St Mary Magdalene's Church, St Leonards-on-Sea
Encyclopedia
St Mary Magdalene's Church is a Greek Orthodox
place of worship in St Leonards-on-Sea
, a town and seaside resort which is part of the Borough of Hastings
in East Sussex
, England. Built in 1852 for Anglican worshippers in the growing new town of St Leonards-on-Sea, a seaside resort which had been laid out from the 1820s, the church's prominent position on the skyline overlooking the town was enhanced in 1872 by the addition of a tower. No longer required by the Anglican community in the 1980s, it was quickly bought by the Greek Orthodox Church
and converted into a place of worship in accordance with their requirements. The alterations were minimal, though, and the building retains many of its original fittings and its "archaeologically correct Gothic" exterior which reflected architectural norms of the early Victorian era
. English Heritage
has listed the church at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
coast was one of Sussex's largest and most important towns. The famous Battle
of 1066 took place nearby; a castle
was founded; the town operated its own mint; it was the leader of the Cinque Ports
; and seven churches existed within its boundaries. The surrounding manors
included Gensing, a large and attractive expanse of land running down from a forested valley on to flat agricultural land and a beach immediately west of the town. As Hastings recovered from an 18th-century slump and started to become fashionable and well patronised again in the early 19th century, speculative development was encouraged.
James Burton
, a builder and entrepreneur who later fathered the prominent architect Decimus Burton
, saw the potential of the Gensing estate land, which was owned by the Eversfield Baronets
of Denne Park near Horsham
, West Sussex. He bought a large section of this manor, including 1151 yards (1,052.5 m) of seafront land, for £7,800 in February 1828, and rapidly developed a closely planned new town, St Leonards-on-Sea, on it. Residential, commercial and hotel development was rapid, especially after it was incorporated as a town by an Act of Parliament
in 1832 (previously it had been run as a private enterprise by Burton), and the resort soon rivalled neighbouring Hastings in popularity.
Burton provided the town with its first Anglican
church, St Leonard's Church, in 1831. The 800-capacity seafront building was consecrated in 1834. After Burton's death in 1837, the town continued to grow in all directions, helped by the opening of St Leonards Warrior Square railway station
in 1851. This was close to the square of that name, an early Victorian-era set piece (started in the early 1850s), which helped to push St Leonards-on-Sea's boundaries closer to those of Hastings.
St Leonard's Church, the parish church
, was in the western part of the resort, on the seafront road called Marina. This was the only Anglican place of worship in the town, and in 1848 a Roman Catholic place of worship was established near Warrior Square when Augustus Pugin's Convent of the Holy Child Jesus opened its chapel for public worship; so in June 1850 a group of promoters contacted the Incorporated Church Building Society and applied for money to build a new church to serve the eastern part of St Leonards-on-Sea.
The land Burton bought straddled two parish boundaries: St Leonard's and St Mary Magdalene's. St Leonard's was named in reference to one of Hastings' ancient parish churches which apparently vanished by the early 15th century. It belonged to an abbey in Rouen
in France before that. St Mary Magdalene's parish, to the east, was first described in 1656, but there was no ancient church of that dedication in the area; instead there was a medieval Hospital of St Mary Magdalene, from which the name may have come. The new church then took the name of this ancient parish.
Charles Eversfield of the Eversfield Baronets
gave the site for the church—a high, landmark site overlooking Warrior Square. Funding came from the Bishop of Chichester
, the vicar of St Leonard's parish church and others. A building committee was assembled to administer the design and construction process. Sir Thomas Smith Marrable was a member, and his son Frederick
was commissioned to design the church. Work on the Decorated Gothic-style building started in 1852, and the church opened in that year. It had a capacity of 822 worshippers, split approximately equally between free and paid-for pews. The ecclesiastical parish was officially reconstituted in 1870. The building cost £12,000—expensive for the time.
