St Leonard's Baptist Church, St Leonards-on-Sea
Encyclopedia
St Leonard's Baptist Church is the Baptist place of worship serving St Leonards-on-Sea
, a town and seaside resort which is part of the Borough of Hastings
in East Sussex
, England. The elaborate building was designed by the architectural firm of Thomas Elworthy, responsible for many churches in late-Victorian era
Sussex, and serves the residential hinterland of St Leonards-on-Sea—an area which grew rapidly after its early 19th-century founding by James Burton
. English Heritage
has listed the church at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
and mint, and was the main Cinque Port
. With seven churches, it was also a religious centre. To the west, an area of undeveloped land—part of the Manor
of Gensing—ran down to the English Channel
coast and offered excellent views. Consisting of a well-wooded valley leading to flat, sheltered land by a beach, it had the potential for residential development.
Businessman and property developer James Burton
, father of the architect Decimus Burton
, exploited this potential in the early 19th century when he laid out the new town of St Leonards-on-Sea. Encouraged by a resurgence in Hastings' popularity in the late 18th century, he bought land from the Eversfield Baronets
, owners of Gensing Manor, in 1828 and built a residential town and seaside resort over the next few years. An Act of Parliament
passed in 1832 changed the status of the town from a private speculation to a properly incorporated settlement which could be governed, taxed and further developed.
Success was assured after the Duchess of Kent
and her daughter Princess (later Queen) Victoria stayed in the town in 1834, and residential development northwards along the inland valley occurred after St Leonards Warrior Square railway station
was built in 1851, making London and Brighton
accessible by train. By that time, churches existed for Congregationalists, Anglicans
and Roman Catholics. In 1882, architect Thomas Elworthy of the firm Elworthy and Sons was commissioned to design a church for the town's growing Baptist community. The chosen site was on Chapel Park Road, near the railway station. Elworthy was from St Leonards-on-Sea and was a prolific church architect, principally for the Congregationalists. His late 19th-century designs tended towards the Renaissance Revival and Classical
styles, in reaction to the almost universal use of Gothic Revival
forms earlier in the century. As an architect, he was "much maligned": his Congregational chapel of 1881
in Robertsbridge
was described as "truly horrible" by Nikolaus Pevsner
, for example. Two other Elworthy churches in the Hastings area, Congregational churches on The Croft and Mount Pleasant Road, were demolished in 1972.
Construction work started in 1882 and continued until the next year, when the church opened. Some architectural work was also carried out by the firm of Stiff and Sons of Lambeth
, London.
pattern, with terracotta window surrounds and dressings designed by the architectural firm of Stiff and Sons. The roof has been renewed with concrete tiles. Steps with terracotta-dressed cement walls and piers
lead to three identical round-arched entrance doors with wood panelling, flanked by terracotta columns and set below a balustrade
. This is supported on brackets
with foliage decoration, and has four decorative terracotta urns corresponding with the top of each column. This forms the centre bay
of a three-bay façade; the outer bays have paired round-arched windows. The balustrade spans the width of the façade between ground- and first-floor level, forming a kind of porch or portico
. At first-floor level, Classical motifs include Composite
/Corinthian
pilaster
s and an intricately decorated pediment
. The tall pilasters are arranged in pairs flanking the central bay and singly at the outer bays. The pediment is topped by another terracotta urn and is flanked by a stone balustrade on both sides. There are three arched windows to the centre bay, the centre one taller and wider and all featuring engaged columns (columns which are partially sunk into the wall to which they are attached). Paired round-arched windows light the outer bays. The side walls have five arched windows set below a cornice
of moulded
terracotta. The hall beneath the church includes a full-height single-bay brick extension with an arched window. An elaborate wooden gallery supported on iron columns survives inside.
on 10 January 1991. This defines it as a "nationally important" building of "special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 521 Grade II listed buildings, and 535 listed buildings of all grades, in the borough of Hastings. It is one of several listed churches in St Leonards-on-Sea: the Anglican churches of Christ Church
, St Peter's
and St John the Evangelist's
are classed at the higher Grade II*, while St Leonard's Anglican parish church, the Greek Orthodox
St Mary Magdalene's Church
and the Roman Catholic Church of St Thomas of Canterbury and English Martyrs
, along with a former United Reformed Church
, are also Grade II-listed.
