St Patrick's Church, Hove
Encyclopedia
St Patrick's Church is an Anglican
church in Hove
, in the English
city of Brighton and Hove. Situated on a narrow site in Cambridge Road, off Western Road close to the boundary with Brighton, it is still in use as a place of worship, but since 1985 it has also been used as a night shelter
for homeless people. Most of the interior of the building is now dedicated to this role.
had been developed from 1824 onwards at the eastern edge of Hove, on the border with Brighton, on land originally belonging to Wick Farm. In 1851, the whole of the Wick Farm estate passed into the control of the Brunswick Square Commissioners. This land was rapidly developed as a residential area by Sir Isaac Goldsmid, 1st Baronet. St Andrew's Church in Waterloo Street
, nominally the church of the Brunswick Estate, was a long way from this new housing and, being used mainly by the aristocratic classes, only had eighty pews which were not subject to pew rental fees. This made it unsuitable for the lower-class, poorer residents of the new development, so an Irish priest, Dr James O'Brien, decided to build another church in the area. As with several other churches in Brighton and Hove at that time, this was a proprietary chapel which he owned and ran himself, gaining an income from pew rents, marriage and funeral fees and various other sources. An Act of Parliament
was normally needed before a proprietary chapel could be built, but none was granted in the case of this church.
Construction started in July 1857 and the church was opened under licence on 20 October 1858. The Bishop of Chichester
, Dr Ashurst Turner Gilbert, attended the first service. In its first few years, the church was known as St James' Church; it changed to St Patrick's and St James' in 1865, and finally
became St Patrick's in 1868. The cost of construction was nearly £13,500, although rental income from some of the pews helped to offset this.
The church was given a parish on 21 August 1885 by Rev. Ridley Daniel-Tyssen, one of the O'Briens' seven nephews, who took control of the church after his uncle's death despite a High Court challenge at the Court of Chancery
from another nephew who contended that he should have inherited the church: Dr O'Brien had not written in his will that Daniel-Tyssen was to receive the church and the curacy, and his wife's will incorrectly stated that he had. The Bishop of Chichester had been called as a witness. In the late 20th century the parish was amalgamated with that of St Andrew's Church on Waterloo Street, which was closed and declared redundant in 1990. It now covers the area between Holland Road, Lansdowne Road, the Brighton/Hove boundary and the seafront.
and worked on the Knebworth
estate inherited by the novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton
. Kendall adopted the Early English Gothic style and used Kentish ragstone
with stone dressings and a slate
roof. An octagonal tower was started but never completed, leaving a stump in one corner. The interior consists of a chancel
, side chapels, an aisled nave and a narthex
to the south. The chancel, which features stencil
ling and paintings from the 1890s, is topped by a hammerbeam roof
, and the roof of the nave has gabled clerestory
windows. An organ
built by Henry Willis & Sons
was installed in 1865, but was moved from one of the side chapels to the wall of the tower about 40 years later.
Several distinguished architects provided internal fittings at St Patrick's. William Butterfield
designed the north window as a "memorial" to Dr O'Brien and his wife Octavia, who were still alive at the time (they both died in 1884, 14 years after the window was installed), another window on the northeastern side, and the lectern
, cast in brass and featuring an eagle and St Patrick. This dates from 1873. A red sandstone
reredos
of the Crucifixion of Jesus
was presented by Somers Clarke
in 1887. Sir George Gilbert Scott
designed the pulpit
. Other features include several stained glass windows, a font
of alabaster
, a set of Stations of the Cross
in the form of framed oil painting
s, fresco
es in memory of Octavia O'Brien and a memorial tablet for Rev. Daniel-Tyssen. Both he and his uncle were buried at St Andrew's Church, Hove's parish church.
The church received criticism in its early years for its appearance and for the nature of its services. Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel
dismissed it as "spacious without grandeur and ornate without grace"; the early interior decorations and fixtures were described as "primitive"; and although there is now a large array of stained glass
, it was all installed some time after the church opened. More controversially, Dr O'Brien—who had named himself perpetual curate of the church—had a strong interest in the use of music in Christian worship, and St Patrick's was unrivalled in Brighton or Hove for several decades for its music and the size of its choir. However, in the towns at that time there were many opponents of such "High Church
" practices, and the church received the mocking nickname "Paddy's Music Hall".