The plans provided for a tower and a large spire. The latter was never added, but in 1872 a tower was built at the southwest corner. Other work carried out in this year included the addition of an organ chamber (in the form of an apse
) and a vestry
, and a new east window in the chancel
. Stained glass
windows by Morris & Co.
were added in 1882. A church hall, a simple brick structure, was built on the northwest side in 1935.
The Diocese of Chichester
declared the church redundant
in 1980. Soon afterwards, it was bought by the local Greek Orthodox community; various sources give 1981, 1982 or 1983 for the year. They installed an iconostasis
in 1983 as the central feature of the church.
laid in ashlar
blocks. The Decorated Gothic Revival design matches the typical style of a 14th-century church.
The plan consists of a clerestoried
nave
with aisles on the north and south sides, a chancel
at a lower level, a buttress
ed four-stage tower with a beacon-style turret, a porch and a vestry on the north side. The aisles have five bays
each and are separated from the nave by arcades. The tower rises from the westernmost bay of the south aisle and has paired lancet window
s on each face of its top (bell) stage. The chancel has a hammerbeam roof
in a Perpendicular Gothic style.
Writing in 1965, Ian Nairn
and Nikolaus Pevsner
stated that the interior was "not specially interesting", but several original features remain. Stained glass
of the 19th century—some of which was destroyed in bomb attacks in 1943—included examples by Marrable himself, Heaton, Butler and Bayne
, William Miller, Clayton and Bell
, Edward Burne-Jones
and the Morris & Co. window in the south aisle. A three-seat sedilia
and adjacent piscina
, both with ogee
-shaped heads, remain in the south wall, and there is a reredos
with a carving of the Last Supper
. An ogee-panelled porch and an octagonal font
with carvings also survive.
on 14 September 1976. This defines it as a "nationally important" building of "special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 521 Grade II listed buildings, and 535 listed buildings of all grades, in the borough of Hastings. It is one of several listed churches in St Leonards-on-Sea: the Anglican churches of Christ Church
, St Peter's
and St John the Evangelist's
are classed at the higher Grade II*, while St Leonard's Anglican parish church, St Leonard's Baptist Church
and the Roman Catholic Church of St Thomas of Canterbury and English Martyrs
, along with a former United Reformed Church
, are also Grade II-listed.
The church is in the Hastings and St Leonards parish of the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. It is served by two priests, one of whom also serves the Greek Orthodox Church of St Panteleimon and St Theodore in the nearby seaside resort of Eastbourne
. This was converted from a Calvinistic
Independent Baptist chapel built in 1857. Similarly, the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity
in the Carlton Hill
area of Brighton
was converted from a redundant Anglican church in 1985.
Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity sharing a common cultural tradition whose liturgy is also traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament...
place of worship in St Leonards-on-Sea
St Leonards-on-Sea
St Leonards-on-Sea is part of Hastings, East Sussex, England, lying immediately to the west of the centre. The original part of the settlement was laid out in the early 19th century as a new town: a place of elegant houses designed for the well-off; it also included a central public garden, a...
, a town and seaside resort which is part of the Borough of Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, England. Built in 1852 for Anglican worshippers in the growing new town of St Leonards-on-Sea, a seaside resort which had been laid out from the 1820s, the church's prominent position on the skyline overlooking the town was enhanced in 1872 by the addition of a tower. No longer required by the Anglican community in the 1980s, it was quickly bought by the Greek Orthodox Church
Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity sharing a common cultural tradition whose liturgy is also traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament...
and converted into a place of worship in accordance with their requirements. The alterations were minimal, though, and the building retains many of its original fittings and its "archaeologically correct Gothic" exterior which reflected architectural norms of the early Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
has listed the church at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
History
By the 12th century, Hastings on the English ChannelEnglish Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
coast was one of Sussex's largest and most important towns. The famous Battle
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
of 1066 took place nearby; a castle
Hastings Castle
Hastings Castle is situated in the town of Hastings, East Sussex .Before or immediately after landing in England in 1066 William of Normandy ordered three fortifications to be built, Pevensey Castle in September 1066, Hastings and Dover, a few days after the battle. Hastings Castle was originally...
was founded; the town operated its own mint; it was the leader of the Cinque Ports
Cinque Ports
The Confederation of Cinque Ports is a historic series of coastal towns in Kent and Sussex. It was originally formed for military and trade purposes, but is now entirely ceremonial. It lies at the eastern end of the English Channel, where the crossing to the continent is narrowest...
