St Richard's Church, Haywards Heath
Encyclopedia
St Richard's Church is an Anglican church in the town of Haywards Heath
in the district of Mid Sussex
, one of seven local government districts in the English
county of West Sussex
. The present reinforced concrete
and brick structure replaced a temporary building which was a daughter church
to Haywards Heath's parish church
, St Wilfrid's
; the new church soon became parished in its own right to reflect the rapid population growth in the northern part of the town. English Heritage
has listed the 1930s building at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
's largest residential and commercial centres happened after the London and Brighton Railway Company
built its London–Brighton railway line through the area in the early 1840s. By 1863, enough money was available to build an Anglican church, which became the centre of a parish covering the whole of the growing settlement. St Wilfrid's Church
, south of the railway station, was consecrated in 1865.
More land was required for development, and a long-established but dilapidated farm near the station, Southlands Farm, was bought and demolished in 1888 to make way for new roads and houses linking the commercial area around the station with the road to Lindfield, a neighbouring village. The vicar of St Wilfrid's Church, Reverend Thomas Wyatt, supported the construction of daughter churches, administered from St Wilfrid's, to serve distant parts of the town. One such church, the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, was built in this new residential area in 1897, and became the chapel of ease for the northern side of the parish. Its shape and building material led to it being nicknamed "the tin tabernacle
". Its main feature of interest was a pipe organ
taken from Lancing College
. The small building cost £900 (£ as of ), of which nearly half was raised through public donations.
As a daughter church to St Wilfrid's, the chapel was served by clergy from there. Its status was changed in 1916, however: the continuing growth of the congregation persuaded the Diocese of Chichester
to allocate the church a conventional district (giving it independence from St Wilfrid's) and rename it St Richard's Church. Soon afterwards, a house and its gardens were presented to the church for use as a vicarage. St Richard's Boy's Club was established in its grounds, and a hall was built for the use of the congregation.
The metal church building was always intended to be temporary, and many schemes were put forward for the construction of a permanent church; but no action was taken until 1936. At that time, £500 (£ as of ) was offered anonymously to the community, on the condition that they raised the same amount by the following Easter. They supported this enthusiastically: within a few months, nearly £5,000 (£ as of ) had been raised, and the locally based architect L. Keir Hett was commissioned in 1937 to design a new building. The eagerness to proceed with the scheme extended to the children in the St Richard's Boy's Club: the church had to be built in the vicarage garden, and their hut stood in the way, so they demolished it themselves to stop the construction work being delayed.
Hett's design was accepted, and the site was prepared in July 1937. The foundation stone was laid two months later. The Burgess Hill
-based building firm Norman and Burt, responsible for several churches in the area, won the building contract. The partly completed church was consecrated in 1938 and took the same dedication (to Richard of Chichester
) as its predecessor. The chancel
was finished in 1942. The organ from the old church was moved into the new building, but was replaced with a new instrument in the late 1940s. The metal church, parish hall and vicarage were all demolished; a new hall was built behind the church, and a the vicarage was re-established on a nearby street.
St Richard's Church was listed at Grade II by English Heritage
on 4 October 2000. As at February 2001, it was one of 958 Grade II listed buildings, and 1,028 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Mid Sussex.
and the Scandinavian style. It is also built almost entirely of reinforced concrete—not often found in British churches, but used here on the advice of the Diocese as a cost-saving measure. The church is cruciform
, long and low; ribs
of reinforced concrete run along its length. The nave
is of five bays
and has north and south aisles; the chancel has a further three bays; the north transept
houses a side chapel, organ gallery and seating for the choir; and there is a baptistery
in the south transept, which also has the entrance door. Outside, the entrance area has a steep gable
d roof with a small weatherboarded
bell-turret: this was provided instead of a tower or steeple. Between the roof and the door is a tall round-arched window. The exterior is of locally-made brick laid in the English bond pattern
. The roof is tiled and very steeply pitched. There is some stained glass, but the east side has no window at all: it is decorated with a tiled crucifix. Internal fittings include an intricately carved eagle's-head lectern
commemorating the end of the First World War, oak pews, stone font
, stone and oak pulpit
, altar rails and a piscina
.
