St Luke's Church, Queen's Park, Brighton
Encyclopedia
St Luke's Church is an Anglican
church in the Queen's Park
area of Brighton
, part of the English
city of Brighton and Hove. Occupying a large corner site on Queen's Park Road, it was designed in the 1880s by Sir Arthur Blomfield
in the Early English style, and has been given listed building status because of its architectural importance.
was hired to design decorative entrances and a villa for the park's owner. Housing development around the park had started in the 1810s and continued throughout the 19th century. The first Anglican place of worship in the area was built in 1875 and became a chapel of ease
to St Mary's Church in Kemptown
when that church was completed. The red-brick building was on the west side of Queen's Park Road. In 1880 a separate parish was established, and preparatory work on the new church started the following year on the opposite side of the road. The site was bought for £900; the foundation stone
was laid in 1882 by the Bishop of Chichester
, Richard Durnford; and Arthur Blomfield finished the church in 1885, apart from a proposed spire
which was never built because of a lack of money. The new St Luke's Church was consecrated on 16 April 1885. The 1875 building held services until then; it then became the church hall until it was gutted by fire and demolished in the 1970s, after which flats were built on the site.
The first vicar of St Luke's was Revd Walter Firth, a follower of Tractarianism
; services were "High church
" in style. He worked hard to alleviate poverty and improve people's lives in the densely populated parish, especially by establishing educational and charitable activities. This style of worship continued under subsequent vicars in the early decades of the church, and became re-established in the 1970s. A memorial to the then-incumbent vicar Arthur Young's son, who died in World War I
, was erected in 1918; two years later a memorial to all parishioners who had died in the war was added. Finances were always tight, and electricity was not installed until 1947, at which time internal repairs were carried out and some new fittings were added. Despite this, the church was threatened with demolition in 1950; petitions and fundraising were successful in reversing this decision, which had it gone ahead would have resulted in parishioners transferring to St Martin's Church
within a newly enlarged parish of St Martin.
The parish of St Luke existed as a separate entity until 1974, when it was merged into the newly constituted Parish of the Resurrection. Six years earlier it had been enlarged substantially, both in area and in the number of parishioners served, when the nearby St Matthew's Church closed down and its congregation was transferred to St Luke's. On 1 February 2009 the Team Ministry and Parish of the Resurrection was dissolved and St Luke's once again became a separate parish in its own right. The last team vicar, Fr Christopher Woodman, became the first incumbent of the new parish.
The church is built predominantly of flint
with mouldings
and window dressings of stone. Internally very spacious, it can hold up to 900 people. Its south and west elevations face the street. At the east end is a three-bay
chancel
flanked by a Lady chapel
and vestry
to the south and north respectively. This adjoins the four-bay, north- and south-aisled nave
, at the southwest corner of which is the octagonal tower. A substantial, three-stage structure with a shallow cap at the same height as the nave roof, the tower was in fact intended to be much taller and topped with a spire rising to 160 feet (48.8 m); but the extension and spire were never built. The entrance is in a porch which runs along the length of the west face.
Lancet window
s predominate, typical of the Early English Gothic architectural style of which St Luke's is a revival. The east face has a set of five grouped together between two buttress
es. The Lady chapel has a similar group of three on its east side—with stained glass
by Charles Eamer Kempe
—and three single lancets in the south face. The west face, above the entrance, has three paired lancets with small quatrefoil
windows above them.
The chancel and Lady chapel have vaulted wooden ceilings with corbel
led supporting arches. The chancel and nave are linked by an arch and are at different levels. The nave roof is also of timber and is divided into sections corresponding with the four bays below. A highly decorative carved reredos
in five sections is behind the altar
. The church's most distinctive design element is the unusual layout of gables and windows in the north and south aisles; Nikolaus Pevsner
described it as "curious" and a "disturbing motif". In the aisles, the bays have a sequence of alternating designs: one set has a cross-gable with timber barrel vault
roof and a tall single window, and the other set has a lower, simple roof and a pair of small windows with a tracery
design. The "curiosity" is that each gabled bay in the north aisle is opposed by a low-roofed bay in the south aisle and vice versa, rather than the pattern being identical in both aisles.
An organ
was installed in 1885 in a chamber in the east end of the nave. At the west end, one bay was converted in the 1960s into a room for general use. Internal fixtures include an octagonal font
, balustraded pulpit
, choir stall in the chancel and the reredos.
, and there is much use of music. There are two services every Sunday and Masses on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in the Queen's Park
Queen's Park, Brighton
Queen's Park is an administrative ward and a public park in Brighton, England.The area lies to the east of the centre of Brighton, north of Kemptown and south-east of Hanover. It is largely made up of Victorian terraced houses, with a smaller number of detached and semi-detached houses...
area of Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, part of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
city of Brighton and Hove. Occupying a large corner site on Queen's Park Road, it was designed in the 1880s by Sir Arthur Blomfield
Arthur Blomfield
Sir Arthur William Blomfield was an English architect.-Background:The fourth son of Charles James Blomfield, an Anglican Bishop of London helpfully began a programme of new church construction in the capital. Born in Fulham Palace, Arthur Blomfield was educated at Rugby and Trinity College,...
in the Early English style, and has been given listed building status because of its architectural importance.
