Church of the Sacred Heart, Hove facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sacred Heart, Hove
The church from the east
50°49′47″N 0°10′15″W / 50.8298°N 0.1709°W / 50.8298; -0.1709
Location	Norton Road, Hove, Brighton and Hove BN3 3BE
Country	England
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	www.sacredhearthove.org.uk/
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	November 1880
Dedication	Sacred Heart
Dedicated	28 September 1881
Consecrated	25 October 1887
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II listed
Designated	15 September 1999
Architect(s)	John Crawley; Joseph S. Hansom
Style	Gothic Revival
Completed	1887
Administration
Parish	Hove, Sacred Heart
Deanery	Brighton and Hove
Diocese	Arundel and Brighton

The Church of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic church located in Hove, a town that's part of the city of Brighton and Hove in England. It's the oldest of the three Roman Catholic churches in Hove and one of eleven in the wider city area. This church is also a special historic building, known as a Grade II Listed building.

Building the Church: A History

For a long time, practicing the Roman Catholic faith was not allowed in Britain. This changed in the late 1700s when new laws were passed. The Roman Catholic Relief Act 1791 finally made it legal to build Roman Catholic churches.

In nearby Brighton, a Catholic community quickly grew and built a church called St John the Baptist's in 1835. In Hove, people met secretly in a private house for many years. Building a proper church seemed like a distant dream.

Early Plans and Challenges

Plans for Hove's first Catholic church began in the 1870s. A priest named Fr George Oldham left money in his will to start a new church. He passed away in 1875, and the decision to build the church was made the next year.

Finding the right spot for the church was tricky. An early choice was on Tisbury Road, but this was changed. They then picked a site across from Hove Town Hall. The Church bought this land for £3,746.

An architect named John Crawley was chosen. He had designed many churches in Sussex and Hampshire. However, there wasn't enough money to build his design right away. During this delay, a company that owned the land nearby worried that a Catholic church would lower house prices. So, they bought the land back from the Church.

Finding a New Home and Starting Construction

The company agreed to help the Church find a new location. After looking at a place called Denmark Villas, land on the west side of Norton Road was chosen in October 1879. John Crawley's plans were approved a year later. Building work officially began on 3 November 1880, when the foundation stone was laid.

At first, only part of the church could be built because of money. But by its official opening on 28 September 1881, the Church of the Sacred Heart had a chancel (the area around the altar), a nave (the main part where people sit), two side aisles, two small chapels, and a house for the priest (called a presbytery).

John Crawley died just before the church opened. His work was taken over by Joseph S. Hansom. He completed the second part of the building in 1887. This extended the nave, making the church bigger and able to hold more people.

More work happened between 1914 and 1915. The north aisle was made longer, and a Lady chapel (a chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary) was added. This new part opened on 24 February 1915, and the church was then considered finished.

Famous Visitors and Sister Churches

Many interesting people have been connected to the Church of the Sacred Heart. These include:

• Barry Sullivan, an Irish stage actor, whose funeral was held here in 1891.
• George Augustus Sala, a journalist, whose funeral took place in 1895.
• Composer Luigi Arditi, who attended services here.
• Sculptor and artist Eric Gill, who became a Roman Catholic at this church in 1913.

In the early 1900s, St Peter's Church in Portland Road, Aldrington, was built as a "daughter church." This helped serve Catholics in west Hove who lived far from the Sacred Heart church. St Peter's was finished in 1915 and later became its own parish.

Church Design and Look

The Church of the Sacred Heart is built from limestone with special stone details. John Crawley designed it in the Gothic Revival style, which means it looks like churches from the 14th century.

The chancel has a rounded end called an apse and connects to the nave under one roof. The roof is made of slate from Wales. The north side of the nave has the Lady chapel, while the south side has a chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph. The church also has a porch at its east end. The window in the Lady chapel is very large with five sections and is in the Perpendicular style.

Inside, the chancel and side chapels have beautiful vaulted ceilings with marble and stone columns. The inner arches and walls are made of brick, smooth stone (called ashlar), and other stones, mostly from southwest England. The nave roof is curved like a barrel.

The apse has a large decorated screen behind the altar called a reredos. The pulpit (where sermons are given) has carvings of Saints Peter and Paul. There is also a font (for baptisms) made of alabaster with detailed patterns. Many stained glass windows were created by Nathaniel Westlake, including his last work. A local company, Cox & Barnard, designed a window in 2001 showing Saint Francis.

Music and Organ

The church has a long history of beautiful music. The first organ was a large Bevington organ, but it was replaced in 1996 or 1997. The new organ was built by the Copeman Hart company. It has two keyboards and 41 different sounds (called stops). This organ is used for concerts as well as during church services.

Choral singing has always been important at the Sacred Heart. The choir has old music scores from composers like Mozart and Haydn dating back to the 1870s. In the 1890s, a well-known composer named Augustus Edmonds Tozer was the Director of Music. He wrote many church songs and compiled hymn books.

The Church Today

The Church of the Sacred Heart was officially recognized as a Grade II Listed building on 15 September 1999. This means it's an important historic building that needs to be protected.

Today, the church holds several services. There are three Masses on Sundays, plus an evening service on Saturday. There are also daily Masses during the week and services on special Holy Days of Obligation. The Sacrament of Penance (confession) is offered on Saturdays.

The 9:30 AM Sunday Mass is a family service with modern worship music sung by the Sacred Heart Youth Choir. The 11:30 AM Sunday Mass is celebrated in both English and Latin. The music for this service includes traditional Gregorian Chant and Polyphony from the Renaissance period. On most Sundays, the choir sings plainsong with the congregation joining in.

The Church of the Sacred Heart is one of eleven Roman Catholic churches in Brighton and Hove. Its former daughter church, St Peter's Church in Aldrington, and St George's Church in West Blatchington are also in Hove. There are six Catholic churches in Brighton itself, and one each in Rottingdean and Woodingdean.

See also

• Grade II listed buildings in Brighton and Hove: C–D
• List of places of worship in Brighton and Hove