St Philip's Church, Hove facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Philip, Hove
The church from the northeast
Denomination	Church of England
History
Dedication	St Philip
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	2 November 1992
Administration
Parish	Hove, St Philip
Deanery	Rural Deanery of Hove
Archdeaconry	Chichester
Diocese	Chichester
Province	Canterbury

St Philip's Church is a Church of England parish church located in Hove, a city in Brighton and Hove, England. It first opened its doors in 1895 and was officially dedicated in 1898. The church stands on New Church Road, not far from Aldrington's church, St Leonard's. Even though it has faced the possibility of closing, it is still an active church today. It is also a special Grade II listed building, which means it's an important historic place.

History of St Philip's Church

The road now called New Church Road used to be an old path connecting the ancient villages of Hove and Aldrington. Aldrington had some activity during Roman and Saxon times. However, its population dropped a lot in the 1700s and 1800s. By 1831, only one person lived there!

Building the Church

Hove started growing very quickly in the mid-1800s. This led to new buildings in Aldrington around 1850. St Leonard's Church was rebuilt from its ruined state to serve the growing area. By 1894, Aldrington and Hove had joined together, and Aldrington alone had over 2,200 people.

People decided they needed a new church, sometimes called a "chapel of ease," to serve the area east of St Leonard's Church. The leader of St Leonard's Church bought land from the Duke of Portland in November 1894. He asked John Oldrid Scott, a famous architect's son, to design the new church.

Opening and Growth

Building St Philip's Church took less than a year. The very first service was held on 28 October 1895. However, the official dedication ceremony didn't happen until 29 May 1898. By that time, a lot of money had been spent on building the church and buying the land.

The church was made bigger between 1909 and 1910. This cost about £4,000. During this time, they found out that the original land ownership papers were not correct. A new agreement was made, and the church became the property of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. In 1912, St Philip's got its own parish and its own vicar. Since then, it has had ten vicars.

Later Changes and Special Events

Another addition was made in 1941 when a porch was built. In 1956, the west end of the church was changed into a hall. A large, colorful mural (a big painting on a wall) was added in 1957 and 1958. It was painted by Augustus Lunn and showed scenes from Sussex.

In 1995, the church became famous when a well-known BBC Radio show called Any Questions? was recorded there. On 10 March 1995, important political figures and a journalist discussed topics and answered questions from the audience. The show was broadcast live on BBC Radio 4. Some of the famous people on the panel included Sir Edward Heath, a former Prime Minister from the Conservative party, and Roy Jenkins and Gerald Kaufman, who were ministers from the Labour party.

Church Design and Architecture

The outside of the church uses different materials and colors, mainly red brick.

St Philip's Church is a great example of John Oldrid Scott's building style. Its design is mostly Gothic Revival, which means it looks like older Gothic churches. It uses a style called "Decorated Gothic." What makes it special is how it uses many different colors and types of building materials.

The outside of the church combines knapped flintwork (flint stones shaped by hand), limestone, Bath Stone, and red brickwork. These materials are put together in interesting patterns. The part added between 1909 and 1910 looks exactly like the older parts of the church.

Inside the Church

The church has a long main area called a nave. Three parts of the nave are now used as a church hall. It also has side areas called aisles on the north and south. There's a special area for the altar called the chancel and a small rounded chapel called the Lady chapel with a lead roof. Other parts include a porch, a vestry (a room for clergy), a clerestory (upper windows), and a small spire-like structure called a flèche.

Many of the windows, especially the tall, narrow ones called lancets, have beautiful stained glass. Charles Eamer Kempe, a famous stained glass artist from the Victorian era, designed the window at the east end and one in the south aisle. Local company Cox & Barnard also made three windows. In 1955, Anthony Gilbert designed a window showing Saint George. In 1960, Paul Chapman designed another window showing Saint Cecilia with a musical instrument. In the same year, a window showing the virtue of Charity was put in the nave. A new bell was made for the church in 1961.

Holy Cross Church Connection

The Holy Cross Church

In 1903, the Bishop of Chichester Ernest Wilberforce opened a mission hall. This hall was meant to serve the northern part of St Leonard's and St Philip's parish. This building, called the Holy Cross Church, became part of St Philip's parish in 1912. Later, in 1932, it got its own parish. Today, it is connected to the Bishop Hannington Memorial Church.

Before 1932, the Holy Cross building was used as a church hall, a place for social events, and a place of worship. Even though the vicar of St Philip's later bought land for a new hall, it was never built. This is why part of St Philip's Church itself was changed into a hall in 1956.

St Philip's Church Today

English Heritage officially made St Philip's Church a Grade II listed building on 2 November 1992. This means it is a building of special historic interest.

Around 2000, a group was formed to think about the future of churches in Brighton and Hove. In 2003, this group suggested that St Philip's Church should close and be used for other purposes. They thought this because it was very close to St Leonard's Church, which was an older and more important parish church. Also, the churches were finding it hard to pay for their upkeep. However, as of 2012, St Philip's Church is still open. It holds two services every Sunday. The area it serves, called its parish, is bordered by Portland Road, Westbourne Street, Westbourne Place, the seafront, Wish Road, and Coleman Avenue.

See also

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