St Luke's United Reformed Church, Silverhill, Hastings facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Luke's Church |
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| St Luke's United Reformed Church | |
The church from the west
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| 50°52′10″N 0°33′26″E / 50.8695°N 0.5572°E | |
| Location | Sedlescombe Road North, Silverhill, Hastings, East Sussex TN37 6QT |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | United Reformed Church |
| Previous denomination | Presbyterian |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | Silverhill Independent Chapel; Silverhill Presbyterian Church |
| Status | Church |
| Founded | 1853 |
| Founder(s) | William Boyd |
| Dedication | Saint Luke |
| Dedicated | 1920s |
| Events | 1853: Congregation established at Providence Villa 1857: Silverhill Independent Chapel opened 1862: Chapel extended 1920s: Dedicated to St Luke 1972: Became part of United Reformed Church 1987: Building damaged in the Great Storm |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | Henry Carpenter |
| Style | Early English Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | 1857 |
| Completed | 12 July 1857 |
| Construction cost | £370 (£24,600 in 2025) |
| Administration | |
| Synod | Southern Synod |
St Luke's Church is a United Reformed church located in Silverhill, a part of Hastings in East Sussex, England. The church started in 1853 when a group of people met in a private house. They were "independent," meaning they didn't belong to a specific church group.
By 1857, they built their own church building. This church was one of the oldest Presbyterian places of worship in southeast England. Over the years, the church building has been made bigger several times. In 1987, a very strong storm, called the Great Storm of 1987, damaged the building badly. The church was repaired quickly, but it lost its tall, pointy roof, called a spire.
In 1972, this church, along with many other Presbyterian churches, joined to form the United Reformed Church. St Luke's Church is now one of four United Reformed Churches in the Hastings area.
Contents
History of St Luke's Church
The land where St Luke's Church stands was once part of a large area called the Manor of Stone. This area was mostly farmland and was located northwest of the old fishing town of Hastings.
Over time, this farmland became known as Silver Hill Farm. In the early 1800s, Hastings and the nearby town of St Leonards-on-Sea started to become popular seaside resorts. New roads were built, and the area around Silver Hill Farm began to grow. Soon, there was a windmill, a hotel, and tearooms.
How the Church Started
In 1853, Silver Hill Farm was still working. A man named William Boyd was a tutor for the farmer's son. William Boyd was a member of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland and had studied theology (the study of religion). He noticed there were no churches nearby for people to attend.
So, William Boyd decided to start his own church. A person living in a new house called Providence Villa let him use a room for preaching. His meetings were very popular, and by 1855, too many people were coming for the house to hold them all. The meetings had to move to a public building, probably the local hotel.
Building the First Chapel
The meetings were independent, meaning they weren't part of a big church group like the Anglican Church. Some local church leaders didn't like this. They even tried to stop people from attending William Boyd's meetings.
Despite this, William Boyd decided to build a permanent church building. He was about to become a Presbyterian minister, but the new chapel was still meant to be open to everyone. A group of eight people helped raise money. The landowner sold some land for £50.
The first chapel was designed by a local architect named Henry Carpenter. It cost £370 to build and was finished in just a few months in 1857. William Boyd held the first service at the new Silver Hill Independent Chapel on July 12, 1857. A Sunday school for children started the next week with 30 kids.
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Joining the Presbyterian Church
From 1860, the Silverhill area grew even more. New houses and inns were built. The Anglican Church also built their own church nearby, St Matthew's Church, which opened in 1861.
By 1862, a new minister named Walter Roberts took over at the Silver Hill chapel. Under his leadership, the church joined the English Presbyterian Church. The building was made bigger, costing £400. Even though some people went to the new Anglican church, the Silverhill Presbyterian Church grew stronger.
In 1865, more work was done. A tower and a tall, distinctive spire were added to the west end of the church. The main part of the church, called the nave, was also widened, and a vestry (a room for the clergy) was built. This work cost about £544.
