List of demolished places of worship in East Sussex facts for kids

St Clement's Church served the Halton area of Hastings from 1839 until its demolition in 1970.

Across the English county of East Sussex, many old chapels, churches, and other places of worship have been taken down and not replaced. This has happened for various reasons, like fewer people attending services, buildings getting old and needing repairs, land being used for new shops or homes, or even damage from wartime bombs. More than 70 such buildings have been lost in the county.

Some of these lost buildings were in busy seaside towns like Eastbourne and Hastings, or the hilltop town of Crowborough. Even tiny villages such as Magham Down and Iden have seen their old chapels disappear. Other churches have vanished from quiet, rural spots, like Ashdown Park and Twyford House, deep inside the Ashdown Forest.

This article shares details about places of worship that were completely demolished and not rebuilt in the same spot. It doesn't include chapels in hospitals, schools, or prisons. It also doesn't list churches that are now ruins but still standing, like the old parish churches of Bulverhythe and Ore in Hastings. Buildings that were pulled down to build a new church on the *exact same spot* are also not included. However, if an old church was demolished and a new one was built somewhere else, like at Pevensey Bay or Seaford, the details of the old building are still here.

Many of the churches listed here were built in the 1800s and taken down after World War II. Even though a government plan to protect important old buildings started in the 1940s, it wasn't until much later, in the late 1900s, that churches from the Victorian era began to get special protection. By 1980, almost 80 out of about 600 Victorian places of worship in Sussex had been lost. Luckily, some buildings were saved by chance or by people who cared a lot. Today, groups like the Churches Conservation Trust and Friends of Friendless Churches help protect old churches, so fewer are being lost now. For example, in 2009, people in Bexhill-on-Sea successfully stopped two churches from being demolished in just one month! Still, some important buildings have been lost in places like Hastings and Eastbourne, changing how these towns look.

Lost Places of Worship in East Sussex

This section lists many of the churches and chapels that have been demolished in East Sussex.