, Lindfield
and St Wilfrid's Church
. It covers the northern part of the town, north of the railway station
and as far as the boundary with the adjoining village of Lindfield, and some surrounding countryside.
Haywards 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...
in the district of Mid Sussex
Mid Sussex
Mid Sussex is a local government district in the English county of West Sussex. It contains the towns of East Grinstead, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill....
, one of seven local government districts 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...
county of 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...
. The present reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
and brick structure replaced a temporary building which was a daughter church
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 Haywards Heath's 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....
, St Wilfrid's
St Wilfrid's Church, Haywards Heath
St Wilfrid's Church is an Anglican church in the town of Haywards Heath in the district of Mid Sussex, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. It is Haywards Heath's parish church, and is the mother church to two of the town's four other Anglican churches...
; the new church soon became parished in its own right to reflect the rapid population growth in the northern part of the town. 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 1930s building at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
History
Haywards Heath's development from an area of heathland with isolated farmhouses into one of central SussexSussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
's largest residential and commercial centres happened after the London and Brighton Railway Company
London and Brighton Railway
The London and Brighton Railway was a railway company in England which was incorporated in 1837 and survived until 1846. Its railway runs from a junction with the London & Croydon Railway at Norwood - which gives it access from London Bridge, just south of the River Thames in central London...
built its London–Brighton railway line through the area in the early 1840s. By 1863, enough money was available to build an Anglican church, which became the centre of a parish covering the whole of the growing settlement. St Wilfrid's Church
St Wilfrid's Church, Haywards Heath
St Wilfrid's Church is an Anglican church in the town of Haywards Heath in the district of Mid Sussex, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. It is Haywards Heath's parish church, and is the mother church to two of the town's four other Anglican churches...
, south of the railway station, was consecrated in 1865.
More land was required for development, and a long-established but dilapidated farm near the station, Southlands Farm, was bought and demolished in 1888 to make way for new roads and houses linking the commercial area around the station with the road to Lindfield, a neighbouring village. The vicar of St Wilfrid's Church, Reverend Thomas Wyatt, supported the construction of daughter churches, administered from St Wilfrid's, to serve distant parts of the town. One such church, the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, was built in this new residential area in 1897, and became the chapel of ease for the northern side of the parish. Its shape and building material led to it being nicknamed "the tin tabernacle
Tin tabernacle
Tin tabernacles were a type of prefabricated building made from corrugated iron developed in the mid 19th century initially in Great Britain. Corrugated iron was first used for roofing in London in 1829 by Henry Robinson Palmer and the patent sold to Richard Walker who advertised "portable...
". Its main feature of interest was a pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
taken from Lancing College
Lancing College
Lancing College is a co-educational English independent school in the British public school tradition, founded in 1848 by Nathaniel Woodard. Woodard's aim was to provide education "based on sound principle and sound knowledge, firmly grounded in the Christian faith." Lancing was the first of a...
. The small building cost £900 (£ as of ), of which nearly half was raised through public donations.
As a daughter church to St Wilfrid's, the chapel was served by clergy from there. Its status was changed in 1916, however: the continuing growth of the congregation persuaded 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...
to allocate the church a conventional district (giving it independence from St Wilfrid's) and rename it St Richard's Church. Soon afterwards, a house and its gardens were presented to the church for use as a vicarage. St Richard's Boy's Club was established in its grounds, and a hall was built for the use of the congregation.
The metal church building was always intended to be temporary, and many schemes were put forward for the construction of a permanent church; but no action was taken until 1936. At that time, £500 (£ as of ) was offered anonymously to the community, on the condition that they raised the same amount by the following Easter. They supported this enthusiastically: within a few months, nearly £5,000 (£ as of ) had been raised, and the locally based architect L. Keir Hett was commissioned in 1937 to design a new building. The eagerness to proceed with the scheme extended to the children in the St Richard's Boy's Club: the church had to be built in the vicarage garden, and their hut stood in the way, so they demolished it themselves to stop the construction work being delayed.
