Church Of The Annunciation

BRIGHTON

TQ3104NE WASHINGTON STREET 577-1/34/958 (North West side) 20/09/96 Church of the Annunciation

GV II

Anglican church. The original building was the present chancel and nave, built by the Reverend Arthur Wagner as a mission church in 1864 to the design of William Dancy; the church was partially rebuilt in 1881 to the designs of Edmund Scott, who added the ritual north and south aisles and the ritual south-west chapel; tower and spire added in 1892 to the design of FT Cawthorn. Flint, with dressings of brick and stone, roof of tiles. EXTERIOR: the principal front of the church is the ritual west end in Washington Street. Ritual west window to nave, of stone, 3 lights with trefoils and mouchettes to tracery; the ritual south aisle has a pointed-arched entrance with 2 lancets over; tower, square in plan, has segmental-arched entrance and is divided into stages by bands of brickwork; stone offset; shoulder-arched belfry windows; steep roof with gabled lucarnes. The ritual east end, in Coleman Street shows the church carried out over 3 large basement halls, the central one of which, under the nave, has a ceiling carried on cast-iron columns. The basement is lit by segmental windows in a rhythm 2-3-2. Lower, 2-storey porch to ritual south, the ground floor of which is rebuilt; east window of 3 stepped lancets in stone; ritual north aisle window of 2 brick lancets, ritual south of 3 with a circular window in the gable. INTERIOR: internally, the church is a simple timber structure, the posts, beams and braces of square-cut timber, the roof of the ritual south aisle having queen posts, those of the nave and ritual north aisle king posts adapted to crosses, which motif is repeated in the braces. Chancel of 2 bays, nave of 4, all under a single roof. The 2 ritual eastern bays of aisles separated by neo-Jacobean screens which also run between the aisles and the chancel; these are of c1930 and designed by Martin Travers, as is the decoration of the chancel ceiling and the neo-Baroque reredos and canopy over the high altar. Ritual east window, now partly obscured by the reredos, by Morris and Company, all lights designed by Burne-Jones, 1866; ritual west window of 1853, moved from St Nicholas' church (qv), Brighton, in 1892. (Carder T: The Encyclopaedia of Brighton: Lewes: 1990-; Sewter AC: The Stained Glass of William Morris and his circle. A catalogue: London: 1975-: 32).

Listing NGR: TQ3182004992