Demolished places of worship
Name	Location	District	Religion	Built	Demolished	What's there now	Notes
St Richard de Wych's Church	Ashdown Park, Wych Cross 51°04′10″N 0°02′56″E / 51.0694°N 0.0490°E / 51.0694; 0.0490	Wealden	Anglican	1886	1974	Empty land	This church was built in the grounds of Ashdown Park House by Thomas Thompson, who wanted a place of worship for his farm workers. It was a beautiful building designed in a French Gothic Revival style. After closing in 1940, it became a ruin and was demolished in 1974.
St Peter's Church	Baldslow 50°53′19″N 0°33′39″E / 50.8885°N 0.5608°E / 50.8885; 0.5608	Hastings	Anglican	1863	around 1986	Farm buildings	This church was a "tin tabernacle", meaning it was made from corrugated iron. It was built in an outer part of Hastings in 1863 and had a small tower for a bell. It closed in 1979 and was later demolished.
Vidler's Chapel	Battle 50°55′07″N 0°29′03″E / 50.9185°N 0.4843°E / 50.9185; 0.4843	Rother	Unitarian	1789	1958	Car park	Battle's first Baptist chapel was started by William Vidler in 1789. Over time, its religious beliefs changed. It closed around 1897 and was used for other things until it was demolished in 1958, partly because of structural problems.
First Church of Christ, Scientist	Bexhill-on-Sea 50°50′24″N 0°28′51″E / 50.8401°N 0.4809°E / 50.8401; 0.4809	Rother	Christian Science	1931	2001	Homes (St George's Court)	Christian Science services began in Bexhill-on-Sea in 1905. A permanent church, built in an Edwardian Baroque style, opened in 1931. Services continued until 1995, and the building was demolished in 2001 to make way for flats.
Haddocks Hill Primitive Methodist Chapel	Bexhill-on-Sea 50°51′14″N 0°28′34″E / 50.8539°N 0.4762°E / 50.8539; 0.4762	Rother	Methodist	1873	1920	Homes	Primitive Methodists from Hastings built this small chapel in 1873. It was replaced by a much larger church nearby in 1907.
St Paul's Church	Bohemia, St Leonards-on-Sea 50°51′23″N 0°33′47″E / 50.8563°N 0.5630°E / 50.8563; 0.5630	Hastings	Anglican	1868	1964	Homes (Norfolk House)	This small but expensive church was demolished in 1964. Its architect was John Newton. It had a nave, a chancel with a rounded end, and a tower. The inside was very fancy, with beautiful pulpit and font. A special stained glass window from the church was saved and moved to another church in London.
Burwash Congregational Church	Burwash 50°59′51″N 0°23′10″E / 50.9974°N 0.3861°E / 50.9974; 0.3861	Rother	Congregational	1864	1970	Homes (Old Rectory Court)	This chapel was originally for Independents and later became Congregational. Services stopped in 1967. It was an Italianate building made of brick and stucco.
Burwash Weald Methodist Church	Burwash Weald 50°59′05″N 0°21′08″E / 50.9847°N 0.3521°E / 50.9847; 0.3521	Rother	Methodist	1843	around 1996	Homes	This simple chapel had red-brick walls and a pointed roof. It served a congregation that started in 1831. Worship ended in the 1970s, and the building was demolished around 1996.
Cliffe Chapel	Cliffe, Lewes 50°52′27″N 0°01′13″E / 50.8742°N 0.0202°E / 50.8742; 0.0202	Lewes	Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion	1775	around 1879	Homes	This chapel in East Street (now Chapel Hill) was once led by a preacher whose strong beliefs caused some people to leave and start a new chapel nearby. Cliffe Chapel was used for most of the 1800s before it was demolished.
Cowbeech District Church	Cowbeech 50°54′41″N 0°18′15″E / 50.9113°N 0.3043°E / 50.9113; 0.3043	Wealden	Anglican	around 1911	around 1971	Empty land	A church building was known to be in this small village in 1911. It closed in 1971.
Sweethaws Chapel	Crowborough 51°02′14″N 0°08′25″E / 51.0372°N 0.1403°E / 51.0372; 0.1403	Wealden	Anglican	1896	1969	Garden	This wooden chapel was first a private chapel for the Spedding family. In 1920, it became a public church. It had a small bell tower on its roof.
Branch Strict Baptist Chapel	Crowborough 51°03′31″N 0°09′47″E / 51.0587°N 0.1631°E / 51.0587; 0.1631	Wealden	Strict Baptist	1896	2010	Homes	This building was first built for a Congregational community in 1896. In 1906, it was taken over by Baptists. It closed in 1988 or 1989 and became a shop, but its unique brick gable (the triangular part of the wall under the roof) remained. It was demolished in 2010 to build new homes.