; and seven churches existed within its boundaries. The surrounding manors
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
included Gensing, a large and attractive expanse of land running down from a forested valley on to flat agricultural land and a beach immediately west of the town. As Hastings recovered from an 18th-century slump and started to become fashionable and well patronised again in the early 19th century, speculative development was encouraged.
James Burton
James Burton (1761–1837)
James Burton was a builder and developer, responsible for large areas of Bloomsbury and the houses around Regent's Park in London. He later founded the new town of St Leonards-on-Sea, which is now part of the built-up area of Hastings...
, a builder and entrepreneur who later fathered the prominent architect Decimus Burton
Decimus Burton
Decimus Burton was a prolific English architect and garden designer, He is particularly associated with projects in the classical style in London parks, including buildings at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and London Zoo, and with the layout and architecture of the seaside towns of Fleetwood and...
, saw the potential of the Gensing estate land, which was owned by the Eversfield Baronets
Eversfield Baronets
The Fermor, later Eversfield Baronetcy, of Welches in the County of Suffolk and of Sevenoak in the County of Kent, was a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain. It was created on 4 May 1725 for Henry Fermor, with remainder in default of male issue of his own to Charles Eversfield, of Denne Park,...
of Denne Park near Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
, West Sussex. He bought a large section of this manor, including 1151 yards (1,052.5 m) of seafront land, for £7,800 in February 1828, and rapidly developed a closely planned new town, St Leonards-on-Sea, on it. Residential, commercial and hotel development was rapid, especially after it was incorporated as a town by an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
in 1832 (previously it had been run as a private enterprise by Burton), and the resort soon rivalled neighbouring Hastings in popularity.
Burton provided the town with its first Anglican
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, St Leonard's Church, in 1831. The 800-capacity seafront building was consecrated in 1834. After Burton's death in 1837, the town continued to grow in all directions, helped by the opening of St Leonards Warrior Square railway station
St Leonards Warrior Square railway station
St Leonards Warrior Square railway station is one of four railway stations serving Hastings in East Sussex, England. It is on the Hastings Line and the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southeastern and Southern.- History :...
in 1851. This was close to the square of that name, an early Victorian-era set piece (started in the early 1850s), which helped to push St Leonards-on-Sea's boundaries closer to those of Hastings.
St Leonard's Church, the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
, was in the western part of the resort, on the seafront road called Marina. This was the only Anglican place of worship in the town, and in 1848 a Roman Catholic place of worship was established near Warrior Square when Augustus Pugin's Convent of the Holy Child Jesus opened its chapel for public worship; so in June 1850 a group of promoters contacted the Incorporated Church Building Society and applied for money to build a new church to serve the eastern part of St Leonards-on-Sea.
The land Burton bought straddled two parish boundaries: St Leonard's and St Mary Magdalene's. St Leonard's was named in reference to one of Hastings' ancient parish churches which apparently vanished by the early 15th century. It belonged to an abbey in Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
in France before that. St Mary Magdalene's parish, to the east, was first described in 1656, but there was no ancient church of that dedication in the area; instead there was a medieval Hospital of St Mary Magdalene, from which the name may have come. The new church then took the name of this ancient parish.
