Church of St John the Evangelist

Details

BRIGHTON

TQ3104SE CARLTON HILL
577-1/41/109 (North side)
20/08/71 Church of St John the Evangelist

II

Anglican church. 1838-1840. Designed by George Cheeseman
Junior for the Rev. Henry Michell Wagner; builders, George
Cheeseman and Son. Altered and restored by LA Mackintosh in
1957; since 1986 it has been used by Carlton Hill Greek
Orthodox church. Stone, painted brick in Flemish bond, stucco
cement. Gable-facing roof, hipped to the north.
PLAN: although the elevation suggests that the church is
planned on a north-south axis, the axis of the square nave is,
in fact, west-east, with a shallow, rectangular chancel recess
to the east. Vestry to ritual south-east corner. U-shaped
gallery to nave is entered through square vestibules
containing stairs to the galleries. Greek Revival style.
EXTERIOR: facade of ritual west end divided into 3 bays by 4
giant Tuscan pilasters which support a massive entablature
with triglyph and metope frieze; the centre bay of the facade
is wider than the ends and recessed, with flat-arched
entrances on its returns; above the centre bay is plain
pediment with gable coping. There is a metal cross to peak of
pediment and a bell cote behind. To either side of the centre
recess is a flat-arched entrance with a wide lintel treated as
an entablature having a triglyph and metope frieze; this
entrance is set into an aedicule consisting of a pair of
fluted Tuscan pilasters, entablature, and pediment with raking
cornice, all executed in stucco cement. Above each aedicule is
a roundel, the left with the monogram topped by a crown, mark
of the architect LA Mackintosh; the right bears the symbol of
the dedication saint, the eagle; both roundels in white on a
blue field. Side walls and rear in purplish-brown brick laid
in English bond; tall camber-arched windows with gauged brick
lintels light the nave and gallery. Single-storey vestry off
right return articulated by Tuscan pilastrade. Stone at foot
of right return reads: "This Corner Stone placed on October
15th, 1838. [obscured] M. Wagner. Architect [obscured]"
INTERIOR: entrance to chancel, which is now partly obscured by
Greek iconostasis, flat arched through antae supporting an
entablature. Wood reredos built as memorial to 1914-1918 war:
panelled with pilasters of Composite order, segmental pediment
over centre. Gallery around 3 sides supported on 10 cast-iron
Doric columns; responds to the east wall; gallery fronts
treated as plain entablature with parapet. The broadly splayed
windows are bisected by the galleries and filled with opaque
glass. The plain walls terminate in an entablature with broad
soffit. The flat ceiling is divided into 9 panels by broad,
shallow beams; the centre panel is the largest and ornamented
with an octagonal pattern; the remaining ones are subdivided
into geometric figures. The nave benches, which date from the
mid to late C19, are arranged so as to form a centre and side
aisles. At the north-east corner of the nave a wood pulpit of
mid C19 and opposite the chancel under the gallery is an
8-sided stone baptismal font with wood cover and wrought-iron
rail: the latter 2 features are in the Gothic Revival style.
The organ is located in the centre of the west gallery. In
front of it, fixed to a railing, are the Royal Arms. Memorial
plaques of note include: Sophia Jackson, ob. 1845, and
Caroline Drummond, ob. 1868 both on west wall; on north wall
to Laetitia Tilbury Tarner, who lived in nearby Tilbury Place.
(Carder T: The Encyclopaedia of Brighton: Lewes: 1990-: 30;
Dale A and Wagner A: The Wagners of Brighton:
London/Chichester: 1983-: 52-53; Guide to the Parish Church of
Saint John the Evangelist: Brighton).

Listing NGR: TQ3170504374

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

479523

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Guide to the Parish Church of Saint John The Evangelist Brighton, ()
Dale, A, Wagner, A, The Wagners of Brighton, (1983), 52-53
Carder, T, Encyclopaedia of Brighton, (1990), 30

End of official list entry

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