Description

BRIGHTON

TQ3105SE LEWES ROAD
577-1/28/383 (North West side)
20/08/71 Church of St Martin and St Wilfrid
(Formerly Listed as:
LEWES ROAD
St Martin's Church)

II*

Anglican church. 1872-5. By George Somers Clarke Junior, for
the 3 sons of the Reverend Henry Wagner in memory of their
father. Yellow brick in English bond with dressings of red
brick, stone and terracotta; roof of tiles. Chancel and nave
under a single roof, north and south aisles, south-west porch,
bellcote (all directions ritual).
EXTERIOR: all windows pointed-arched with hoodmoulds. Plinth
with terracotta offset, and cornices of red brick throughout,
that over clerestory with dentil work. East window of 5 lights
with Y-tracery in stone; corner buttresses with several
offsets terminating in octagonal pinnacles of red brick with
stone finials; south-east side chapel flanking the choir and
first bay of the sanctuary, with a rounded stair turret at its
ritual western end having bands of red brick to the upper
stages, small windows with trefoil tracery in terracotta, and
rounded hipped roof; 2 pairs of lancets with one additional
lancet; the lean-to roof of the side chapel continues over the
south aisle which is blank apart from a pointed-arched
entrance with chamfered sub-order; clerestory to nave and
chancel, 16 windows, being chamfered and sub-ordered lancets
with the hoodmoulds linked to form a string course; red brick
bands at sill and springing level.
Gabled porch with side buttresses, elaborately sub-ordered
arch framing a pair of pointed-arched entrances set back, the
inner order of stone; corbelled terracotta panel of St Martin
and the Beggar, modelled in high relief, in the tympanum. The
gabled west end has 5 closely-spaced lancets, the central one
slightly wider, with a 5-light composition of stepped lancets
over, the whole flanked by setback buttresses with several
offsets terminating in pinnacles as at the east end. The north
aisle is like the south, with a sub-ordered west entrance.
1914-18 war memorial at west end in the form of a gabled
crucifix over an inscribed Portland stone panel in the form of
a retable.
INTERIOR: walls of brick, plastered, with dressings of brick
and stone. The fittings appear to have been designed by Somers
Clarke, unless stated otherwise. Some fittings and memorials
in the church reflect the fact that it was the garrison church
for Preston Barracks nearby. Large wooden and gilded reredos
to full width of the chancel: piers of saints in niches and
painted panels depicting the ancient and modern church, with
much pinnaclework to the top. Designed c1875, made by JE Knox
of Lambeth, the figures modelled by Josef Mayer of
Oberammergau and the paintings by H Ellis Wooldridge. A pair
of deep, sub-ordered arches either side of the chancel in the
second bay, with galleries over, that to the south for a
military band and to the north for the Hill organ; deep
clerestory arcade with passage aisles except where occupied by
the organ; brick vaulted roof with stone ribs, with brick
sub-ordered arches between sanctuary and choir and between
chancel and nave; low wall between chancel and nave of
sandstone with marble coping and wrought-iron gates, a
memorial of military campaigns in Egypt, c1885; rood beam
c1875 with figures of slightly later date. Buttresses roughly
at the crossing reflect plans for a saddleback tower. The nave
arcade consists of octagonal stone columns with roll-moulded
capitals and pointed, sub-ordered brick arches; clerestory in
the form of pointed arches with passage aisles, but shallower
than in the chancel; corbels shafts over each column of the
arcade. Wooden wagon roof in panels, painted with the coats of
arms of British and American bishops. Both aisles under
lean-to roofs.
Octagonal pulpit of 1881, designed by Somers Clarke Jr., paid
for by Henry Wagner, made by JE Knox of Lambeth apart from the
side panels, carved by Trollope and Sons; oak on a plinth of
Sussex marble, the whole carried on an ogee arcade, the side
panels carved with New Testament scenes; sounding board with
brattishing and high openwork spire of 3 stages above.
Octagonal font of grey marble, the bowl carried on clustered
columns; the font cover is part of an elaborate canopy on 4
columns, in the manner of St Peter Mancroft. Reredos in
south-east chapel of mixed Baroque and Gothic design. War
memorial in first bay of south aisle has a lower, panelled
section in memory of those who fell in the First World War,
and above that a panel of c1882 commemorating the Egyptian
campaigns, designed by Somers Clarke Jr and exec by Simpson
and Co for the tiles, Lynn and Sons of Brighton for the
panelling and woodwork, and JE Knox of Lambeth for the
carving. Memorial tablets either side of the chancel to Henry
Michell Wagner, Arthur Wagner and Henry Wagner. Stained glass:
east window of 1874 designed by HE Wooldridge and made by
Powell and Co; small window in south-east chapel and another
at west end of south aisle, 1875, designed by Henry Holiday
and made by Powell and Co; the clerestory windows on the south
side of the chancel commemorate the 4 other Brighton churches
built by Arthur Wagner.
Low boundary walls to west and south of flint and cobbles with
dressings and coping of red brick; brick gate piers to centre
of south wall rebuilt.
(Carder T: The Encyclopaedia of Brighton: Lewes: 1990-;
Pevsner N & Nairn I: The Buildings of England: Sussex:
Harmondsworth: 1965-; Information from Fr Beaumont Brandie,
parish priest; Builder: 3 Sept 1881, 3 July 1882).

Listing NGR: TQ3187505419

This List entry has been amended to add sources for War Memorials Online and the War Memorials Register. These sources were not used in the compilation of this List entry but are added here as a guide for further reading, 25 October 2017.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St Martin's Church, Brighton at Wikipedia
• St Martin's Church, Brighton official website
• Wikidata IDs Q7594184 Q93598324

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.

Recommended Books

• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Somerset: North and Bristol: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Staffordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Herefordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Hampshire: Winchester and the North (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)