The history of S Philip’s
There is no longer a church within the former Parish of S Philip. This page brings together notes of the church as it was, principally from a short historical guide compiled by Ray Wickens and published by the Parochial Church Council in 1984.
From 1 January 2009, the Parish of S Philip rejoined the Parish of Christ Church as a single parish within the Benefice of Christ Church with S Philip, Eastbourne.
A Parish Church is primarily a building set apart for the worship of Almighty God. This does not mean however that it is simply a sacred shrine, for in the same way as the Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ consecrates and unites all human nature with God, so a Church building gathers and holds together the memories and aspirations of the community which lives around it.
Colin Tolworthy, Vicar, June 1984
S Philip’s was a Victorian styled church built in 1904 on land donated by the Eighth Duke of Devonshire opposite the then Church Schools in Whitley Road. The architect was Charles E Powell of London and it was built by the local firm of Peerless Dennis & Co, using bricks made in Hampden Park. The cost was around £6800, but lack of funds meant that the church was never completed, and the intended bell flêche above the chancel arch, the impressive porch and additional side aisle shown in the drawing were unrealised. The church was 134 feet long, 40 feet wide across the nave and some 50 feet high.
S Philip’s was consecrated by the Rt Revd E R Wilberforce, Lord Bishop of Chichester, on 28 March 1905 before a full congregation that occupied the 384 seats. It remained a Chapel of Ease (“daughter church”) to its Mother Church, Christ Church in Seaside, until it became an independent parish on 16 September 1925.
Inside the church
West end
In 1982, panelling was installed under the lancet windows. This came from the old chapel in Lewes Prison, together with pictures of angels with musical instruments. The font had seen many baptisms over the years, including in March 1935 one Timothy West, the now famous actor.
North and South aisles
The yellow bricks of the outer walls were intended to be only temporary, as it was intended to extend both sides of the nave out to the vestires’ building line to accommodate further pews for 248 people. Instead it was necessary to have steeply pitched lower roofs.
The Nave
Wood block flooring in the Nave was not laid until after S Philip’s had opened for worship and took six years to complete. Part of the original building was a hot-water heating system buried in the floor of the central aisle with huge submerged radiators covered with a grille at floor level. A similar system can still be seen at Christ Church. From all accounts neither ever seemed to work! New apparatus installed in 1918 proved to be no improvement and developed a backfiring machine-gun sound to accompany the sermons. Gas heating arrived in 1926 and lasted until 1954 when electricity took over. The lighting also underwent several incarnations and from hanging lamps introduced in 1921 progressed to floodlights high on the nave walls in 1931, and then back to hanging lamps again in 1984.
The oak lectern given in 1951 by Ray Funnell following the death of his mother has been brought back into use at Christ Church.
The Chancel
A major reordering took place in 1973, with the introduction of a Nave Altar and a new chancel screen. The pulpit, which stood to the left of the chancel arch, was donated along with the organ in 1908 by the Rev Herbert Alston, Curate at Christ Church and a generous benefactor to the parish. The pulpit was originally of dark stain, but was carefully cleaned and retoned by the then Vicar, the Rev Ken Chapman, who also retoned the choir stalls. These were rebuilt to face west during the re-ordering, and placed between the chancel screen and the nave altar. When S Philip’s opened in 1905, the choir consisted of 22 men and 25 boys and was larger than the Choir of Christ Church!
The Kirkland Organ was first installed in 1908 on the south side of the Quire, replacing a harmonium known to the choir as the “groan box”. It was moved to the north side in 1928 and two additional ranks were added in memory of Robert Sprinks Snr. Further major work was carried out in 1980 and the Great 4’ flute was replaced by a 2’ Fifteenth and a two-rank Mixture. A memorial tablet naming some of those from the District who gave their lives during the Great War was erected near the organ in 1921.
Lady Chapel; Vicar’s vestry
Situated on the south side of the chancel, this was to have formed part of the south aisle, seating 44 people on moveable chairs. It became a War Memorial Chapel in 1919 and was later renamed the Lady Chapel. It featured a number of stained glass windows, the Angel of the Advent and the Angel of the Nativity by Edward Woore of Putney (1936); and the Angel of the Annunciation and the Angel of the Resurrection. Two more windows in the East wall depicted Christ the Good Shepherd and Our Lady with the Christ-child.