Crowborough Methodist Church	Crowborough 51°03′15″N 0°09′40″E / 51.0543°N 0.1610°E / 51.0543; 0.1610	Wealden	Methodist	1897	around 1990	Homes (Clifford Court, Wesley Mews)	Frederick Boreham designed this stone church in 1897 for Crowborough's Methodist community. It stopped being used for religious services in the early 1900s. It then became a church hall, a club for ex-servicemen, and a community building before being demolished around 1990.
St George's Church	Downside, Eastbourne 50°46′26″N 0°15′34″E / 50.7738°N 0.2595°E / 50.7738; 0.2595	Eastbourne	Anglican	1916	1976	Homes	This church was built in the Downside area of Eastbourne in 1916. It was designed in the Decorated Gothic Revival style, with red brick and some stone. It had a corner tower with a tiled spire. The church was closed in 1974 and the land was sold for housing in 1975.
Victoria Drive Baptist Church	Downside, Eastbourne 50°46′29″N 0°15′26″E / 50.7746°N 0.2572°E / 50.7746; 0.2572	Eastbourne	Baptist	1926	1973	Homes	This Baptist chapel, built in 1926, was replaced by the current Victoria Baptist Church on a different street. It was a red-brick and stone building designed in the Gothic Revival style.
Emmanuel Church	Eastbourne 50°46′02″N 0°16′51″E / 50.7673°N 0.2807°E / 50.7673; 0.2807	Eastbourne	Anglican; Free Church of England	around 1880	around 1960	Charity building (WRVS Russell Centre)	This simple, pre-made building was put up in Eastbourne around 1880. It was used for Anglican worship until about 1918. Later, it was used by the Free Church of England. It was damaged by bombs during World War II and demolished soon after.
St Paul's Church	Eastbourne 50°45′53″N 0°17′13″E / 50.7648°N 0.2870°E / 50.7648; 0.2870	Eastbourne	Anglican	1873	1909	Homes (Garden Court)	This short-lived "tin tabernacle" church was located on Burlington Place and served as a smaller, local church connected to Holy Trinity Church. It had a small bell tower.
St Peter's Church (first building)	Eastbourne 50°46′01″N 0°16′39″E / 50.7669°N 0.2775°E / 50.7669; 0.2775	Eastbourne	Anglican	1878	1905	Car park	Henry Currey designed a temporary St Peter's Church in 1878. It was a brick and tile building. When a permanent St Peter's Church was ready, this temporary building was sold to the Congregational Church, who used it until about 1905.
St Peter's Church (second building)	Eastbourne 50°45′52″N 0°16′31″E / 50.7645°N 0.2752°E / 50.7645; 0.2752	Eastbourne	Anglican	1896	1971	Homes (Redman King House)	Henry Currey also designed the permanent St Peter's Church, which was built near the temporary one. It was a stone building in the Early English Gothic Revival style. Even though it was given special protection as a historic building, it was demolished in 1971 to build flats.
Pevensey Road Congregational Church	Eastbourne 50°46′11″N 0°17′27″E / 50.7698°N 0.2908°E / 50.7698; 0.2908	Eastbourne	Congregational	1862	1977	Homes (Grafton Court)	This large church in the town centre was designed in 1862. It was a stone building in the Early English Gothic Revival style with a tower. It was described as a "pleasant" building with a "fine organ" that was also lost when the church was demolished.
St Aidan's Church	Eastbourne 50°46′38″N 0°17′52″E / 50.7772°N 0.2977°E / 50.7772; 0.2977	Eastbourne	Methodist	1913	2001	Homes (St Aidan's Court)	This Methodist church was designed in the Perpendicular Gothic Revival style, mostly with red brick and some stonework. It was built for people living on the eastern side of Eastbourne.
Wesley Hall	Eastbourne 50°46′42″N 0°17′54″E / 50.7783°N 0.2982°E / 50.7783; 0.2982	Eastbourne	Methodist	1904		Homes	Another Methodist chapel on the east side of Eastbourne, this building was used for religious services between 1904 and 1950. After that, it was used for businesses until it was demolished.
Stella Maris Church	Eastbourne 50°46′08″N 0°17′03″E / 50.7689°N 0.2842°E / 50.7689; 0.2842	Eastbourne	Roman Catholic	1869	1893	Shops (Arndale Centre)	A Roman Catholic mission started in Eastbourne in 1867. A small chapel, named Stella Maris (Mary, Star of the Sea), opened two years later near the railway station. It closed and was demolished before a new Catholic church opened in 1899.
