Description

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

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St John the Baptist's Church, Hove at Wikipedia
• St John the Baptist's Church, Hove official website
• Wikidata Q7593723

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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