Church of St John the Baptist

CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST, CHURCH ROAD

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Explore this list entry

Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1187551
Date first listed:
12-Apr-1983
List Entry Name:
Church of St John the Baptist
Statutory Address:
CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST, CHURCH ROAD
User submitted image
Contributed by Anthony Williams This photo may not represent the current condition of the site. Over 400,000 images and stories have been added to the Missing Pieces Project so far. Share your story.
View all

Location

Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places. 

There is a problem

Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.

What is the National Heritage List for England?

The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.

The list includes:

Icon Buildings
Icon Scheduled monuments
Icon Parks and gardens
Icon Battlefields
Icon Shipwrecks

Find out more about listing

Images of England Project

To view this image please use Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Edge.
Archive image, may not represent current condition of site.
Date:
2005-11-12
Reference:
IOE01/14971/08
Rights:
© Ms Mary Allison. Source: Historic England Archive

Local Heritage Hub

Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.

Discover more

Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II
List Entry Number:
1187551
Date first listed:
12-Apr-1983
List Entry Name:
Church of St John the Baptist
Statutory Address 1:
CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST, CHURCH ROAD

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST, CHURCH ROAD

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:
The City of Brighton and Hove (Unitary Authority)
Parish:
Non Civil Parish
National Grid Reference:
TQ 29338 04634

Details

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

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:
365515
Legacy System:
LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Dale, A, Brighton Churches, (1989)

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Ordnance survey map of Church of St John the Baptist

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 02-Jul-2026 at 08:22:21.

Download a full scale map (PDF)
© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

Previous Overview
Next Comments and Photos