The chapel became the Vicar’s vestry and sacristy during the re-ordering of 1973 when the greater part of the chancel was screened from the nave to form the High Altar Chapel.
The High Altar Chapel
Oak communion rails were erected in 1949, along with oak panelling around the chancel, in memory of Canon Francis Corbett. Canon Corbett first came to S Philip’s as priest-in-charge of its District in 1916 and stayed on to become the first Vicar in 1925. He died in 1947 and his ashes were buried in the churchyard. Above the altar was installed in 1980 a large dark crucifix which was originally on the grave of the architect Charles Powell in the churchyard of S Pancras, Arlington. The east windows were installed in 1921 as a War memorial, at a cost of nearly £314. They showed the archangel Michael and S Philip; the archangel Gabriel and S Bartholomew; and in the centre Christ in Glory and S George returning his sword. The windows were made by Henry G Murray of London and may have been his last ecclesiastical work.
The present building
By the late 1990s it was apparent that the building was showing its age and the congregation was finding it more difficult to maintain. Together with the then Vicar, the Rev Mark Cuming, they took the brave decision to demolish the existing church and build in its place social housing, a community hall and a new, smaller church on the vacant grassed area of the churchyard.
The plans were adopted by the Diocese of Chichester and the original building was demolished in the summer and autumn of 2004. The congregation was generously accommodated by the people of S Agnes’ Roman Catholic Church, along Whitley Road, and Sunday services continued there while the new construction was being built.
Fr Mark became ill and died in the spring of 2005. His funeral Mass was held at S Agnes, celebrated by the Bishop of Lewes.
Unfortunately it wasn’t possible to realise Fr Mark’s vision completely as the site proved more expensive to clear than had been envisaged. In common with much of the area, the church was built on shingle and deep piles were used in its construction. This, together with a lower than expected return on the land lease to John Butcher Housing Association (now part of Southern Housing Group) meant that only the first phase could be completed, as shown in the picture.
Services are held in the Community Hall. The congregation said farewell to their temporary home at S Agnes in May 2005 and walked in procession up the road to the new building. It was packed as the Bishop of Chichester, the Rt Revd John Hind, assisted by the Bishop of Lewes and the Archdeacon of Lewes & Hastings, dedicated the building and licensed it for public worship.
The heritage of the former church is not forgotten. The diocese is to provide a new memorial to Canon Corbett; a memorial to Fr Mark Cuming is to be installed, and although new homes have been found for much of the fabric and fittings of the church, memorial plaques from the building have been installed in the hall. There is also a large photograph of the church as it was.
Without a parish church in the parish, the diocese did not appoint a new incumbent. Things have come full circle and the people of S Philip’s continue their ministry to God and the world as part of a re-united Benefice of Christ Church with S Philip.
Clergy in S Philip’s
Priests in Charge of the District of S Philip in the Parish of Christ Church | ||
| 1905–1906 | Rev G Richardson (Revd A Allen, Vicar of Christ Church 1898–1915) | |
| 1906–1912 | Rev M B Stuart-Fox | |
| 1912–1916 | Rev W A W Leese (Revd H von Essen Scott, Vicar of Christ Church 1915–1921) | |
| 1916 | Rev E A W Topley | |
| 1916–1925 | Rev F A Corbett (Revd R R Fenning, Vicar of Christ Church 1921–1925 foll) | |
Vicars of the Benefice and Parish of S Philip | ||
| 1925–1947 | Rev Canon F A Corbett | |
| 1947–1953 | Rev G S Froggatt | |
| 1953–1955 | Rev R G Tremellen | |
| 1956–1961 | Rev C Hartley Bird | |
| 1961–1966 | Rev F Howard Riches | |
| 1966–1976 | Rev K G Chapman | |
| 1976–1987 | Fr C Tolworthy SSC | |
| 1987–1997 | Fr R C Coles SSC | |
| 1997–2005 | Fr M A Cuming SSC | |
Priests in Charge of the Parish of S Philip | ||
| 2006–2008 | Fr N P Chatfield (Vicar of Christ Church) | |
Vicars of Christ Church with S Philip | ||
| 2009– | Fr N P Chatfield | |
Rev F A Corbett succeeded the Rev R R Fenning (Vicar of Christ Church) as Rural Dean of Eastbourne in 1937, and was installed as a Canon in Chichester Cathedral in March 1943. In recent times clergy have styled themselves “Father” rather than “Reverend”; the titles are interchangeable.
