Bishop Hannington Memorial Church

Bishop Hannington Memorial Church is a parish church dating from 1938-9, designed by Edward Maufe. A day centre addition was constructed in the 1970s. The church is built of brown brick laid in stretcher bond, featuring a stepped brick cornice and hipped tile roofs, with a flat roof to the day centre and a pyramid roof to the tower. The plan incorporates a chancel, a north-east organ bay, a south-east Lady chapel, a tower above the crossing, a five-and-a-half-bay nave with low single-storey aisles, a west end gallery and entrance, and the day centre addition on the north front. The tower is tall, with three stages, and features 2- and 3-light 4-centred arch openings with wooden louvres to the bell-stage. A double door opens onto a wrought-iron balcony on the north front of the second stage and provides access to the north aisle and nave via the day centre addition, which obscures much of the north front. The nave has five pointed arch metal windows with divided tracery, with similar details on the south front. The west end has a recessed pointed arch opening with ornamental brickwork; the west window is flanked by small 2-light windows, and the double doors have a painted lead lintel inscribed “In this place I will give peace saith the Lord.” A datestone to the left of the entrance is inscribed "To the Glory of God this stone was laid by the Lord Bishop of Chichester the 26th day of November 1938 in memory of James Hannington 1st Bishop of East Equitorial Africa," accompanied by a smaller stone with a martyr's crown in relief and the words “29 Oct 1885 Uganda.” The south front has a low single-storey aisle with 2-light windows. Inside, the surfaces are roughly cast. The chancel arch is unmoulded and 4-centred. The nave has a pitched roof rising centrally from a flat ceiling with square, cross-shaped panels, thought to be for ventilation, and exposed acoustic panels between the pale blue stained wooden rafters and purlins, stencilled in silver with motifs representing the bishop-martyr's crown, stars, and wavy lines representing the sea. The chancel roof is rendered with painted panels forming a ‘tester’ over the altar table. Original light fittings are made of paper or cloth, shaped like a martyr’s crown. The west gallery has exposed acoustic panels. Identical, sculptural, pulpit-podiums are located at the east end of the nave. Unmoulded pointed arch openings provide access to the aisle bays, window recesses, and support the flat roof of the aisle. The chancel floor is made of travertine marble, while the nave floor is of Sussex beech cut on the quarter. The east end wall contains a large tempera painting by Augustus Lunn, the product of a competition, representing Christ preparing his followers to preach the gospel. The church is dedicated to Bishop Hannington, who was murdered in 1885 while on his way to Uganda to establish the first bishopric of East Equatorial Africa, hence the frequent motif of the martyr’s crown. It is a simple and gracious interior with good detailing, including brasswork on the doors and star-shaped window catches in the Lady Chapel. Edward Maufe was also concurrently engaged on designs for Guildford Cathedral.