, thirty miles north of Brighton & Hove, to be involved in St Patrick's, and in June 1985 six monks took up residence at 23 Cambridge Road, converting the house into a monastery. It took the name The Monastery of Christ the Saviour. However, owing to there only be around 12 monks in the order, the community was not large enough to support the project and they withdrew.
In 1987 the narthex was converted into a dedicated night shelter
and a charity was formed to raise money to develop the shelter further, in particular by redeveloping the interior of the church to dedicate more space to homeless people. The Lorica Trust was set up for this purpose; it now consists of three divisions, offering night shelter and hostel accommodation to homeless people; providing services to people with learning disabilities in East Sussex
, West Sussex
and Surrey
; and operating church-based community projects and helping churches work together with their local communities.
The shelter was extended to 12 beds in 1993 and 22 beds in 1999, when it moved to the northern part of the church. As well as offering overnight accommodation for regular use and in emergencies, the shelter is open in the morning and evening to offer advice, social activities, meals and similar. Residents and volunteers have worked together with design firms to create a new form of self-contained sleeping unit called a "MiPod" with similarities to the 1970s "sleep capsule" or capsule hotel
concept. Six have been installed, and another 20 are planned. The church is still in use, and the parish community celebrates services every day.
In 2008, Fr Sharpe resigned his ministry and quit as a director of the Lorica Trust after an undercover documentary team filmed him apparently giving a drug addict money to buy drugs, and alleged that this money had been taken from funds donated for the work of the Trust or from the church collection plates. Fr Shapre always denied the allegattions: "Everything I have done has been open, as a genuine, heartfelt Christian response to the needs of marginalised people." He remained in good standing with the Diocese of Chichester and was subsequently appointed Priest in Charge of Sedlescombe
The Revd Dr Steven Underdown was appointed Priest-in-Charge of St Patrick's in October 2009. He had been involed with parish during the 1980s and 90s and in 2002 had submitted a successful PhD thesis (Kings's College London) which was concerned in part with the life and worship of St Patrick's.
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 Hove
Hove
Hove is a town on the south coast of England, immediately to the west of its larger neighbour Brighton, with which it forms the unitary authority Brighton and Hove. It forms a single conurbation together with Brighton and some smaller towns and villages running along the coast...
, in 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. Situated on a narrow site in Cambridge Road, off Western Road close to the boundary with Brighton, it is still in use as a place of worship, but since 1985 it has also been used as a night shelter
Homeless shelter
Homeless shelters are temporary residences for homeless people which seek to protect vulnerable populations from the often devastating effects of homelessness while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact on the community...
for homeless people. Most of the interior of the building is now dedicated to this role.
History
The Brunswick EstateBrunswick (Hove)
Brunswick Town is an area in Hove, in the city of Brighton and Hove, England. It is best known for the Regency architecture of the Brunswick estate.-History:...
had been developed from 1824 onwards at the eastern edge of Hove, on the border with Brighton, on land originally belonging to Wick Farm. In 1851, the whole of the Wick Farm estate passed into the control of the Brunswick Square Commissioners. This land was rapidly developed as a residential area by Sir Isaac Goldsmid, 1st Baronet. St Andrew's Church in Waterloo Street
St Andrew's Church, Waterloo Street, Hove
St Andrew's Church is a former Anglican church in the Brunswick Town area of Hove, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. Although declared redundant in 1990, it was one of the area's most fashionable places of worship in the 19th century, when it was built to serve the wealthy residents...
, nominally the church of the Brunswick Estate, was a long way from this new housing and, being used mainly by the aristocratic classes, only had eighty pews which were not subject to pew rental fees. This made it unsuitable for the lower-class, poorer residents of the new development, so an Irish priest, Dr James O'Brien, decided to build another church in the area. As with several other churches in Brighton and Hove at that time, this was a proprietary chapel which he owned and ran himself, gaining an income from pew rents, marriage and funeral fees and various other sources. 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...
was normally needed before a proprietary chapel could be built, but none was granted in the case of this church.
Construction started in July 1857 and the church was opened under licence on 20 October 1858. 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...
, Dr Ashurst Turner Gilbert, attended the first service. In its first few years, the church was known as St James' Church; it changed to St Patrick's and St James
became St Patrick's in 1868. The cost of construction was nearly £13,500, although rental income from some of the pews helped to offset this.
