Chichester Theological College Gillett House

Gillet House, part of Chichester Theological College, is a student residence built between 1963 and 1965. Designed by Ahrends, Burton and Koralek, it is constructed of red brick and exposed board-marked concrete, exemplifying the “new brutalism” architectural style with robust detailing. The three-storey building is arranged around a courtyard plan, housing 35 study bedrooms, three staff flats, a library, an attached lecture room, and a small two-storey chapel. The study bedrooms are grouped in sets of five, sharing sanitary facilities and kettle points. Each room features a projecting top-lit bay that indicates a desk alcove, alongside a vertical plate glass window within a timber frame. Staff flats have two-light projecting bay windows, and the library boasts full-height windows, some designed to swivel sideways. Access is via a raised walkway of red brick paviours, sloping diagonally down to a lower-level courtyard paved similarly. Walkways on the first and second floors overlook the courtyard with deep board-marked concrete beam/balustrades. Polygonal brick staircases are also visible from the courtyard, with windows to the courtyard consisting of vertical slots lacking visible sub-frames. Study bedrooms include built-in laminated timber furniture, a small built-in concrete altar shelf, and a sink screened by a diagonally projecting concrete spur wall. Kettle points are concealed from the corridors by polygonal walls of painted blockwork; one of these, on the second floor, features a tubular top-light. Triangular top-lights are positioned between each pair of rooms on the top floor, with the doors set back diagonally to accommodate them. Some door lintels bear inscriptions, seemingly of donors. The chapel is a double-height space with a gallery overlooking the altar, open to the corridor below, and incorporates raised, staggered kneeling places within the paving. The library’s cascading diagonal roof allows for top lighting. A later spiral staircase connects the library to an upper floor room. Gillett House is a visually striking and sculptural building, notable for its imaginative use of light and detailing.