The church is one of four Baptist places of worship in the Borough
of Hastings. The Grade II*-listed Wellington Square Baptist Church in the centre of Hastings, founded in 1838, is the oldest; 20th-century churches are found in the Halton and Silverhill suburbs. The latter is a Gospel Standard
Baptist congregation. Ebenezer Particular Baptist Chapel
served Strict Baptists
from 1817 until the end of the 20th century.
Administratively, the church belongs to the East Sussex Network of the South Eastern Baptist Association. Two of the three other churches in Hastings, two in Heathfield, three in Eastbourne and the Baptist churches in Battle, Bexhill, Lewes, Newhaven, Peacehaven, Pevensey Bay, Ringmer, Rye, Seaford, Sidley, Uckfield and Willingdon are also in this network.
Services are held on Sunday mornings, and a joint service with the Wellington Square church in central Hastings takes place each Sunday evening at that church or at St Leonard's Church. The Chapel Park Community Centre, situated in the hall underneath the church, offers various facilities for community use.
St Leonards-on-Sea
St Leonards-on-Sea is part of Hastings, East Sussex, England, lying immediately to the west of the centre. The original part of the settlement was laid out in the early 19th century as a new town: a place of elegant houses designed for the well-off; it also included a central public garden, a...
, a town and seaside resort which is part of the Borough of Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
in East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
, England. The elaborate building was designed by the architectural firm of Thomas Elworthy, responsible for many churches in late-Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
Sussex, and serves the residential hinterland of St Leonards-on-Sea—an area which grew rapidly after its early 19th-century founding by James Burton
James Burton (1761–1837)
James Burton was a builder and developer, responsible for large areas of Bloomsbury and the houses around Regent's Park in London. He later founded the new town of St Leonards-on-Sea, which is now part of the built-up area of Hastings...
. English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
has listed the church at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.
History
Hastings, an ancient seaside town on the Sussex coast, was an important settlement by the 12th century: it had its own castleHastings Castle
Hastings Castle is situated in the town of Hastings, East Sussex .Before or immediately after landing in England in 1066 William of Normandy ordered three fortifications to be built, Pevensey Castle in September 1066, Hastings and Dover, a few days after the battle. Hastings Castle was originally...
and mint, and was the main Cinque Port
Cinque Ports
The Confederation of Cinque Ports is a historic series of coastal towns in Kent and Sussex. It was originally formed for military and trade purposes, but is now entirely ceremonial. It lies at the eastern end of the English Channel, where the crossing to the continent is narrowest...
. With seven churches, it was also a religious centre. To the west, an area of undeveloped land—part of the Manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Gensing—ran down to the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
coast and offered excellent views. Consisting of a well-wooded valley leading to flat, sheltered land by a beach, it had the potential for residential development.
Businessman and property developer James Burton
James Burton (1761–1837)
James Burton was a builder and developer, responsible for large areas of Bloomsbury and the houses around Regent's Park in London. He later founded the new town of St Leonards-on-Sea, which is now part of the built-up area of Hastings...
, father of the architect Decimus Burton
Decimus Burton
Decimus Burton was a prolific English architect and garden designer, He is particularly associated with projects in the classical style in London parks, including buildings at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and London Zoo, and with the layout and architecture of the seaside towns of Fleetwood and...
, exploited this potential in the early 19th century when he laid out the new town of St Leonards-on-Sea. Encouraged by a resurgence in Hastings' popularity in the late 18th century, he bought land from the Eversfield Baronets
Eversfield Baronets
The Fermor, later Eversfield Baronetcy, of Welches in the County of Suffolk and of Sevenoak in the County of Kent, was a title in the Baronetage of Great Britain. It was created on 4 May 1725 for Henry Fermor, with remainder in default of male issue of his own to Charles Eversfield, of Denne Park,...
