St Peter's Church, Brighton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Peter's Church, Brighton
Church from the liturgical west
50°49′42.11″N 0°8′5.98″W / 50.8283639°N 0.1349944°W / 50.8283639; -0.1349944
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Evangelical
Website	http://www.stpetersbrighton.org
History
Dedication	Saint Peter
Administration
Parish	Brighton, St Peter
Deanery	Brighton
Archdeaconry	Chichester
Diocese	Chichester
Province	Canterbury

St Peter's Church is a beautiful church located in Brighton, a city in England. It stands right in the middle of the city, on a small island between two main roads: the A23 London Road and the A270 Lewes Road. This church was built between 1824 and 1828. It was designed by a famous architect named Sir Charles Barry. Many people think it's one of the best examples of the Gothic Revival style from before the Victorian era. It's also a Grade II* listed building, which means it's a very important historical building. For many years, from 1873 to 2007, it was Brighton's main parish church. Some people even call it "Brighton's cathedral," even though it's not officially one.

History of St Peter's Church

St Peter's Church started as a "chapel of ease." This means it was a smaller church built to help the main church, St Nicholas, serve the growing community of Brighton. Charles Barry, who was quite young at the time, won a competition to design the new church.

Building the Church

The church was built to look like churches from the 14th and 15th centuries, using a style called Perpendicular Gothic. St Peter's was one of the "Commissioners' churches." These were churches built with money from the government after the Napoleonic Wars to help new towns.

The first stone of the church was laid on May 8, 1824. This spot was once at the edge of Brighton, but the city has grown so much that it's now right in the city centre! The church was officially opened on January 25, 1828.

Changes Over Time

Charles Barry also designed a tall spire for the church in 1841, but it was never built. Inside, the church used to have balconies along the sides, called galleries. These were later removed because of changes in how churches were used and decorated.

In 1898, a part of the church called the apse (a rounded end section) was taken down. A much larger, straight-ended chancel was built in its place. This new part was designed by Somers Clarke and J. T. Mickelthwaite. It was built with warm-colored Sussex sandstone, which looks different from the cooler, white stone used for the rest of the church. The building work finished in 1906. The new chancel was about 16 meters (53 feet) long and 10.5 meters (35 feet) wide.

The church has many beautiful stained-glass windows. Most of them were made by an artist named Charles Eamer Kempe. There's even a window on the north side that remembers Queen Victoria. It was given to the church by the people of Brighton.

St Peter's Church was officially recognized as a Grade II* listed building on March 24, 1950. As of September 2022, it was one of 72 such buildings in Brighton and Hove.

A New Chapter for St Peter's

In December 2007, there was a discussion about whether St Peter's Church should be closed down. However, on May 8, 2009, a very active church from London called Holy Trinity Brompton Church (HTB) decided to take over St Peter's. HTB is well-known for creating the Alpha course, which helps people learn about Christianity.

After HTB took over, services at St Peter's started again on Sunday, November 1, 2009. The church has grown a lot since then, with more than 1000 people attending. The current vicar, Daniel Millest, started in September 2022.

St Peter's Church is very involved in helping the community. They have a project called Safehaven that helps people who are homeless. On Sundays, they have three services: an early morning Holy Communion, a family service, and an evening service for students and young adults. St Peter's has also helped start other churches, including St Cuthman's in the Whitehawk area and another church in Holy Trinity Church, Hastings. In August 2016, the vicar and 30 church members even moved to Portsmouth to start a new church there called Harbour Church, especially for students and young adults.

Church Organ

St Peter's Church used to have a very large pipe organ. It was built in 1888 by Henry Willis for the Hampstead Conservatoire of Music. It was brought to Brighton in 1910. This organ was special because it was one of only three similar instruments in the town. It was also almost exactly like the famous organ in Truro Cathedral.

Sadly, the organ in St Peter's could not be used for several years because of asbestos. In March 2019, it was decided that the organ would be moved. The organ has now been taken out of St Peter's Church. Some of its parts will be used in the chapel at St John's College, Cambridge.

Church Bells

The tower of St Peter's Church has 10 bells. All of these bells were made in 1914 by a company called Mears and Stainbank in London. The largest bell weighs about 1,280 kilograms (25-2-0 cwt) and is tuned to the note D. The bells hang on two levels inside a strong iron frame. These 10 bells replaced an older set of 8 bells. They were given to the church by John Thornton-Rickman.

The bells were silent for almost three years while work was done on the tower. But they rang out again for the first time on Sunday, December 18, 2022!

Photo gallery

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  West end and War Memorial

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  Arch in the liturgical west face of the tower

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  Windows on the liturgical south side of the later chancel

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  Windows on the liturgical south side, the one on the left in the original nave, the one on the right in the later chancel

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  Window on the liturgical south side of the original nave

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  Looking across the church from the liturgical south-east

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  Church undergoing maintenance work in January 2015

See also

• Grade II* listed buildings in Brighton and Hove
• List of places of worship in Brighton and Hove