Hett's design was accepted, and the site was prepared in July 1937. The foundation stone was laid two months later. The Burgess Hill
Burgess Hill
Burgess Hill is a civil parish and a town primarily located in the Mid Sussex district of West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park...
-based building firm Norman and Burt, responsible for several churches in the area, won the building contract. The partly completed church was consecrated in 1938 and took the same dedication (to Richard of Chichester
Richard of Chichester
Richard of Chichester is a saint who was Bishop of Chichester...
) as its predecessor. 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...
was finished in 1942. The organ from the old church was moved into the new building, but was replaced with a new instrument in the late 1940s. The metal church, parish hall and vicarage were all demolished; a new hall was built behind the church, and a the vicarage was re-established on a nearby street.
St Richard's Church was listed at Grade II by 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...
on 4 October 2000. As at February 2001, it was one of 958 Grade II listed buildings, and 1,028 listed buildings of all grades, in the district of Mid Sussex.
Architecture
The unusual architectural style of St Richard's Church has been described as having elements of Art DecoArt Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
and the Scandinavian style. It is also built almost entirely of reinforced concrete—not often found in British churches, but used here on the advice of the Diocese as a cost-saving measure. The church is cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
, long and low; ribs
Rib vault
The intersection of two or three barrel vaults produces a rib vault or ribbed vault when they are edged with an armature of piped masonry often carved in decorative patterns; compare groin vault, an older form of vault construction...
of reinforced concrete run along its length. The 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...
is of 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:...
and has north and south aisles; the chancel has a further three bays; the north transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
houses a side chapel, organ gallery and seating for the choir; and there is a baptistery
Baptistery
In Christian architecture the baptistry or baptistery is the separate centrally-planned structure surrounding the baptismal font. The baptistry may be incorporated within the body of a church or cathedral and be provided with an altar as a chapel...
in the south transept, which also has the entrance door. Outside, the entrance area has a steep gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof with a small weatherboarded
Weatherboarding
Weatherboarding is the cladding or ‘siding’ of a house consisting of long thin timber boards that overlap one another, either vertically or horizontally on the outside of the wall. They are usually of rectangular section with parallel sides...
bell-turret: this was provided instead of a tower or steeple. Between the roof and the door is a tall round-arched window. The exterior is of locally-made brick laid in the English bond pattern
Brickwork
Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar to build up brick structures such as walls. Brickwork is also used to finish corners, door, and window openings, etc...
. The roof is tiled and very steeply pitched. There is some stained glass, but the east side has no window at all: it is decorated with a tiled crucifix. Internal fittings include an intricately carved eagle's-head 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...
commemorating the end of the First World War, oak pews, stone 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:...
, stone and oak 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...
, altar rails and a 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...
.
Parish
The parish of St Richard was created in 1939 from parts of the parishes of CuckfieldCuckfield
Cuckfield is a large village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England, on the southern slopes of the Weald. It lies south of London, north of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Haywards Heath to the southeast and Burgess...
, Lindfield
Lindfield, West Sussex
Lindfield is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. The parish lies to the north-east of Haywards Heath, of which the village is a part of the built-up area. It stands on the upper reaches of the River Ouse...
and St Wilfrid's Church
St Wilfrid's Church, Haywards Heath
St Wilfrid's Church is an Anglican church in the town of Haywards Heath in the district of Mid Sussex, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. It is Haywards Heath's parish church, and is the mother church to two of the town's four other Anglican churches...
. It covers the northern part of the town, north of the railway station
Haywards Heath railway station
Haywards Heath railway station serves Haywards Heath in West Sussex, England. It is on the Brighton Main Line and Thameslink north of Brighton, and train services are primarily provided by Southern and First Capital Connect...
and as far as the boundary with the adjoining village of Lindfield, and some surrounding countryside.