Holland Road Baptist Church facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Holland Road Baptist Church
The church from the southwest
50°49′38″N 0°09′41″W / 50.8271°N 0.1614°W / 50.8271; -0.1614
Location	71 Holland Road, Hove, Brighton and Hove BN3 1JN
Country	England
Denomination	Baptist
Website	www.hrbc.org.uk/
History
Status	Church
Founded	1882
Founder(s)	George Congreve
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II listed
Designated	26 February 1991
Architect(s)	John Wills
Style	Transitional Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1887
Completed	29 July 1887
Specifications
Capacity	790
Materials	Purbeck Stone
Administration
District	South Eastern Baptist Association

Holland Road Baptist Church is a Baptist church located in Hove, a town that is part of the city of Brighton and Hove in England. This church was built in 1887. Before that, the church community met in a temporary building on the same spot, and even earlier, they used a nearby gymnasium. The church grew over time, adding more buildings around it. It is now a well-known landmark on Holland Road, which is a main road running through Hove.

There are ten Baptist church buildings in Brighton and Hove, and Holland Road Baptist Church is the only one that has been officially recognized for its important architecture. This means it is a listed building by English Heritage.

History of Holland Road Baptist Church

The land where the church stands today was once part of a large area called the Wick estate. In 1830, a wealthy banker named Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid bought most of this land to build new homes and businesses. The estate was huge, about 250 acres, and included farms and woodlands.

Holland Road itself was named after Henry Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland (Lord Holland), a politician who was a friend of Isaac Lyon Goldsmid. The road was planned early on, by 1833, but it took a while for buildings to appear. By the 1860s, the road stretched all the way from the seafront to the old Hove train station.

How the Church Began

A group of Baptists started meeting in the Hove area in the 1870s. At first, they held their services in a gymnasium. In 1881, a man named George Congreve moved to Hove. He was a doctor who had become rich. He also felt called to start a new church.

Between 1882 and 1883, George Congreve bought the land where the church is now located. He bought it from Sir Julian Goldsmid, who owned the land at that time. In 1882, Congreve started a Young Women's Christian Institute, and a temporary iron building was put up on the site for it.

Building the Church

John Wills, an architect known for designing many churches for non-Anglican Christian groups, was asked to design a permanent church building. George Congreve paid for the entire cost of building the church and became its first treasurer.

Construction happened in 1887. The very first service in the new church was held on July 29, 1887. A famous Baptist preacher named Charles Spurgeon was invited, but he was too sick to come. However, he still helped a lot. He sent his brother to preach at the first service and even helped choose the church's first pastor. One of his sons later became a pastor there too. The first pastor, Rev. David Davies, served from 1887 to 1907.

Church Growth and Changes

The temporary iron building was moved so the new church could be built. The Young Women's Christian Institute moved into a new building right next to the church. Later, a similar institute for men was started in 1899, but neither of these institutes exist today.

Holland Road Baptist Church also helped start two other Baptist churches in Hove. In 1901, a mission church in west Hove became connected with Holland Road Baptist Church. By 1904, this mission church moved into its own building. Another church, the Stoneham Road Baptist Church, stayed open until 2008 when its building was sold and taken down.

In 1957, a church worker from Holland Road started a new church in the growing area of Hangleton. This church is now called the Oasis Christian Fellowship Church.

Modern Renovations

In the 1970s, the church hall was updated. From 1980 to 1981, the outside of the church was cleaned and changed. Plans to work on the inside of the church had been discussed for many years. In 1991, an architect was hired. When the plans were approved in 1997, it was discovered that the building was in worse condition than expected.

The church hall was completely redesigned, and an extension was added to the back. The south end of the church was changed, new windows were put in the entrance area, and major structural work was done inside the main church building. This big project cost about £700,000 and was finished in 1999.

The church also bought back the old Young Women's Christian Institute building in the 1990s. It was thought to be in very bad shape, and there were plans to tear it down and build a new multi-purpose building. However, it turned out to be in better condition than first thought, so it was completely refurbished instead.

The church is officially registered for worship and for holding marriages.

Architecture of the Church

John Wills designed the church in a style called Transitional Gothic. This style was common for Anglican churches in the 1800s but was unusual for a Nonconformist church like this one.

The outside of the church is made of light-colored Purbeck Stone, and the roof is covered with slate tiles. The church tower is a local landmark. It sticks out a little from the rest of the building and has four sections, topped with a pointed roof in the Rhenish style.

Inside the Church

The inside of the church runs from north to south, parallel to the road. The arched entrance door is at the base of the tower. On either side of this door are granite memorial tablets from 1887. The entrance leads into the transept, which is lit by tall, narrow lancet windows with colored glass.

Above, you can see a special kind of roof called a hammerbeam roof. A balcony, or gallery, runs around three sides of the church. This gallery is held up by Corinthian columns made of cast iron. There are round rose windows in the south and north walls. The north window has a special four-leaf design called a quatrefoil and is decorated in the Arts and Crafts style. The original pews (church benches) and a fancy pulpit are still inside the church today.

Holland Road Baptist Church Today

Holland Road Baptist Church was officially recognized as a Grade II listed building by English Heritage on February 26, 1991. This means it's an important historic building. It is one of many listed buildings in the city of Brighton and Hove.

The church holds services on Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, and Tuesday afternoons. Some of these services include Holy Communion. There are also regular prayer groups and activities for children and young people. The church also welcomes other Christian groups, such as the Brighton Lutheran Mission.

Holland Road Baptist Church is one of eleven Baptist communities in Brighton and Hove. Most of these have their own church buildings. Seven of them, including Holland Road, are part of the Mid Sussex Network of the South Eastern Baptist Association.

See also

• Grade II listed buildings in Brighton and Hove: E–H
• List of places of worship in Brighton and Hove