Robertsbridge United Reformed Church facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Robertsbridge United Reformed Church |
|
|---|---|
_(July_2011)_(3).jpg)
The church from the west
|
|
 Location in East Sussex
|
|
| 50°59′08″N 0°28′29″E / 50.9856°N 0.4747°E | |
| Location | High Street, Robertsbridge, East Sussex TN32 5AQ |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | United Reformed Church |
| Previous denomination | Congregational |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | Robertsbridge Congregational Church |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | 29 June 1881 |
| Founder(s) | Edward Piper |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Closed |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 13 May 1987 |
| Architect(s) | Thomas Elworthy |
| Style | Classical/Italianate/Gothic Revival/Renaissance Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 29 June 1881 |
| Administration | |
| Synod | Southern Synod |
The Robertsbridge United Reformed Church was a church building in Robertsbridge, a village in East Sussex, England. It was originally known as Robertsbridge Congregational Chapel.
This church was built in 1881 for a group of Christians called Congregationalists. They had separated from a long-standing Methodist church in the village. The Robertsbridge United Reformed Church was one of several 'Nonconformist' churches in the area. Nonconformists were Protestants who chose not to be part of the main Church of England. Like other old churches in Robertsbridge, it is now closed and no longer used for worship.
A local architect named Thomas Elworthy designed the church. His unique style, which mixed several old building types, has been seen differently by experts. Because of its special design and history, the church is a 'Grade II listed building'. This means it is an important historical building that needs to be protected.
Contents
The Church's Story
The village of Salehurst is very old, even mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. Robertsbridge, about 1 mile (1.6 km) away, started later. It grew around a Cistercian abbey that moved there in 1210. By the 1300s, Robertsbridge was much larger than Salehurst.
Even though Robertsbridge grew, the main parish church for the area stayed in Salehurst. This meant there was no official church in Robertsbridge itself. In 1676, a study showed that Salehurst parish had many Nonconformists. These were people who worshipped outside the Church of England.
Early Nonconformist Groups
At first, a group called Independents were common among Nonconformists in the area. But later, Wesleyan Methodism became more popular in the late 1700s. John Wesley, a famous Methodist leader, visited Robertsbridge five times between 1771 and 1784. He preached to many people.
A Methodist chapel was built in Robertsbridge in 1812 and made bigger in 1842. A Sunday school was added in 1872. Edward Piper was an important leader and preacher in the local Methodist group during this time.
A New Church is Built
In 1876, some members of the Methodist church decided to leave. This was led by Edward Piper. He started holding worship meetings in a house on Robertsbridge High Street. These meetings followed a style similar to Congregational churches.
.jpg)
Five years later, Edward Piper asked Thomas Elworthy, an architect from St Leonards-on-Sea, to design a new church. It was built on the same spot as the house where they had been meeting. The church was officially started on June 29, 1881, by Edward Piper and Rev. Charles New. Rev. New was from a Congregational church in Hastings.
The building was finished soon after. Sadly, Edward Piper died on November 20, 1881, at age 70. He passed away just before he was supposed to preach his first sermon in the new church. A special stone tablet remembers him. The architect, Thomas Elworthy, also put a stone with his name and the date on the outside of the building.
Changes Over Time
For many years, the Robertsbridge church stayed connected to the Congregational church in Hastings. Sometimes, ministers from Burwash would lead services there. The old Methodist chapel in Robertsbridge closed in 1960. After that, the remaining Methodists joined the worshippers at the Congregational Church. For a while, the building was sometimes called the Congregational Methodist Church.
In 1972, the Congregational Church joined with other Christian groups to form the United Reformed Church. The church in Robertsbridge then became part of this new group. It was part of the United Reformed Church's Southern Synod until it closed.
Listing and Closure
On May 13, 1987, the building was officially listed as a Grade II listed building by English Heritage. This means it is a "nationally important" building with "special interest." In 2001, it was one of many important listed buildings in the Rother area. The church was also officially registered for worship.
The Robertsbridge United Reformed Church closed its doors on September 5, 2015. The building was later put up for sale. The people who used to worship there joined with others to form a new group called Community Church Robertsbridge. This new church is part of the Baptist Union of Great Britain and meets at the youth centre in Robertsbridge.
Building Design
.jpg)
Congregational churches were often well-built and nicely decorated. By the late 1800s, some were even better than the main Church of England buildings. Thomas Elworthy, the architect for the Robertsbridge church, worked a lot in the Hastings area. He often designed churches for Nonconformist groups. Many of his designs showed a different style from the popular Gothic Revival of the 1880s.
Elworthy's other churches included different styles. His Baptist church in St Leonards-on-Sea (1883) was in a "rich Italianate" style. The Robertsbridge church mixes several styles, including Classical, Renaissance Revival, and Italianate, with some Gothic Revival touches.
Experts have had different opinions about Thomas Elworthy's work. One famous historian, Nikolaus Pevsner, called the Robertsbridge church "truly horrible." However, a more recent study by English Heritage described it as a "rich and fruity example of a Nonconformist church." Another historian, Robert Elleray, thought Pevsner's judgment was too harsh. He called the church "very Victorian" and a surprising "Renaissance intrusion" on the High Street.
Key Features
The church is mainly built from red brick. It has many decorative parts made of terracotta. The front of the church faces the High Street, on a raised area called High Pavement. It has two levels and three sections, with four windows.
A stone cornice (a decorative ledge) separates the lower and upper levels. Another cornice runs below the top wall, where a central brick pediment (a triangular top part) stands. This pediment used to have a decorative railing with stone urns. The sections of the building are divided by brick pilasters (flat, decorative columns).
All the windows are casement windows (they open outwards like a door). They have semicircular fanlights above them. These fanlights are set in fancy, rounded frames. The windows on the outer sections are single, but those above the entrance are paired. The main doorway has decorative pilasters and a cornice with stone urns on top. The door itself is made of panels.
See also
