St Mary's Church, Preston Park Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church

50°50′41″N 0°08′45″W / 50.8447°N 0.1458°W / 50.8447; -0.1458
OS grid reference	TQ3062706664
Location	Preston Village, East Sussex
Country	England
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	https://www.brightonstmary.com/
History
Status	Active
Dedication	Blessed Virgin Mary
Architecture
Functional status	Parish church
Heritage designation	Grade II listed
Designated	4 June 2015
Architect(s)	Percy Aiden Lamb
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	9 August 1910
Completed	7 April 1912
Administration
Deanery	Brighton and Hove
Diocese	Arundel and Brighton
Province	Southwark

St Mary's Church is a Roman Catholic church in the Preston Village area of Brighton and Hove, England. It is a special kind of church called a Parish church, which means it serves the local community. The church was built between 1910 and 1912. It has a beautiful Gothic Revival style with Arts and Crafts touches. You can find it on Surrenden Road, right across from Preston Park. A famous architect named Percy Aiden Lamb designed it. St Mary's Church is so important that it is a Grade II listed building. This means it is protected because of its historical and architectural value.

History of St Mary's Church
Church Services
Inside the Church
See also

History of St Mary's Church

How the Church Started

In 1903, a group of nuns called the Sisters of Charity came to Brighton from France. They were looking for a new home because of changes happening in their own country. At first, they helped out at St Joseph's Church in Brighton.

In 1904, the Bishop of Southwark, Peter Amigo, asked the sisters to open a school in the Withdean area. The chapel at their convent also became a place where local Catholic people could go to church. As more people started coming, a priest named Fr Frederick Hopper decided that a new, bigger church was needed for the area.

Building the Church

The land for St Mary's Church was bought in 1907 from the Preston Manor estate. A generous couple, Catherine and Denis Broderick, gave money to help build the church.

The first stone was laid on August 9, 1910. The church building was finished in 1912. The very first church service, called a Mass, happened on April 7, 1912. There was a small delay in building because of a disagreement. Mr. Broderick wanted the main altar area (called the sanctuary) built first. But Fr Hopper wanted to build a tall tower. In the end, a tower was built, but some parts of the east side of the church were left unfinished for a while.

Percy Aidan Lamb was the architect who designed St Mary's Church. He started his own architecture business in London in 1907. Before that, he learned from another famous architect, Edward Goldie. He also worked on the building of Westminster Cathedral from 1895 to 1907. Lamb designed St Mary's Church in the Gothic Revival style, which looks like old medieval churches, but with modern Arts and Crafts details. He also designed the church's font, which is a special bowl used for baptisms. It was made from onyx stone by a company called J. Whitehead & Son. The stone columns used for the font were originally meant for Westminster Cathedral!

Changes Over Time

In 1918, the old high altar was brought to St Mary's Church from the old Xaverian College in Brighton. The wooden benches, called pews, where people sit in the church, were made by the church members themselves. They were inspired by the pews in another church in Kent.

In the 1950s, the inside of the church was updated. The floor was replaced, and a decorative screen behind the altar, called a reredos, was removed. In 1978, a house for the priests, called a presbytery, was built next to the church. The main altar area (sanctuary) was also made bigger and shaped like a polygon. Both of these additions were designed by an architect named Patrick Foley. In 1979, a beautiful new stained glass window was added to the east side of the church. It was designed by Cox & Barnard.

In 2004, the church planned to build a new community center. This was made possible with money from Cyril Cassidy and ideas from the priest, Canon Oliver Heaney. The new building, called the Cassidy Centre, opened in 2007. It is connected to the east end of the church. Stephen Wright from Morgan Carn, a Brighton-based firm, designed it. In the same year, another stained glass window was added behind the font. This one was designed by Caroline Benyon. The convent, where the Sisters of Charity lived and which helped start St Mary's Church, closed in 2011.

Church Services

St Mary's Church holds several services each week.

On Saturday evening, there is a Mass at 6:00 pm.
On Sunday, there are two Masses: one at 10:00 am and another at 12 midday.
During the week, there are Masses at 10:00 am on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.