, owners of Gensing Manor, in 1828 and built a residential town and seaside resort over the next few years. An Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
passed in 1832 changed the status of the town from a private speculation to a properly incorporated settlement which could be governed, taxed and further developed.
Success was assured after the Duchess of Kent
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld
Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld was the mother of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.-Early life:...
and her daughter Princess (later Queen) Victoria stayed in the town in 1834, and residential development northwards along the inland valley occurred after St Leonards Warrior Square railway station
St Leonards Warrior Square railway station
St Leonards Warrior Square railway station is one of four railway stations serving Hastings in East Sussex, England. It is on the Hastings Line and the East Coastway Line, and train services are provided by Southeastern and Southern.- History :...
was built in 1851, making London and Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
accessible by train. By that time, churches existed for Congregationalists, Anglicans
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
and Roman Catholics. In 1882, architect Thomas Elworthy of the firm Elworthy and Sons was commissioned to design a church for the town's growing Baptist community. The chosen site was on Chapel Park Road, near the railway station. Elworthy was from St Leonards-on-Sea and was a prolific church architect, principally for the Congregationalists. His late 19th-century designs tended towards the Renaissance Revival and Classical
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
styles, in reaction to the almost universal use of Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
forms earlier in the century. As an architect, he was "much maligned": his Congregational chapel of 1881
Robertsbridge United Reformed Church
Robertsbridge United Reformed Church is a United Reformed Church place of worship in Robertsbridge, a village in the district of Rother in the English county of East Sussex...
in Robertsbridge
Robertsbridge
Robertsbridge is a village in East Sussex, England within the civil parish of Salehurst and Robertsbridge. It is approximately 10 miles north of Hastings and 13 miles south-east of Tunbridge Wells...
was described as "truly horrible" by Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
, for example. Two other Elworthy churches in the Hastings area, Congregational churches on The Croft and Mount Pleasant Road, were demolished in 1972.
Construction work started in 1882 and continued until the next year, when the church opened. Some architectural work was also carried out by the firm of Stiff and Sons of Lambeth
Lambeth
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
, London.
Architecture
The church has an ornate, decorative façade which combines Classical elements with Thomas Elworthy's preferred Renaissance Revival style and some Italianate features. It is built of red brick, laid in the Flemish bondBrickwork
Brickwork is masonry produced by a bricklayer, using bricks and mortar to build up brick structures such as walls. Brickwork is also used to finish corners, door, and window openings, etc...
pattern, with terracotta window surrounds and dressings designed by the architectural firm of Stiff and Sons. The roof has been renewed with concrete tiles. Steps with terracotta-dressed cement walls and piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
lead to three identical round-arched entrance doors with wood panelling, flanked by terracotta columns and set below a balustrade
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
. This is supported on brackets
Bracket (architecture)
A bracket is an architectural member made of wood, stone, or metal that overhangs a wall to support or carry weight. It may also support a statue, the spring of an arch, a beam, or a shelf. Brackets are often in the form of scrolls, and can be carved, cast, or molded. They can be entirely...
with foliage decoration, and has four decorative terracotta urns corresponding with the top of each column. This forms the centre bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
of a three-bay façade; the outer bays have paired round-arched windows. The balustrade spans the width of the façade between ground- and first-floor level, forming a kind of porch or portico
Portico
A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls...
. At first-floor level, Classical motifs include Composite
Composite order
The composite order is a mixed order, combining the volutes of the Ionic order capital with the acanthus leaves of the Corinthian order. The composite order volutes are larger, however, and the composite order also has echinus molding with egg-and-dart ornamentation between the volutes...
/Corinthian
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order is one of the three principal classical orders of ancient Greek and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric and Ionic. When classical architecture was revived during the Renaissance, two more orders were added to the canon, the Tuscan order and the Composite order...
pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
s and an intricately decorated pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
. The tall pilasters are arranged in pairs flanking the central bay and singly at the outer bays. The pediment is topped by another terracotta urn and is flanked by a stone balustrade on both sides. There are three arched windows to the centre bay, the centre one taller and wider and all featuring engaged columns (columns which are partially sunk into the wall to which they are attached). Paired round-arched windows light the outer bays. The side walls have five arched windows set below a cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
of moulded
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
terracotta. The hall beneath the church includes a full-height single-bay brick extension with an arched window. An elaborate wooden gallery supported on iron columns survives inside.