Church of the Good Shepherd (Images)	Five Ashes 51°00′14″N 0°13′13″E / 51.0038°N 0.2204°E / 51.0038; 0.2204	Wealden	Anglican	1920	2017	Hospice	This wooden church building was originally a World War I Army building in Eastbourne. It was moved to Five Ashes around 1920 and became a church. It closed in 2017 and was taken apart to build a new hospice. The church building itself was saved and rebuilt as a World War I museum elsewhere.
Congregational Church	Friday Street 50°48′34″N 0°17′58″E / 50.8094°N 0.2994°E / 50.8094; 0.2994	Eastbourne	Congregational	1869	around 1970	Homes	This red-brick chapel on the edge of Eastbourne was a smaller church connected to the Pevensey Road Congregational Chapel in central Eastbourne.
St Clement's Church	Halton, Hastings 50°51′55″N 0°35′41″E / 50.8654°N 0.5946°E / 50.8654; 0.5946	Hastings	Anglican	1839	1970	Homes	Work on this church started in 1838, funded by a local supporter. It was a Gothic Revival building with pointed windows, a single main hall, and a small bell tower. A beautiful stained glass window was added in 1939.
Mount Pleasant Congregational Church	Halton, Hastings 50°51′57″N 0°35′04″E / 50.8659°N 0.5844°E / 50.8659; 0.5844	Hastings	Congregational	1878	1972	Homes (Hughenden Court)	This large church, built in 1878–79, was demolished in 1972 to make way for homes. It was built in the Early English Gothic Revival style with a corner tower and spire, made of red brick with decorative terracotta.
St Luke's Church	Hampden Park 50°47′47″N 0°16′40″E / 50.7963°N 0.2779°E / 50.7963; 0.2779	Eastbourne	United Reformed	1913	2007	Empty land	The people who worshipped at this former Presbyterian chapel joined another church in Hampden Park after their red-brick and stone building was demolished. The architect was George Baines.
Blacknest Methodist Chapel	Hankham 50°49′12″N 0°17′25″E / 50.8199°N 0.2903°E / 50.8199; 0.2903	Wealden	Methodist	1891	around 1983	Homes	This red-brick chapel held its last service on April 20, 1983. It was part of the Eastbourne Methodist area.
St Andrew's Church	Hastings 50°51′34″N 0°35′00″E / 50.8595°N 0.5833°E / 50.8595; 0.5833	Hastings	Anglican	1869	1970	Shop (Morrisons petrol station)	This large church in the town centre was designed by M.E. Habershon and E.P.L. Brock. It had a slim tower with a pointed roof and a single main hall.
Central Methodist Church	Hastings 50°51′21″N 0°34′31″E / 50.8559°N 0.5753°E / 50.8559; 0.5753	Hastings	Methodist	1875	1980	Homes (Holmebury House)	This large and important Methodist church stood on a prominent hill in the town centre. It was a stone building in the Early English Gothic Revival style with a tower. It closed in 1974 and was demolished in 1980.
St Catherine's Church (Images)	Heathfield 50°58′24″N 0°15′29″E / 50.9734°N 0.2580°E / 50.9734; 0.2580	Wealden	Roman Catholic	1953	2016	Homes	Until 2014, this was the main Catholic church for Heathfield and nearby villages. It was a red-brick building with a timber roof, built in 1953. It closed in 2014 and was demolished in 2016 to build flats.
St James's Church	Herstmonceux 50°53′20″N 0°19′27″E / 50.8890°N 0.3243°E / 50.8890; 0.3243	Wealden	Anglican	1893		Empty land	This church opened in the centre of Herstmonceux village in 1893. It made it easier for people to attend Anglican services, as the main parish church was two miles away.
Hurst Green Wesleyan Methodist Church	Hurst Green 51°00′51″N 0°28′19″E / 51.0143°N 0.4720°E / 51.0143; 0.4720	Rother	Methodist	around 1821	around 1961	Shops	A Methodist group started here in the early 1800s, and a chapel was built later. It was used until 1960.
Icklesham Wesleyan Chapel	Icklesham 50°54′59″N 0°40′08″E / 50.9163°N 0.6689°E / 50.9163; 0.6689	Rother	Methodist	1843	around 1980	Homes	Built of brick in 1843, this small building was on the main road through Icklesham. It had a gabled entrance with two pointed windows. An extension was added in the 1900s.
Iden Wesleyan Chapel	Iden 50°58′58″N 0°44′07″E / 50.9828°N 0.7352°E / 50.9828; 0.7352	Rother	Methodist	1848	1944	Empty land	Iden's first Wesleyan chapel was built in 1819. Its replacement, built in 1848, was destroyed by a bomb during World War II in 1944. A third chapel was later built in the village centre.
