St Peter's Church, Aldrington facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Peter's Church
The church from the southwest
50°50′01″N 0°11′06″W / 50.8335°N 0.1849°W / 50.8335; -0.1849
Location	Portland Road, Aldrington, Brighton and Hove BN3 5GD
Country	England
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Website	www.stpeters-hove.org.uk/
History
Status	Parish church
Founded	1904 (as church hall)
Dedication	Saint Peter
Consecrated	28 June 1927
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II listed
Designated	22 February 1988
Architect(s)	Claude Kelly
Style	Romanesque Revival
Groundbreaking	1913
Completed	August 1915
Administration
Parish	Hove, St Peter
Deanery	Brighton and Hove
Diocese	Arundel and Brighton

St Peter's Church is a Roman Catholic church located in the Aldrington area of Hove. Hove is part of the city of Brighton and Hove in England. This church is one of three Roman Catholic churches in Hove. It is also one of eleven in the larger city area.

The church was built between 1912 and 1915. It has a red-brick style that looks like old Roman buildings. Its tall bell tower, called a campanile, is easy to spot and helps people find their way. St Peter's Church is considered important for its design. Because of this, English Heritage has given it a special Grade II listing.

The Story of St Peter's Church

Hove's very first Roman Catholic church was the Church of the Sacred Heart. It was on Norton Road. In the early 1900s, the priest from that church bought some land. This land was on Portland Road, a main road going west from Hove. The plan was to build a new church there.

In 1902, a hall was built on this land. It was named after St Peter. The first church service, called Mass, was held there in 1904. For a while, it was part of the Sacred Heart parish. But in 1920, St Peter's became its own separate parish.

An architect named Dixon first drew plans for a new church in 1912. The local Council approved these plans in September of that year. However, Dixon's designs were not used. Instead, a different architect, Claude Kelly, was chosen. He submitted his own design in 1913.

Building the Church

A new priest arrived in 1915. He helped raise a lot of money, about £9,000, to build Kelly's church. The building was finished in August 1915. Claude Kelly's father, John Kelly, was also an architect. He had designed many churches. It is thought he helped his son with this project. Another church architect, J. Marshall, might have worked on it too.

St Peter's Church was not officially blessed, or consecrated, until June 28, 1927. This happened after some improvements were made inside the church. The original pews (church benches) and pulpit (where the priest speaks) were replaced in 1929. A church member also gave the church an organ. This organ was made by a famous company called Henry Willis & Sons.

Church Design and Features

The church is built with red bricks laid in a special pattern. Its roofs are made of slate. Inside, the main part of the church, called the nave, has six sections. It also has aisles on the north and south sides. The south aisle has three small chapels. There is also a Lady chapel with a round roof and two tall, narrow windows. The chancel (area around the altar) and apse (rounded end) have a similar roof design.

A building for the priests, called a presbytery, is next to the church on the northeast side. On the opposite corner is the church's most famous part: a tall campanile, or bell tower. It has a bell-chamber and a copper roof. The main entrance is at the west end. It has columns on either side and a large round window above it.

English Heritage described the church as "startling." They said it looks very much like an Italian-style basilica. The inside of the church is also very impressive. It uses a lot of colorful marble. The ceiling is shaped like a half-cylinder, which is called a barrel-vaulted ceiling.

In 2019, the plain glass in the large round window was replaced. A new rose window was designed by DTForsdyke. It was made by DTForsdyke & Silver Stained Glass. This new window was created to celebrate the church's 100th birthday.

St Peter's Church Today

St Peter's Church was officially listed as a Grade II building by English Heritage on February 22, 1988. It is one of many important buildings in the city of Brighton and Hove.

Church services, called Mass, are held every weekday morning. There is also a Mass on Saturday evenings. On Sundays, there are three Masses. The church also has regular times for Eucharistic adoration, Confession, and prayer.

St Peter's is one of eleven Roman Catholic churches in Brighton and Hove. The Church of the Sacred Heart, which used to be its main church, is also in Hove. So is St George's Church in West Blatchington. There are six Roman Catholic churches in Brighton. There is also one in Rottingdean and one in Woodingdean.

Images for kids

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  The church from the southwest