The church was given a parish on 21 August 1885 by Rev. Ridley Daniel-Tyssen, one of the O'Briens' seven nephews, who took control of the church after his uncle's death despite a High Court challenge at the Court of Chancery
Court of Chancery
The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid the slow pace of change and possible harshness of the common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over all matters of equity, including trusts, land law, the administration of the estates of...
from another nephew who contended that he should have inherited the church: Dr O'Brien had not written in his will that Daniel-Tyssen was to receive the church and the curacy, and his wife's will incorrectly stated that he had. The Bishop of Chichester had been called as a witness. In the late 20th century the parish was amalgamated with that of St Andrew's Church on Waterloo Street, which was closed and declared redundant in 1990. It now covers the area between Holland Road, Lansdowne Road, the Brighton/Hove boundary and the seafront.
Architecture
Only the eastern side of the church is visible from the road. The architect was Henry Edward Kendall junior, who had designed the Sussex County Lunatic Asylum (later St Francis Hospital) in Haywards HeathHaywards Heath
-Climate:Haywards Heath experiences an oceanic climate similar to almost all of the United Kingdom.-Rail:Haywards Heath railway station is a major station on the Brighton Main Line...
and worked on the Knebworth
Knebworth
Knebworth is a village and civil parish in the north of Hertfordshire, England immediately south of Stevenage. The civil parish covers an area between the villages of Datchworth, Woolmer Green, Codicote, Kimpton, Whitwell, St Paul's Walden and Langley, and encompasses the village of Knebworth, the...
estate inherited by the novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton
Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton PC , was an English politician, poet, playwright, and novelist. He was immensely popular with the reading public and wrote a stream of bestselling dime-novels which earned him a considerable fortune...
. Kendall adopted the Early English Gothic style and used Kentish ragstone
Rag-stone
Rag-stone is a name given by some architectural writers to work done with stones which are quarried in thin pieces, such as the Horsham sandstone, Yorkshire stone, the slate stones, but this is more properly flag or slab work. By rag-stone, near London, is meant an excellent material from the...
with stone dressings and a slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof. An octagonal tower was started but never completed, leaving a stump in one corner. The interior consists of 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...
, side chapels, an aisled nave and a narthex
Narthex
The narthex of a church is the entrance or lobby area, located at the end of the nave, at the far end from the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex was a part of the church building, but was not considered part of the church proper...
to the south. The chancel, which features stencil
Stencil
A stencil is a thin sheet of material, such as paper, plastic, or metal, with letters or a design cut from it, used to produce the letters or design on an underlying surface by applying pigment through the cut-out holes in the material. The key advantage of a stencil is that it can be reused to...
ling and paintings from the 1890s, is topped by 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 :...
, and the roof of the nave has gabled clerestory
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...
windows. 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...
built by Henry Willis & Sons
Henry Willis & Sons
thumb|250px|St Bees Priory organ, the last major instrument to be personally supervised by "Father" Henry Willis, 1899Henry Willis & Sons is a British firm of pipe organ builders founded in 1845 in Liverpool. Although most of their installations have been in the UK, examples can be found in other...
was installed in 1865, but was moved from one of the side chapels to the wall of the tower about 40 years later.
Several distinguished architects provided internal fittings at St Patrick's. William Butterfield
William Butterfield
William Butterfield was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement . He is noted for his use of polychromy-Biography:...
designed the north window as a "memorial" to Dr O'Brien and his wife Octavia, who were still alive at the time (they both died in 1884, 14 years after the window was installed), another window on the northeastern side, and the lectern
Lectern
A lectern is a reading desk with a slanted top, usually placed on a stand or affixed to some other form of support, on which documents or books are placed as support for reading aloud, as in a scripture reading, lecture, or sermon...
, cast in brass and featuring an eagle and St Patrick. This dates from 1873. A red sandstone
Sandstone
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,...
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....
of the Crucifixion of Jesus
Crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
was presented by Somers Clarke
Somers Clarke
George Somers Clarke was an architect and English Egyptologist who worked at a number of sites throughout Egypt, notably in El Kab, where he built a house. He was born in Brighton and died in Egypt....
in 1887. Sir George Gilbert Scott
George Gilbert Scott
Sir George Gilbert Scott was an English architect of the Victorian Age, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches, cathedrals and workhouses...
designed the 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...