Congregational Chapel	Jarvis Brook 51°02′35″N 0°11′16″E / 51.0430°N 0.1878°E / 51.0430; 0.1878	Wealden	Congregational	1864		Empty land	A church was founded in a barn in Jarvis Brook in 1862. Two years later, a proper chapel with a Sunday school was built.
Ebenezer Gospel Hall	Jarvis Brook 51°02′51″N 0°11′15″E / 51.0474°N 0.1875°E / 51.0474; 0.1875	Wealden	Open Brethren	before 1898	1999	Homes	This Gospel hall on Victoria Road was used by the town's Open Brethren community. It was officially closed for worship in 1998.
Bethesda Calvinist Chapel	Lewes 50°52′31″N 0°00′38″E / 50.8752°N 0.0105°E / 50.8752; 0.0105	Lewes	Baptist	1813	1973	Homes	This Baptist group started in 1827, but their chapel on St John Street was older, recorded as a "school house" from 1813. The building was changed in 1827 with a Classical front. The church closed in 1929 and the chapel was then used for businesses.
Meeting Room	Lewes 50°52′21″N 0°00′43″E / 50.8724°N 0.0120°E / 50.8724; 0.0120	Lewes	Brethren	around 1937	around 1971	Industrial buildings	A Brethren meeting room was located on St Nicholas' Lane in the town centre. It was still active in 1963 but officially closed in 1971.
Tabernacle Congregational Church	Lewes 50°52′26″N 0°00′56″E / 50.8740°N 0.0155°E / 50.8740; 0.0155	Lewes	Congregational	1816	1954	Shops (Superdrug)	This important building near the River Ouse was replaced by a carpet showroom, and later by a Superdrug shop. It was a grand, Classical building with four columns at the front. Many important people from the town's history attended services here.
Turf Chapel	Little Common, Bexhill-on-Sea 50°50′39″N 0°26′00″E / 50.8443°N 0.4333°E / 50.8443; 0.4333	Rother	Methodist	1837	around 1930	Shops	A temporary building was put up in 1837. It was Little Common's first church. It was rebuilt in 1859, but as the area grew, a larger church was needed. Turf Chapel was sold in 1915, and the money helped buy land for the current Little Common Methodist Church.
St Mark's Church	Magham Down 50°52′53″N 0°17′12″E / 50.8815°N 0.2867°E / 50.8815; 0.2867	Wealden	Anglican	1890	around 1988	Homes	This was a mission room connected to St Mary's Church in Hailsham. Permission to demolish it was given in 1988.
Mill Corner Wesleyan Chapel	Mill Corner, Northiam 50°58′56″N 0°35′51″E / 50.9821°N 0.5975°E / 50.9821; 0.5975	Rother	Methodist	1882	around 1965	Homes	This chapel was originally in Udimore. When a new building was put up there, this one was taken down and rebuilt in this small village near Northiam. It stopped being used around 1957 or 1965.
Mott's Mill Chapel	Mott's Mill, Crowborough 51°05′44″N 0°10′13″E / 51.0955°N 0.1703°E / 51.0955; 0.1703	Wealden	Baptist	around 1868	around 1927		This chapel was a mission started by the Forest Fold Baptist Chapel in Crowborough. It was in a wooden building that had previously been a Congregational chapel. It stopped being used in 1907.
Netherfield Congregational Church	Netherfield 50°56′37″N 0°25′41″E / 50.9436°N 0.4281°E / 50.9436; 0.4281	Rother	Congregational	1892		Empty land	This small village had a Congregational chapel as well as its Anglican parish church. Built in 1892, it was a red-brick and stone building with an arched entrance. Part of its garden still remains by the road.
Christ Church	Newhaven 50°47′36″N 0°03′01″E / 50.7933°N 0.0502°E / 50.7933; 0.0502	Lewes	Anglican	1881	1965	Police station	Newhaven's second Anglican church had its own parish. It was designed in the Early English Gothic Revival style in 1881, built of flint and brick, and had a small spire on its bell tower.
St Wilfrid's Church	Newhaven 50°47′33″N 0°03′23″E / 50.7924°N 0.0565°E / 50.7924; 0.0565	Lewes	Anglican	around 1928		Empty land	This church was first called the East Side Mission Church. It became its own parish and was renamed St Wilfrid's Church in 1932.
Mission to Seamen Chapel	Newhaven 50°47′38″N 0°03′06″E / 50.7939°N 0.0518°E / 50.7939; 0.0518	Lewes	Non-denominational	around 1890		Charity building (Mencap)	This chapel was built at Newhaven Harbour in the 1890s to serve sailors and other workers at the harbour. It had a small bell tower and a porch.
St James's Church	Normans Bay 50°49′35″N 0°23′39″E / 50.8263°N 0.3943°E / 50.8263; 0.3943	Wealden	Anglican	1866	1975	Homes	The Duke of Devonshire gave land for this building, which was both a school and a place of worship in this fishing village. Services stopped in September 1967.