Charles Eversfield of the Eversfield Baronets
Eversfield Baronets
The Fermor, later Eversfield Baronetcy, of Welches in the County of Suffolk and of Sevenoak in the County of Kent, was a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain. It was created on 4 May 1725 for Henry Fermor, with remainder in default of male issue of his own to Charles Eversfield, of Denne Park,...
gave the site for the church—a high, landmark site overlooking Warrior Square. Funding came from 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...
, the vicar of St Leonard's parish church and others. A building committee was assembled to administer the design and construction process. Sir Thomas Smith Marrable was a member, and his son Frederick
Frederick Marrable
Frederick Marrable was a British architect who was notable as the first Chief Architect for the Metropolitan Board of Works, responsible for designing its headquarters.-Early career:...
was commissioned to design the church. Work on the Decorated Gothic-style building started in 1852, and the church opened in that year. It had a capacity of 822 worshippers, split approximately equally between free and paid-for pews. The ecclesiastical parish was officially reconstituted in 1870. The building cost £12,000—expensive for the time.
The plans provided for a tower and a large spire. The latter was never added, but in 1872 a tower was built at the southwest corner. Other work carried out in this year included the addition of an organ chamber (in the form of an apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
) and a 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....
, and a new east window in the 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...
. 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...
windows by Morris & Co.
Morris & Co.
Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co. and its successor Morris & Co. were furnishings and decorative arts manufacturers and retailers founded by the Pre-Raphaelite artist and designer William Morris...
were added in 1882. A church hall, a simple brick structure, was built on the northwest side in 1935.
The Diocese of Chichester
Diocese of Chichester
The Diocese of Chichester is a Church of England diocese based in Chichester, covering Sussex. It was created in 1075 to replace the old Diocese of Selsey, which was based at Selsey Abbey from 681. The cathedral is Chichester Cathedral and the bishop is the Bishop of Chichester...
declared the church redundant
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
in 1980. Soon afterwards, it was bought by the local Greek Orthodox community; various sources give 1981, 1982 or 1983 for the year. They installed an iconostasis
Iconostasis
In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church...
in 1983 as the central feature of the church.
Architecture
St Mary Magdalene's Church is an expensively designed, "archaeologically correct" Decorated Gothic Revival church whose design was exactly in accordance with architectural norms of the mid-19th century. As a "large and imposing" building on a prominent, high corner site (a feature typical of the churches of St Leonards-on-Sea and Hastings), it makes a "handsome composition" within the townscape. Another characteristic feature, similar to other local churches, is the extensive use of locally quarried stone. The interior and exterior walls are of sandstoneSandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
laid in ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
blocks. The Decorated Gothic Revival design matches the typical style of a 14th-century church.
The plan consists of a clerestoried
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
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...
with aisles on the north and south sides, a 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...
at a lower level, a buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
ed four-stage tower with a beacon-style turret, a porch and a vestry on the north side. The aisles have five bays
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:...
each and are separated from the nave by arcades. The tower rises from the westernmost bay of the south aisle and has paired 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 on each face of its top (bell) stage. The chancel has a hammerbeam roof
Hammerbeam roof
Hammerbeam roof, in architecture, is the name given to an open timber roof, typical of English Gothic architecture, using short beams projecting from the wall.- Design :...
in a Perpendicular Gothic style.
Writing in 1965, Ian Nairn
Ian Nairn
Ian Nairn was a British architectural critic and topographer.He had no formal architecture qualifications; he was a mathematics graduate and a Royal Air Force pilot...
and 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...
stated that the interior was "not specially interesting", but several original features remain. 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...
of the 19th century—some of which was destroyed in bomb attacks in 1943—included examples by Marrable himself, Heaton, Butler and Bayne
Heaton, Butler and Bayne
Heaton, Butler and Bayne is the name of an English firm who produced stained glass windows from 1855 onwards.-History:Clement Heaton originally founded his own stained glass firm in 1852, joined by James Butler in 1855. Between 1859-61 they worked alongside Clayton and Bell and were joined by...