History
Queen's Park was laid out as an ornamental park of 15.3 acres (6.2 ha) in 1824. Charles BarryCharles Barry
Sir Charles Barry FRS was an English architect, best known for his role in the rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster in London during the mid-19th century, but also responsible for numerous other buildings and gardens.- Background and training :Born on 23 May 1795 in Bridge Street, Westminster...
was hired to design decorative entrances and a villa for the park's owner. Housing development around the park had started in the 1810s and continued throughout the 19th century. The first Anglican place of worship in the area was built in 1875 and became a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
to St Mary's Church in Kemptown
Kemptown
Kemptown is a small community running along the King's Cliff to Black Rock in the east of Brighton, East Sussex, England.-History:The area takes its name from Thomas Read Kemp's Kemp Town residential estate of the early 19th Century, but the one-word name now refers to an area larger than the...
when that church was completed. The red-brick building was on the west side of Queen's Park Road. In 1880 a separate parish was established, and preparatory work on the new church started the following year on the opposite side of the road. The site was bought for £900; the foundation stone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
was laid in 1882 by the Bishop of Chichester
Bishop of Chichester
The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the Counties of East and West Sussex. The see is in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity...
, Richard Durnford; and Arthur Blomfield finished the church in 1885, apart from a proposed spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
which was never built because of a lack of money. The new St Luke's Church was consecrated on 16 April 1885. The 1875 building held services until then; it then became the church hall until it was gutted by fire and demolished in the 1970s, after which flats were built on the site.
The first vicar of St Luke's was Revd Walter Firth, a follower of Tractarianism
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of High Church Anglicans, eventually developing into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose members were often associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of lost Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy...
; services were "High church
High church
The term "High Church" refers to beliefs and practices of ecclesiology, liturgy and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality, and resistance to "modernization." Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term has traditionally been principally associated with the...
" in style. He worked hard to alleviate poverty and improve people's lives in the densely populated parish, especially by establishing educational and charitable activities. This style of worship continued under subsequent vicars in the early decades of the church, and became re-established in the 1970s. A memorial to the then-incumbent vicar Arthur Young's son, who died in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, was erected in 1918; two years later a memorial to all parishioners who had died in the war was added. Finances were always tight, and electricity was not installed until 1947, at which time internal repairs were carried out and some new fittings were added. Despite this, the church was threatened with demolition in 1950; petitions and fundraising were successful in reversing this decision, which had it gone ahead would have resulted in parishioners transferring to St Martin's Church
St Martin's Church, Brighton
St Martin's Church is an Anglican church in Brighton, England, dating from the mid-Victorian era. It is located on the Lewes Road in the Round Hill area of the city, northeast of the city centre and approximately north of the seafront...
within a newly enlarged parish of St Martin.
The parish of St Luke existed as a separate entity until 1974, when it was merged into the newly constituted Parish of the Resurrection. Six years earlier it had been enlarged substantially, both in area and in the number of parishioners served, when the nearby St Matthew's Church closed down and its congregation was transferred to St Luke's. On 1 February 2009 the Team Ministry and Parish of the Resurrection was dissolved and St Luke's once again became a separate parish in its own right. The last team vicar, Fr Christopher Woodman, became the first incumbent of the new parish.
Architecture
Flint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
with mouldings
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
and window dressings of stone. Internally very spacious, it can hold up to 900 people. Its south and west elevations face the street. At the east end is a three-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
flanked by a Lady chapel
Lady chapel
A Lady chapel, also called Mary chapel or Marian chapel, is a traditional English term for a chapel inside a cathedral, basilica, or large church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary...
and vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
to the south and north respectively. This adjoins the four-bay, north- and south-aisled nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, at the southwest corner of which is the octagonal tower. A substantial, three-stage structure with a shallow cap at the same height as the nave roof, the tower was in fact intended to be much taller and topped with a spire rising to 160 feet (48.8 m); but the extension and spire were never built. The entrance is in a porch which runs along the length of the west face.
Lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s predominate, typical of the Early English Gothic architectural style of which St Luke's is a revival. The east face has a set of five grouped together between two buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es. The Lady chapel has a similar group of three on its east side—with stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
by Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
—and three single lancets in the south face. The west face, above the entrance, has three paired lancets with small quatrefoil
Quatrefoil
The word quatrefoil etymologically means "four leaves", and applies to general four-lobed shapes in various contexts.-In heraldry:In heraldic terminology, a quatrefoil is a representation of a flower with four petals, or a leaf with four leaflets . It is sometimes shown "slipped", i.e. with an...
windows above them.
The chancel and Lady chapel have vaulted wooden ceilings with corbel
Corbel
In architecture a corbel is a piece of stone jutting out of a wall to carry any superincumbent weight. A piece of timber projecting in the same way was called a "tassel" or a "bragger". The technique of corbelling, where rows of corbels deeply keyed inside a wall support a projecting wall or...
led supporting arches. The chancel and nave are linked by an arch and are at different levels. The nave roof is also of timber and is divided into sections corresponding with the four bays below. A highly decorative carved reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
in five sections is behind the altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
. The church's most distinctive design element is the unusual layout of gables and windows in the north and south aisles; Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
described it as "curious" and a "disturbing motif". In the aisles, the bays have a sequence of alternating designs: one set has a cross-gable with timber barrel vault
Barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault or a wagon vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve along a given distance. The curves are typically circular in shape, lending a semi-cylindrical appearance to the total design...
roof and a tall single window, and the other set has a lower, simple roof and a pair of small windows with a tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
design. The "curiosity" is that each gabled bay in the north aisle is opposed by a low-roofed bay in the south aisle and vice versa, rather than the pattern being identical in both aisles.
An organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
was installed in 1885 in a chamber in the east end of the nave. At the west end, one bay was converted in the 1960s into a room for general use. Internal fixtures include an octagonal font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
, balustraded pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
, choir stall in the chancel and the reredos.
The church today
St Luke's was listed at Grade II on 26 August 1999. Worship is in a traditional Catholic styleAnglo-Catholicism
The terms Anglo-Catholic and Anglo-Catholicism describe people, beliefs and practices within Anglicanism that affirm the Catholic, rather than Protestant, heritage and identity of the Anglican churches....
, and there is much use of music. There are two services every Sunday and Masses on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.