Church of St Luke, Brighton and Hove, The City of Brighton and Hove

Description

BRIGHTON

TQ3204NW QUEEN'S PARK TERRACE
577-1/35/725 (North East side)
Church of St Luke

Anglican church. 1881-1885. Designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield.
An irregular mix of split and whole flints with stone
dressings, mouldings and windows. Roofs of tile.
PLAN: 3-bay chancel to east with 2-bay Lady Chapel to the
south and vestry to the north. 4-bay nave with north and south
aisles; an organ chamber to the east of the nave, off the
south side of the chancel. Tower of 3 stages at south-west
corner of nave; in plan it is octagonal with short and long
sides alternating, broaching into a regular octagon in top
stage which is capped by an 8-sided pyramidal roof. West porch
abuts tower and runs width of nave only. Gable facing west
front and north aisle. Revival of the Early English Gothic.
EXTERIOR: at the foot of the chancel is a high plinth of 2
setbacks. East window comprised of 5 stepped lancets gathered
together; flanked by buttresses of 2 setbacks. Below the east
window a panel decorated with red and white chequers. A sill
band to this window continues across the east wall to the Lady
Chapel. There is a stone lacing course in the steep facing
gable of the chancel, set in the middle of which is a small
double lancet light. Coping and gable cross above. The plinth
at the foot of the chancel reduces to a single setback and
continues around the church. The principal elevation to
Queen's Park Road is the south one. The east window of the
Lady Chapel is comprised of 3 stepped lancets. The body of the
Lady Chapel is clearly articulated from the chancel by corner
buttresses to the north and south. Gable kneelers and coping.
The south elevation of the Lady Chapel has a 3-window range,
each window a single lancet. Each bay demarcated by a buttress
of 2 setbacks. The sill band from the east elevation continues
down this flank running over each buttress. There is, in
addition, a springing band to the window heads, interrupted by
the buttresses, and a coved cornice to the eaves. The south
aisle of the nave abuts the west end of the Lady Chapel.
Obscuring the Lady Chapel's west gable is a gabled bay of
nearly the same height, the first of two which can be found on
each aisle and which project slightly forward from the front
wall. These gables, which alternate on both elevations with a
pair of double-light plate tracery windows, are the most
distinctive feature of the design not only because they give
the elevation a highly picturesque outline but also because
their placement on the south side is exactly the reverse of
their placement on the north, a device which will be described
fully on the interior. Each projects slightly from the walls
to the intermediate bays which are considerably lower. Pointed
arched window with traceried head; gable coping and cross to
each roof. Each intermediary range has a double light with
plate tracery. Continuous sill band ties these different
elements together, and steps down to form the division between
the first and second stage of the tower. Single lancet to west
and south face. In its second stage the tower broaches; above
each broach is a single light. The originally planned spire
was never completed due to lack of funds. The west gable has
three 2-light plate traceried lancets with quatrefoiled heads,
the centre light taller than the side and intersecting a stone
lacing course. The west window to the north aisle has a
2-light, plate-traceried lancet with a sill band which
continues down the north aisle. Abutting the tower and
stretching the width of the nave is an external porch with
lean-to roof. Entrance through pointed and subordered arch,
its spandrels filled with blind tracery. To either side a
group of 3 lancets. Inside porch the returns have pointed
arches which appear to be blocked doorways. The north aisle is
identical to the south.
INTERIOR: the chancel floor is raised 3 steps above the nave
and the sacrarium a further 2. There is an organ chamber in
the north wall of the chancel which also opens into the north
aisle of the nave. The reredos is a 5-bay blind arcade with
cinquefoiled heads, the centre bay set in a Gothic aedicule;
elaborate floral carving in the C14 style. The entire reredos
is set within a blind superarch uniting the 5-lancet window;
hood moulding terminating in angel stops. Door in the north
wall leads to a vestry. The pointed-barrel vault ceiling of
the chancel is made from timber and has arched principals
supported by corbels in the upper reaches of the wall. Similar
roof of smaller dimension to the Lady Chapel. The chancel is
paved with black and red tiles, and separated from the nave by
a pointed chancel arch. The nave arcade is pointed and
supported in the chancel wall, by paired corbelled shafts with
filleted keels and bell capitals. The arcade is supported by
columns with nail-head capitals. The timber roof of the nave
is divided into 4 major bays corresponding to the arcade posts
below; each bay is then articulated into 2 minor bays. The
major trusses are composed of a braced and strutted tie beam
with an arched collar beam above. The arched braces are
cusped. The tie beam is omitted in front of the west window to
form a hammer beam. The intermediate bays are defined by a
scissor-braced collar beam and are strutted into a wall plate
spur. All the principal rafters have wind braces. The side
purlins are through jointed. The real interest of the design
is to be found in the aisles, which are covered with
alternating transverse pointed, wood barrel vaults (in the
gabled bays) and lean-to roofs (in the intermediate bays).
Each cell of the aisle is separated by a braced joist. The
pattern of south and north aisles are exactly reversed so that
aisle bays opposite one another are differently roofed. The
westernmost bay of the nave was filled in c1965 by a single
storey structure designed to enclose parish rooms just inside
the entrance.
Furnishings include: octagonal font of 2 stages in south-west
corner of the nave; pulpit at north-east corner of the nave,
polygonal with fleur-de-lys frieze and cusped, arcaded
balustrade; iron and wood altar rails; open benches set in 2
rows in the nave only; choir stalls in a collegiate
arrangement in the chancel. Stained glass by Kempe in the east
window of the Lady Chapel. Early C20 glass in the north and
south aisle.
This church was started as a mission of St Mary's, St James
Street (qv), in 1875 when it was housed in red brick building
opposite the present site. The hall was demolished following a
fire in 1972. St Luke's was constituted as a separate parish
in 1880. In 1974 it was merged with the parish of the
Resurrection.

Listing NGR: TQ3220504798

External Links

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.

British Listed Buildings

History in Structure

Church of St Luke

A Grade II Listed Building in Brighton and Hove, The City of Brighton and Hove

Coordinates

Description

External Links

Recommended Books