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Built c1863: demolished 1986

Designed by Benjamin Ferrey

St. Anne’s Church stood in Burlington Street. It was designed by Benjamin Ferrey, who was a pupil of Pugin, the architect of much of the Palace of Westminster. St. Anne’s was faced on its exterior with Kentish ragstone. The interior featured much carved stonework by the Victorian firm, Farmer and Brindley, including many carved heads, one of which I rescued with hammer and chisel when the building was demolished.

An unexpected closure

It was closed in the mid 1980s, in spite of having the largest congregation in Kemptown, and having had the most money spent on it in recent years. The church also had some fine stained glass including a spectacular east window by O’Connor from the 1860s; a beautiful iron and brass screen enclosed the choir. This was designed and made by William Bainbridge Reynolds, one of the finest 20th century metalworkers. This was restored and is in the music room of a local house.

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St Anne’s Church photographed in 1984

St Anne’s Court photographed in 2014

 

The loss of the reredos

Perhaps the saddest thing to relate is that the building had a fine stone reredos, a carved representation of the Last Supper behind the altar; it was coloured and gilded. The firm handling the demolition of St Anne’s decided that they could not extract the reredos. Unfortunately, the east wall was demolished on it; that was a terrible shame.

Do you remember?

Do you remember St Anne’s. Did you attend services there? Maybe you live in St Anne’s Court, the building which replaced it? If you can share your memories with us, please leave a comment below.

Comments about this page

  • While studying at Brighton Polytechnic and working for the local council I was given the opportunity to visit this church prior to it’s demolition. I also remember taking several photographs of the interior which were later offered and given to a local historical society in Grand Parade, the name has slipped from memory. This church along with so many other demolished buildings in Brighton shows a distinct lack of foresight by planners who could have saved them for posterity. This was a nice little church that had a nice homely feel about it even when visited while deserted.  A sign of the times and lost solely for financial reasons.

    By Roger Ivermee (28/02/2014)
  • Yes I remember St Anne’s during my time at the  Nautical Training Corps (NTC). We had our  remembrance parade from the Castle Square where we would march up to Burlington Street where the service was held in St Anne’s. NTC HQ  was around the Richmond Hill area. I cannot  remember the actual address – maybe somebody reading this can help or maybe you were also also NTC members?

    By Joe Mann (11/03/2014)
  • Yes I remember St Anne’s with great affection. I was in the choir in the late 50’s when Canon James was the vicar. My grandfather was a church warden while I was in the choir. The organist was Stan Houlgate. Some of the men were Stephen(?) Botting, an estate agent, Maurice Packham, a school teacher, Geof Locke, …Richardson, …Becket, ….Crittenden, the Collier brothers, publicans of the Queens, the Calloway brothers. The services were a joy with settings of many anthems Te Deum, Magnificat and Nunc Demitus etc. Was sad to see that it was no longer there when I paid a visit some years ago. I remember in particular the anthems we sang around the coronation and Stainers Crucifixion which, in addition to the church, we sang in the chapel of the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

    By John Blunden (27/01/2017)
  • My great-great grandfather, Reverend Alfred Cooper MA, was curate at St Anne’s from when it was built in 1863 until his death in 1914. 

    By Lisa Hughes (30/09/2018)
  • Lisa – Rev Alfred Cooper had a brother, Isaac Rhodes Cooper, who lived in Australia and New Zealand. I have some information about him if you are interested.

    By David Verran (09/03/2020)
  • Was the Vicarage in College Road or was that the Vicarage for St George’s? I’m inputting data on occupants of College Road, and there are lots of Reverends living there at the end of the 19th Century. I’m trying to match them to local churches where possible.

    By Janis WInkworth (14/02/2021)
  • The O’Conner stain glass window is alive and well. It was purchased from demolition and has been reinstalled as a focal point in a home in Texas, USA, intact and complete. It was dedicated in 1864 by the original minister who dedicated it to his wife who died in childbirth, her 5th child. The window is now 157 years from dedication. O’Conner created many church stained glass windows in this period with similar themes.

    By James Newton (05/10/2021)
  • My father and mother took my sister and I to St Annes on many Sundays. My dad, Walter Collyer was in the choir and was organist along with Stan Houlgate . This was in the early 1950’s, and then it was quite normal to see some of the Brighton celebrities from the world of show business in church, many of whom then lived in East Brighton. Some names I remember were Dora Bryan, Max Byegraves and Sir Laurence Olivier and his wife. I was bored beyond belief. As a 5 to 8 year old the service was the longest hour I had to endure, being told not to fidget by my mother. I recall the sermons of Canon James meaning absolutely nothing to me and they seemed to go on forever. Afterwards was the meet and greet on the pavement outside, and all the old ladies would tousel my hair and say words like ‘my haven’t you grown’. I couldn’t wait for mum and dad to take us home or back to one of our grandparents for Sunday lunch.

    By John Collyer (21/08/2023)

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