicted Saints Joseph and George. [2] More internal work was carried out between 1973 and 1974. [2]
Upper North Street, on which the church stands, was developed from the 1830s onwards with high-quality housing; it connects Brighton with Hove. The church stands on the south side between the separate presbytery to the east and the former primary school, also dedicated to St Mary Magdalen, to the west. [4] The school dates from around 1865 and is of red brick, stone and some black brick (for example, on the arched window heads). It has been converted into a church hall, and was listed at Grade II on 19 March 1997. [5] The presbytery is a later building, dating from about 1890, but is in a similar style with red brick walls, stone dressings and window surrounds and a slate roof. It stands on a corner site, and one part of the roof is gabled and the other is hipped. It was listed at Grade II on 10 June 1988. [6]
The church is licensed for worship in accordance with the Places of Worship Registration Act 1855 and has the registration number 14463. [7]
The church today
St Mary Magdalen's Church was listed at Grade II by English Heritage on 10 June 1988. [9] It is one of 1,124 Grade II-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of Brighton and Hove. [10]
Some reconstruction of the sanctuary took place between 2008 and 2010, together with new decorative lighting, restoring the church to an appearance closer to that previous to re-ordering which had taken place following the liturgical changes after the Second Vatican Council.
The church is one of eleven Roman Catholic churches in Brighton and Hove. There are five others in Brighton, three in Hove and one each in Rottingdean and Woodingdean. [11]
Mass is said four times on Sundays, the second Mass being in Polish and the fourth being the Traditional Latin Mass. [12] There are two Masses on Holy Days of Obligation. The Sacrament of Penance is offered after each Mass and also by appointment.
Hugh Gerard McGrellis (known as Gerry) has been an altar server at the church for over 70 years and was awarded the Benemerenti medal by Pope Benedict XVI in recognition of his services. He has also served as the Chair of Governors for some time at St Mary Magdalen's School.
The Brighton Unitarian Church, previously known as Christ Church, is a Unitarian chapel in Brighton, England. Built in 1820 by prolific local architect Amon Henry Wilds on land sold to the fledgling Unitarian community by the Prince Regent, the stuccoed Greek Revival building occupies a prominent position near the corner of Church Road and New Road in the centre of Brighton, near the Royal Pavilion and the city's main theatres. It has had Grade II listed status since 1952. It is a member of the General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches, the umbrella organisation for British Unitarians.
St Joseph's Church is a Roman Catholic church in the Elm Grove area of Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. It is one of eleven Roman Catholic churches in the city. The church was built in several stages, and outstanding debts meant that its official dedication did not take place until 1979. It has been listed at Grade II* by English Heritage in view of its architectural importance.
St Peter's Church is a Roman Catholic church in the Aldrington area of Hove, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. It is one of three Roman Catholic churches in Hove and one of eleven in the wider city area. Built between 1912 and 1915 in a red-brick Romanesque style, its tall campanile forms a local landmark. It has been listed at Grade II by English Heritage in view of its architectural importance.
Hove Methodist Church is one of five extant Methodist churches in the city of Brighton and Hove, England. Founded on a site on Portland Road, one of Hove's main roads, in the late 19th century by a long-established Wesleyan community, it was extended in the 1960s and is now a focus for various social activities as well as worship. The red-brick building has been listed at Grade II by English Heritage in view of its architectural importance.
The Church of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic church in Hove, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. It is the oldest of Hove's three Roman Catholic churches, and one of eleven in the city area. It has been designated a Grade II Listed building.
The name St Peter's Church has been borne by two Roman Catholic churches in the town of Shoreham-by-Sea in the district of Adur, in the English county of West Sussex. The original church with that dedication was the town's first permanent Roman Catholic place of worship; founded in 1875, it was paid for by Augusta, Duchess of Norfolk, a member of the most important Dukedom in England. After its closure, a new St Peter's Church was built nearby. The old building, which still stands and is in residential use, has been listed by English Heritage at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
The Church of St Thomas of Canterbury and English Martyrs is the Roman Catholic church serving St Leonards-on-Sea, a town and seaside resort which is part of the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. The present church, which combines a plain, unadorned Gothic Revival exterior with a lavishly decorated interior featuring extensive early 20th-century paintings by Nathaniel Westlake, is the third building used for Roman Catholic worship in the seaside resort. James Burton's new town of 1827, immediately west of Hastings, was home to a convent from 1848; public worship then transferred to a new church nearby in 1866. When this burnt down, prolific and "distinguished" architect Charles Alban Buckler designed a replacement. The church remains in use as the main place of worship in a parish which extends into nearby Hollington, and has been listed at Grade II by English Heritage for its architectural and historical importance.
Bethel Baptist Chapel is a Strict Baptist place of worship in the village of Wivelsfield in East Sussex, England. The cause was founded in 1763 by members of a chapel at nearby Ditchling; Henry Booker and other worshippers seceded and began to meet at Wivelsfield after hearing a sermon by George Whitefield. Although some members of the new church soon returned to the Ditchling congregation, the cause thrived under Booker's leadership, and the present chapel—a building of "quiet and unassuming elegance" set in its own graveyard—was erected in 1780. It has served the Strict Baptist community continuously since then, and members founded other chapels elsewhere in Sussex during the 18th and 19th centuries. The chapel is a Grade II Listed building.
St Mary Star of the Sea Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Hastings, East Sussex, England. It was built from 1882 to 1883 and designed by Basil Champneys. It is situated on the High Street, backing onto The Bourne in the Old Town. It was founded by the Pallottines and is a Grade II listed building. English Heritage describes the church as a "well crafted building of high quality."
St Mary Magdalene's Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, England. It was founded in 1893 and built in 1907 in the Gothic Revival style. Dedicated to Jesus' companion Mary Magdalene, it is situated on the corner of Sea Road and Magdalen Road opposite Station Road and Bexhill railway station in the centre of the town. It was designed by Arthur Young and is a Grade II listed building.
Sacred Heart Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Petworth, West Sussex, England. It was built in 1896 and designed by Frederick Walters. It is situated on Angel Street to the north of Petworth Cottage Museum in the centre of the town. It is a Gothic Revival church and a Grade II listed building.
St John's Church or St John the Evangelist Church is a Roman Catholic Parish Church in the Heron's Ghyll settlement of Buxted, East Sussex, England. It was built from 1896 to 1897 and designed by Frederick Walters. It is situated on the A26 road in the centre of Heron's Ghyll. It is a Gothic Revival church and is a Grade II listed building.
St Catherine's Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Littlehampton, West Sussex, England. It was founded in 1862, built in stages afterwards and designed by Matthew Ellison Hadfield. It is situated on Beach Road backing on to St Catherine's Road in the centre of the town. It is a Gothic Revival church and a Grade II listed building.
St Mary's Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in the Preston Village area of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England. It was built from 1910 to 1912 in the Arts and Crafts style of Gothic Revival architecture. It is situated on the Surrenden Road on the corner with Preston Drove opposite Preston Park. It was designed by Percy Aiden Lamb, a student of Edward Goldie, and is a Grade II listed building.
As of February 2001, there were 1,124 listed buildings with Grade II status in the English city of Brighton and Hove. The total at 2009 was similar. The city, on the English Channel coast approximately 52 miles (84 km) south of London, was formed as a unitary authority in 1997 by the merger of the neighbouring towns of Brighton and Hove. Queen Elizabeth II granted city status in 2000.
