The Brighton Unitarian Church, previously known as Christ Church, is a Unitarian chapel in Brighton, England. Built in 1820 by prolific local architect

Amon Henry Wilds Amon Henry Wilds (1784 or 1790 – 13 July 1857) was an English architect. He was part of a team of three architects and builders who—working together or independently at different times—were almost solely responsible for a surge in resid ...

on land sold to the fledgling Unitarian community by the

Prince Regent A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch regnant, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness ...

, the stuccoed

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...

building occupies a prominent position near the corner of Church Road and New Road in the centre of Brighton, near the

Royal Pavilion The Royal Pavilion, and surrounding gardens, also known as the Brighton Pavilion, is a Grade I listed former royal residence located in Brighton, England. Beginning in 1787, it was built in three stages as a seaside retreat for George, Princ ...

and the city's main theatres. It has had Grade II listed status since 1952. It is a member of the

General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches The General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches (GAUFCC or colloquially British Unitarians) is the umbrella organisation for Unitarian, Free Christians, and other liberal religious congregations in the United Kingdom and Irelan ...

, the

umbrella organisation An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and ofte ...

for British Unitarians.

History

Brighton in the late eighteenth century was turning from a fishing village to a fashionable resort, largely because of the patronage of the Prince Regent. New Road, as it is now known, was built on his instructions. The main north-south road leading out of the old town ran next to the

, where he lived; noise and traffic disturbed him and made access to his stables difficult. He asked the architect of his stables to build a new road further to the west, and closed the original route. New Road was

pedestrianised Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town reserved for pedestrian-only use and in whi ...

in 2007. A congregation of Baptists with

Calvinist Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Ca ...

views had been established in Brighton since the 18th century. A rift developed from 1791, when William Stevens, a newcomer, introduced Universalist views. In 1793 or 1795, Stevens and 18 others (including the original pastor) were expelled. From 1797, a small but steadily growing congregation met at Stevens' house; by 1806 they had moved to a small chapel in Jew Street, near the Baptists' meeting place in Bond Street. A Unitarian

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

popularised the theology among the congregation, and assistance from the leader of the Unitarian community in nearby Ditchling, John Chatfield, enabled a meeting room to be bought. This opened in 1812. When the Prince sold the land he owned west of New Road, the congregation paid £650 for a plot on which a new chapel could be built. Chatfield, who also made all the arrangements, donated £200. Architect

, whose career in Brighton was just beginning, designed the stuccoed, temple-style building on the instruction of Dr Morell, a classical scholar who became the first minister at the chapel. The church was full to its 350 capacity on its opening date of 20 August 1820. After several changes of name, it has been known as the Brighton Unitarian Church since the 1940s. Now with a reduced capacity of 100, there is a weekly Sunday service. Rebuilding and refurbishment work was carried out in 1936, 1966 and 2004. The roof had to be repaired after it was damaged in the Great Storm of 1987. The church is licensed for worship in accordance with the

Places of Worship Registration Act 1855 The Places of Worship Registration Act 1855 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which governs the registration and legal recognition of places of worship. It applies only in England and Wales, and does not cover the Church of Englan ...

and has the registration number 9189.

Architecture

The building's design reflects the Temple of Thesæus in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. The east-facing entrance is a tetrastyle portico: four

Doric columns The Doric order was one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later Roman architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian. The Doric is most easily recognized by the simple circular capitals at the top of col ...

surmounted by an entablature and

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

writing quoting the letter of St Paul to the Romans — "To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ" () — originally featured on the pediment, but it was removed later in the 19th century to prevent confusion: some even believed the writing was

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

and the building a synagogue. The building is of brick, but the frontage is stuccoed. The church was listed at Grade II by

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

on 13 October 1952. It is one of 1,124 Grade II-listed buildings and structures, and 1,218 listed buildings of all grades, in the city of

Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove () is a city and unitary authority in East Sussex, England. It consists primarily of the settlements of Brighton and Hove, alongside neighbouring villages. Often referred to synonymously as Brighton, the City of Brighton and H ...

References

Bibliography

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External links

Brighton Unitarians Web Site
{{Authority control Churches in Brighton and Hove Unitarian chapels in England Churches completed in 1820 Greek Revival church buildings in the United Kingdom Grade II listed churches in East Sussex Grade II listed buildings in Brighton and Hove

History

Architecture

See also

References

Bibliography

External links