The church today
St Leonard's Baptist Church was listed at Grade II by English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on 10 January 1991. This defines it as a "nationally important" building of "special interest". As of February 2001, it was one of 521 Grade II listed buildings, and 535 listed buildings of all grades, in the borough of Hastings. It is one of several listed churches in St Leonards-on-Sea: the Anglican churches of Christ Church
Christ Church, St Leonards-on-Sea
Christ Church is an Anglican church in the town and seaside resort of St Leonards-on-Sea, part of the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England...
, St Peter's
St Peter's Church, St Leonards-on-Sea
St Peter's Church is an Anglican church in the Bohemia area of the town and seaside resort of , part of the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England. Founded in 1883 in response to the rapid residential growth of this part of St Leonards-on-Sea, the "outstanding late Victorian church" was...
and St John the Evangelist's
St John the Evangelist's Church, St Leonards-on-Sea
St John the Evangelist's Church is the Anglican parish church of the Upper St Leonards area of St Leonards-on-Sea, a town and seaside resort which is part of the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England...
are classed at the higher Grade II*, while St Leonard's Anglican parish church, the Greek Orthodox
Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity sharing a common cultural tradition whose liturgy is also traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament...
St Mary Magdalene's Church
St Mary Magdalene's Church, St Leonards-on-Sea
St Mary Magdalene's Church is a Greek Orthodox place of worship in St Leonards-on-Sea, a town and seaside resort which is part of the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England...
and the Roman Catholic Church of St Thomas of Canterbury and English Martyrs
Church of St Thomas of Canterbury and English Martyrs, St Leonards-on-Sea
The Church of St Thomas of Canterbury and English Martyrs is the Roman Catholic church serving St Leonards-on-Sea, a town and seaside resort which is part of the Borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England...
, along with a former United Reformed Church
St Leonards-on-Sea United Reformed Church
St Leonards-on-Sea United Reformed Church is a former United Reformed church in St Leonards-on-Sea, part of the town and borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England...
, are also Grade II-listed.
The church is one of four Baptist places of worship in the Borough
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
of Hastings. The Grade II*-listed Wellington Square Baptist Church in the centre of Hastings, founded in 1838, is the oldest; 20th-century churches are found in the Halton and Silverhill suburbs. The latter is a Gospel Standard
Gospel Standard
The Gospel Standard is a Strict Baptist magazine first published in 1835 by John Gadsby. The current editor is Benjamin Ashworth Ramsbottom....
Baptist congregation. Ebenezer Particular Baptist Chapel
Ebenezer Particular Baptist Chapel, Hastings
Ebenezer Particular Baptist Chapel is a former Strict Baptist place of worship in the town and borough of Hastings, one of six local government districts in the English county of East Sussex...
served Strict Baptists
Strict Baptists
Strict Baptists, also known as Particular Baptists, are Baptists who believe in a Calvinist or Reformed interpretation of Christian soteriology. The Particular Baptists arose in England in the 17th century and took their namesake from the doctrine of particular redemption.-Further reading:*History...
from 1817 until the end of the 20th century.
Administratively, the church belongs to the East Sussex Network of the South Eastern Baptist Association. Two of the three other churches in Hastings, two in Heathfield, three in Eastbourne and the Baptist churches in Battle, Bexhill, Lewes, Newhaven, Peacehaven, Pevensey Bay, Ringmer, Rye, Seaford, Sidley, Uckfield and Willingdon are also in this network.
Services are held on Sunday mornings, and a joint service with the Wellington Square church in central Hastings takes place each Sunday evening at that church or at St Leonard's Church. The Chapel Park Community Centre, situated in the hall underneath the church, offers various facilities for community use.