Church Of St John The Baptist

HOVE

TQ2904NW CHURCH ROAD 579-1/18/37 (South side) 12/04/83 Church of St John the Baptist

GV II

Formerly known as: Church of St John the Baptist PALMEIRA SQUARE. Parish church, now subdivided to include parish hall and day centre. 1852-4, tower with spire c1859, early C20 narthex added, internal alterations late C20. Architects Edward and William Gilbert Habershon. Knapped flint, stone dressings, clay tile roofs. Decorated style. Cruciform plan: chancel, north transept with organ bay, NE tower with vestry and entrance, south transept with singing gallery, SE chapel and short corridor to east entrance, 5-bay aisled nave with clerestory, arcades blocked, south aisle used as day centre, 4-bays of north aisle used as parish hall, eastern bay a pantry entered from church, entrance to day centre and parish hall from narthex across west end. The church occupies an important site, visible on 3 sides; the tower and narthex are its most prominent features. 3-stage tower with setback buttresses surmounted by tall ashlar spire with 3 tiers of window openings, (organist's) entrance through gabled porch on north front, 5-light East window, gabled porch on east front, originally for choir? The single-storey buttressed narthex has 2 triangular projections with entrances on outer returns, central double doors, 5-light window to west end of nave. Interior: rendered. Ceiled chancel roof with stencilled decoration, wooden groin vault to crossing with gilded decoration, nave open rafter hammerbeam roof. Stone screens to organ bay. Good carved foliate corbels to chancel and capitals to arcade, angel corbels in nave, panels of carved foliage in crossing piers. Stone and marble pulpit with brass handrail and C20 sounding board. Brass lectern. Simple C19 bishop's chair with canopy. Stained glass. Interior of hall and day centre not seen; some stained glass in aisle windows. Built for the residents of Adelaide Crescent and Palmeira Square, on land presented by the developer, Sir Isaac Lyon Goldsmid. It was for many years the most fashionable church in the Brighton and Hove area, hence the expanded nathex for conversations before and after the church service. In view of this, the dearth of fittings is surprising. The church has important townscape value. (Dale A: Brighton Churches: 1989-).

Listing NGR: TQ2933804634