Congregational Mission Chapel	Old Town, Hastings	Hastings	Congregational	1876			This mission chapel from 1876 was on The Bourne in Hastings Old Town. It was a stuccoed building with a triangular top (pediment).
Croft Congregational Church	Old Town, Hastings 50°51′30″N 0°35′27″E / 50.8583°N 0.5907°E / 50.8583; 0.5907	Hastings	Congregational	1877	1972	Homes (Unicorn House)	The first Congregational chapel in Hastings was a wooden building from 1807. A new, more decorative building was built on its site in 1877. This red and yellow brick building stood until February 1972.
Red Lake United Reformed Church	Ore 50°52′33″N 0°36′35″E / 50.8757°N 0.6097°E / 50.8757; 0.6097	Hastings	United Reformed	1903	1978	Homes	A Congregational chapel opened in Ore in 1890. A new building on the same site was completed in 1903. It was made of red brick and stone in a Gothic Revival style. Worship continued until 1974 or 1976.
St Wilfrid's Church	Pevensey Bay 50°48′45″N 0°21′07″E / 50.8124°N 0.3520°E / 50.8124; 0.3520	Wealden	Anglican	1881	1971	Shops	This was one of the first buildings in the seaside town of Pevensey Bay, built in 1881-82. It was made of red brick with stone bands. A new St Wilfrid's Church was built on a different site in 1968.
Plumpton United Reformed Church	Plumpton Green 50°56′14″N 0°03′39″W / 50.9372°N 0.0607°W / 50.9372; -0.0607	Lewes	United Reformed	1880	1998	Homes	This red-brick chapel with an entrance porch was built for Congregationalists in 1880. It became a United Reformed church but closed in 1995.
St Peter's Church	Punnett's Town 50°57′44″N 0°18′48″E / 50.9622°N 0.3133°E / 50.9622; 0.3133	Wealden	Anglican		around 2007	Homes	This small chapel was in the parish of Heathfield. It closed before 2004 and was demolished around 2007 to build a new house.
Christ Church	Ridgewood 50°57′28″N 0°05′57″E / 50.9579°N 0.0991°E / 50.9579; 0.0991	Wealden	Anglican	1876	around 1969	Homes	Ridgewood's Anglican church, opened in 1876, was a "tin tabernacle" with pointed windows and a small bell tower. It closed in 1969.
Ridgewood Wesleyan Chapel	Ridgewood 50°57′21″N 0°06′11″E / 50.9558°N 0.1031°E / 50.9558; 0.1031	Wealden	Methodist	around 1830		Garages	This small chapel served Wesleyan Methodists in Ridgewood village. It opened around 1830 and was sold in the 1950s.
Hebron Chapel	Ripe 50°52′08″N 0°08′34″E / 50.8688°N 0.1427°E / 50.8688; 0.1427	Wealden	Baptist	1830	around 1948	Empty land	This Baptist chapel was built in 1830. It was a "quaint" red-brick building with no windows on the front. It closed in 1948.
St Columba's Church	St Leonards-on-Sea 50°51′17″N 0°33′41″E / 50.8546°N 0.5614°E / 50.8546; 0.5614	Hastings	Presbyterian	1883	1942		J.T. Barker designed this church for the Presbyterian community in St Leonards-on-Sea in 1883. It was in the French Gothic Revival style, mostly made of brick. The church was destroyed by a bomb during World War II.
Seaford Baptist Chapel	Seaford 50°46′19″N 0°06′08″E / 50.7719°N 0.1023°E / 50.7719; 0.1023	Lewes	Baptist	1901	1973	Shops (Boots)	Seaford's original Baptist church, a red brick and stone building, was demolished in 1973 to build shops. The congregation moved to a newly built church in another part of town.
St Agnes' Church	Sheffield Park, Fletching 50°59′36″N 0°00′03″W / 50.9933°N 0.0009°W / 50.9933; -0.0009	Lewes	Anglican	1908	around 1937	Industrial buildings	This "iron-built mission chapel" was built near the railway station in 1908 to serve the area. It closed in the mid-1930s and was gone by 1937.
St James's Church	Silverdale, Hastings 50°52′25″N 0°33′10″E / 50.8735°N 0.5528°E / 50.8735; 0.5528	Hastings	Anglican	around 1877	around 1935	Car park	This church opened in 1877. In 1902, after another church was built nearby, St James's Church became a smaller, local church connected to it.
St Leonards Congregational Mission Church	Silverhill 50°52′02″N 0°33′18″E / 50.8673°N 0.5549°E / 50.8673; 0.5549	Hastings	Congregational	before 1899	after 1960	Shops (Astec House)	This church, connected to St Leonards-on-Sea Congregational Church, stood until it was demolished in the 1960s.
Yokehurst Chapel (Union Chapel)	South Chailey 50°56′03″N 0°01′55″W / 50.9343°N 0.03198°W / 50.9343; -0.03198	Lewes	Independent	1821	around 1960	Empty land	This chapel was also known as Union Chapel. Maps from the early 1900s show that the building was no longer in use by 1910.