, William Miller, Clayton and Bell
Clayton and Bell
Clayton and Bell was one of the most prolific and proficient workshops of English stained glass during the latter half of the 19th century. The partners were John Richard Clayton and Alfred Bell . The company was founded in 1855 and continued until 1993...
, Edward Burne-Jones
Edward Burne-Jones
Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet was a British artist and designer closely associated with the later phase of the Pre-Raphaelite movement, who worked closely with William Morris on a wide range of decorative arts as a founding partner in Morris, Marshall, Faulkner, and Company...
and the Morris & Co. window in the south aisle. A three-seat sedilia
Sedilia
Sedilia , in ecclesiastical architecture, is the term used to describe stone seats, usually to be found on the south side of an altar, often in the chancel, for the use of the officiating priests...
and adjacent piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
, both with ogee
Ogee
An ogee is a curve , shaped somewhat like an S, consisting of two arcs that curve in opposite senses, so that the ends are parallel....
-shaped heads, remain in the south wall, and there is a 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....
with a carving of the Last Supper
Last Supper
The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...
. An ogee-panelled porch and 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:...
with carvings also survive.
The church today
St Mary Magdalene's Church was listed at Grade II by English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on 14 September 1976. This defines it as a "nationally important" building of "special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 521 Grade II listed buildings, and 535 listed buildings of all grades, in the borough of Hastings. It is one of several listed churches in St Leonards-on-Sea: the Anglican churches of Christ Church
Christ Church, St Leonards-on-Sea
Christ Church is an Anglican church in the town and seaside resort of St Leonards-on-Sea, part of the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England...
, St Peter's
St Peter's Church, St Leonards-on-Sea
St Peter's Church is an Anglican church in the Bohemia area of the town and seaside resort of , part of the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. Founded in 1883 in response to the rapid residential growth of this part of St Leonards-on-Sea, the "outstanding late Victorian church" was...
and St John the Evangelist's
St John the Evangelist's Church, St Leonards-on-Sea
St John the Evangelist's Church is the Anglican parish church of the Upper St Leonards area of St Leonards-on-Sea, a town and seaside resort which is part of the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England...
are classed at the higher Grade II*, while St Leonard's Anglican parish church, St Leonard's Baptist Church
St Leonard's Baptist Church, St Leonards-on-Sea
St Leonard's Baptist Church is the Baptist place of worship serving St Leonards-on-Sea, a town and seaside resort which is part of the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England...
and the Roman Catholic Church of St Thomas of Canterbury and English Martyrs
Church of St Thomas of Canterbury and English Martyrs, St Leonards-on-Sea
The Church of St Thomas of Canterbury and English Martyrs is the Roman Catholic church serving St Leonards-on-Sea, a town and seaside resort which is part of the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England...
, along with a former United Reformed Church
St Leonards-on-Sea United Reformed Church
St Leonards-on-Sea United Reformed Church is a former United Reformed church in St Leonards-on-Sea, part of the town and borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England...
, are also Grade II-listed.
The church is in the Hastings and St Leonards parish of the Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. It is served by two priests, one of whom also serves the Greek Orthodox Church of St Panteleimon and St Theodore in the nearby seaside resort of Eastbourne
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
. This was converted from a Calvinistic
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
Independent Baptist chapel built in 1857. Similarly, the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity
Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity, Brighton
The Church of the Holy Trinity is a Greek Orthodox church in Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. Built in 1838 in one of Brighton's most notorious slum districts, Carlton Hill, it was an Anglican church for most of its life: dedicated to St John the Evangelist, it was used by...
in the Carlton Hill
Carlton Hill, Brighton
Carlton Hill is an inner-city area of Brighton, part of the English city and seaside resort of Brighton and Hove. First developed in the early and mid-19th century on steeply sloping farmland east of central Brighton, it grew rapidly as the town became a fashionable, high-class destination...
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...
was converted from a redundant Anglican church in 1985.