. Other features include several stained glass windows, a 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:...
of alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
, a set of Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
in the form of framed oil painting
Oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments that are bound with a medium of drying oil—especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. Often an oil such as linseed was boiled with a resin such as pine resin or even frankincense; these were called 'varnishes' and were prized for their body...
s, fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es in memory of Octavia O'Brien and a memorial tablet for Rev. Daniel-Tyssen. Both he and his uncle were buried at St Andrew's Church, Hove's parish church.
The church received criticism in its early years for its appearance and for the nature of its services. Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel
Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel
Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel was an English architect and writer, also a musician.-Life:He was educated at Eton College, and read music at Trinity College, Cambridge. He worked shortly for Sir Charles Nicholson, and then set up his own architectural practice...
dismissed it as "spacious without grandeur and ornate without grace"; the early interior decorations and fixtures were described as "primitive"; and although there is now a large array of 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...
, it was all installed some time after the church opened. More controversially, Dr O'Brien—who had named himself perpetual curate of the church—had a strong interest in the use of music in Christian worship, and St Patrick's was unrivalled in Brighton or Hove for several decades for its music and the size of its choir. However, in the towns at that time there were many opponents of such "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...
" practices, and the church received the mocking nickname "Paddy's Music Hall".
Monastic community
In 1985, Dr Eric Kemp, the Bishop of Chichester, invited an Anglican monastic community, the Community of the Servants of the Will of God (CSWG), whose principal monastery was at Crawley DownCrawley Down
Crawley Down is a village in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England. There is one church, one school, and a number of social groups. It lies seven miles from Gatwick Airport. Nearest railway stations are Three Bridges and East Grinstead...
, thirty miles north of Brighton & Hove, to be involved in St Patrick's, and in June 1985 six monks took up residence at 23 Cambridge Road, converting the house into a monastery. It took the name The Monastery of Christ the Saviour. However, owing to there only be around 12 monks in the order, the community was not large enough to support the project and they withdrew.
Night shelter
St Patricks is now best known in the city for its partial conversion in to a night shelter for the homeless. The origins of this are from the winter of 1985 when the priest, Father Alan Sharpe, allowed two homeless people to sleep on the floor of the church after they went to the vicarage. This continued, and more homeless people were encouraged to stay overnight.In 1987 the narthex was converted into a dedicated night shelter
Homeless shelter
Homeless shelters are temporary residences for homeless people which seek to protect vulnerable populations from the often devastating effects of homelessness while simultaneously reducing the environmental impact on the community...
and a charity was formed to raise money to develop the shelter further, in particular by redeveloping the interior of the church to dedicate more space to homeless people. The Lorica Trust was set up for this purpose; it now consists of three divisions, offering night shelter and hostel accommodation to homeless people; providing services to people with learning disabilities 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:...
, West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
and Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
; and operating church-based community projects and helping churches work together with their local communities.
The shelter was extended to 12 beds in 1993 and 22 beds in 1999, when it moved to the northern part of the church. As well as offering overnight accommodation for regular use and in emergencies, the shelter is open in the morning and evening to offer advice, social activities, meals and similar. Residents and volunteers have worked together with design firms to create a new form of self-contained sleeping unit called a "MiPod" with similarities to the 1970s "sleep capsule" or capsule hotel
Capsule hotel
A is a type of hotel with a large number of extremely small "rooms" intended to provide cheap and basic overnight accommodation for guests not requiring the services offered by more conventional hotels...
concept. Six have been installed, and another 20 are planned. The church is still in use, and the parish community celebrates services every day.
In 2008, Fr Sharpe resigned his ministry and quit as a director of the Lorica Trust after an undercover documentary team filmed him apparently giving a drug addict money to buy drugs, and alleged that this money had been taken from funds donated for the work of the Trust or from the church collection plates. Fr Shapre always denied the allegattions: "Everything I have done has been open, as a genuine, heartfelt Christian response to the needs of marginalised people." He remained in good standing with the Diocese of Chichester and was subsequently appointed Priest in Charge of Sedlescombe
The Revd Dr Steven Underdown was appointed Priest-in-Charge of St Patrick's in October 2009. He had been involed with parish during the 1980s and 90s and in 2002 had submitted a successful PhD thesis (Kings's College London) which was concerned in part with the life and worship of St Patrick's.