St John's Church	South Common, Chailey 50°56′24″N 0°01′25″W / 50.9399°N 0.0236°W / 50.9399; -0.0236	Lewes	Anglican	1895	around 1973	Homes	This was a simple "tin tabernacle" church, one of two mission chapels in this large area. It served the South Common area until it closed in 1973.
St Joseph's Church	Southover, Burwash 51°00′15″N 0°21′47″E / 51.0042°N 0.3630°E / 51.0042; 0.3630	Rother	Roman Catholic	1887	1989	Empty land	Southover is a large house in a rural area. A new Catholic church was built closer to the village in 1965, but St Joseph's only closed in 1979. It was an elaborate building with unusual rounded ends and decorative wall paintings.
Staplecross Methodist Chapel	Staplecross 50°58′26″N 0°32′11″E / 50.9740°N 0.5363°E / 50.9740; 0.5363	Rother	Methodist	1812	1970	Homes	This Methodist chapel served the village of Staplecross for nearly 160 years. It was built in 1812 and made larger in 1840. It was a stuccoed building with pointed windows.
Twyford Church	Twyford House, Wych Cross 51°03′23″N 0°00′10″W / 51.0564°N 0.0027°W / 51.0564; -0.0027	Wealden	Anglican	around 1910	1958	Empty land	This church was in a quiet location near Twyford House in Ashdown Forest. The building was part of a school that has also been demolished. It had a rounded end and a small bell tower.
St Anne's Church	Upperton, Eastbourne 50°46′19″N 0°16′40″E / 50.7720°N 0.2777°E / 50.7720; 0.2777	Eastbourne	Anglican	1882	1955	Homes	This large church, built of flint and red brick, was designed in 1882. It was badly damaged by bombs during World War II, and its ruins were taken down in 1955.
Upperton Congregational Church (Images)	Upperton, Eastbourne 50°46′28″N 0°16′09″E / 50.7745°N 0.2693°E / 50.7745; 0.2693	Eastbourne	Congregational	1885	2019	Empty land (pending redevelopment)	This was Eastbourne's second permanent Congregational church, built in 1885. When a new church was built next to it in 1901, this brick building became a church hall and lecture theatre. It was demolished at the same time as its replacement.
Upperton United Reformed Church (Images)	Upperton, Eastbourne 50°46′28″N 0°16′10″E / 50.7745°N 0.2695°E / 50.7745; 0.2695	Eastbourne	United Reformed Church	1901	2019	Empty land (pending redevelopment)	This church, with its turrets and red-brick and stone design, replaced the neighboring chapel in 1901. It was officially opened in May 1900 and cost £5,600 (which is about £436,000 today). Demolition work began in August 2019. There are plans to build a new church and community centre on the site.
St James's Church	Vines Cross 50°56′16″N 0°15′59″E / 50.9378°N 0.2665°E / 50.9378; 0.2665	Wealden	Anglican	around 1918	2007	Homes	This church was originally a gospel hall from 1915. It was a rare "tin tabernacle" that had not been changed much, with painted iron walls. A tall wooden bell tower stood next to it. It was demolished in 2007.
Jubilee Mission Room	Wannock 50°48′33″N 0°14′07″E / 50.8093°N 0.2354°E / 50.8093; 0.2354	Wealden	Anglican	1887	1973	Village hall	People in Wannock were far from their main church until 1887, when an "iron hall" was built for worship and community use. It cost about £164 to build. The building became old and damaged, and a new church opened nearby, so it was closed and demolished in June 1973. A new village hall was built in its place.
Halton Kingdom Hall	West Hill, Hastings 50°51′53″N 0°35′23″E / 50.8647°N 0.5897°E / 50.8647; 0.5897	Hastings	Jehovah's Witnesses	1974	1998	Homes	This Kingdom Hall had to be demolished in 1998 because it was in the way of a new sewage pipeline. The people who worshipped here joined another Kingdom Hall that had been built in St Leonards-on-Sea.

Images for kids

St Catherine's Church served Roman Catholics in the Heathfield area between 1953 and 2014.
The former Upperton Congregation Church in Eastbourne...
... and its successor, Upperton United Reformed Church, were demolished in 2019.
A hospice was built on the site of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Five Ashes in 2017.

List of demolished places of worship in East Sussex facts for kids

Lost Places of Worship in East Sussex

Images for kids

See also