New things were added inside the church in the 1860s and 1870s, like an organ, a wooden platform for the speaker, and a heating system. In 1878, a separate schoolroom was built next to the chapel for the Sunday school. This cost £296.
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Early 1900s Changes
The church continued to grow. In 1907, for the church's 50th birthday, a "Jubilee Fund" was started to raise money for more additions. By 1909, £700 had been promised.
The old schoolroom was taken down and replaced with a larger hall that had extra rooms. A chancel (the area around the altar) was added to the chapel. The main worship area was updated with new wooden fixtures and a stone font (a basin for baptisms). The building also got electric lights for the first time. This work started in August 1909 and was finished about 10 weeks later.
Renaming and War Years
In the 1920s, the church was renamed St Luke's Presbyterian Church. They chose the name "St Luke" from three saints to give the church a more memorable name. Stained glass windows were added in 1923 to remember people.
During World War II, the church was used as a shelter for people whose homes were bombed. It also helped the government pay money to people who needed it. During World War I, soldiers stayed in the church hall. Later, during World War II, the minister's house, called the manse, was used by the army.
Some new members joined the church during World War II. This happened when St Columba's Presbyterian Church in St Leonards-on-Sea was destroyed by a bomb in 1942, and its members needed a new place to worship.
Joining the United Reformed Church
In 1972, St Luke's Church joined the new United Reformed Church group. The next year, in 1973, members from the Red Lake Congregational Church in Ore joined St Luke's when their church closed.
In 1979, St Luke's Church worked closely with St Mark's Church in Blacklands. Then, in 1980, a third church in Rye also joined them. However, after the Rye church closed in 1986, St Luke's Church went back to managing its own affairs.
The Great Storm of 1987
On the night of October 15-16, 1987, the Great Storm of 1987 hit Britain. St Luke's Church was badly damaged by the very strong winds. Around 7:00 AM, the church's tall spire was ripped off the tower. It crashed through the roof of the north side of the church, sticking out dangerously.
After the storm, a crane lifted the broken spire out of the church. It was placed in the garden while the rest of the building was repaired. The church hall was used for services until the main building was ready. Other churches in Hastings helped out. For example, the Roman Catholic Church of St Thomas of Canterbury and English Martyrs hosted weddings.
Rebuilding work included a new vestry and a bigger kitchen. The church reopened on April 29, 1990. The spire could not be fixed, so the tower was rebuilt with a much smaller, cap-shaped spire instead.
In 2000, a clock was put into the front wall of the tower to celebrate the new millennium. In 2003, a new wooden font was given to the church, and the minister moved to a new, larger house.
Church Design and Look
Henry Carpenter's original chapel has had many additions since 1857, but it still looks like an Early English Gothic building. It is made entirely of stone.
The church has a tower at the west end, which now has a low, pyramid-shaped spire. It also has a main worship area (nave) with side aisles, a chancel, a wooden porch, a vestry, a kitchen, and a large hall attached. Most of the windows are tall, narrow lancet windows, and some have stained glass.
St Luke's Church Today
As of 2010, St Luke's Church was one of four United Reformed churches in the Hastings area. The others were St Mark's Church, Clive Vale United Reformed Church, and Robertson Street United Reformed Church in Hastings town centre. However, Robertson Street United Reformed Church closed in 2012.
All these churches belong to the Southern Synod. A Synod is a group that helps manage United Reformed churches in a specific region. The Southern Synod covers churches in South London and the counties of Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, and Surrey.
A local historian named J. Manwaring Baines thought that Silverhill Independent Chapel was the most important church built in Hastings during the 1800s. He admired its "determination to overcome all difficulties." When it joined the Presbyterian church in 1862, it became one of the first Presbyterian churches in southeast England.
On October 5, 1972, the church officially joined the newly formed United Reformed Church. This new group was created by combining several different church traditions. Since then, it has been known as St Luke's United Reformed Church.
The church is officially registered for worship under the Places of Worship Registration Act 1855, with the registration number 23397.
See also
