Bishop Hannington Memorial Church

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Bishop Hannington Memorial Church
The church from the southwest
Dedication	Bishop Hannington
Denomination	Church of England
Tradition	Evangelical
Administration
Parish	Hove, Bishop Hannington Memorial Church
Deanery	Rural Deanery of Hove
Archdeaconry	Chichester
Diocese	Chichester
Province	Canterbury
Clergy
Vicar	Rev. Phil R. Moon
Curate	Rev. Julian J. Milson
Other
Website	http://www.bhmc.org.uk/

Bishop Hannington Memorial Church is an Anglican church in the West Blatchington area of Hove, in the English city of Brighton and Hove. Built between 1938 and 1939, it commemorates James Hannington, First Bishop of East Equatorial Africa, who was murdered in Uganda in 1885 on the orders of King Mwanga II while engaged in missionary work.

Contents 1 History 2 Architecture 3 The church today 4 References

[edit] History

Although born at Hurstpierpoint, a few miles north of Brighton and Hove, James Hannington was part of the Brighton family which owned the long-established Hannington's department store in Brighton. He was ordained into the priesthood in 1874, and served as the curate of St George's Church in Hurstpierpoint until volunteering for missionary work in east Africa in 1882. Although he had to return to Britain in 1883 because of illness, he went back to Uganda in 1884 and was ordained as Bishop of Eastern Equatorial Africa on 24 June 1884.^[1]

Along with a group of men, he prepared to enter Uganda by way of a new, more direct route from the northeastern side of Lake Victoria. The group had almost reached their destination when they were intercepted by representatives of King Mwanga II; they were arrested, and all but four men were killed eight days later^[2] on 29 October 1885.^[1][3]

The Diocese of Chichester decided to build a new church in the martyred bishop's memory. Edward Maufe, a Yorkshire-born architect, designed and built it between 1938 and 1939. He was also working on Guildford Cathedral at the time. A datestone was embedded by the entrance, commemorating Bishop Hannington and recording the date as 26 November 1938. The Bishop of Chichester, George Bell, laid the stone.^[4]

[edit] Architecture

The church is a large building on a corner site, with an entrance at the west end and a tall bell tower at the northeast corner. Brown brick is the main building material, although the roof is laid with pantiles. This roof has a shallow pitch, while the large tower has a similar but steeper roof topped with a cross. An annex used as a day centre was added on the northern side in the 1970s in a matching style, although it has a flat roof. The main body of the church consists of a chancel, an organ bay in the tower and a Lady chapel in the southeast corner. The nave has 5½ bays with aisles on each side. The main entrance at the west end is set into a tall pointed arch faced with decorative brickwork. Above this is a deeply recessed arched window, and there are two similar but smaller windows in the adjacent north and south faces. The floor of the chancel is laid with travertine, a rock which resembles both limestone and marble, and the nave incorporates locally produced beech wood. The martyr's crown device is used frequently in the internal fittings and decoration, reflecting Bishop Hannington's martyrdom.^[4]

[edit] The church today

The church became a listed building on 2 November 1992, attaining Grade II status.^[4] Its services are evangelical in nature; there is a weekly Communion service on Sunday mornings, two other services on Sundays, a Bible study group for non-native English speakers, and various youth groups and children's facilities.^[5] The Benefice and parish of Bishop Hannington Memorial Church includes the Holy Cross Church, a small Anglican church which worships in the Conservative Evangelical tradition. This is an older building, dating from 1903, and serves the area around Aldrington railway station. There are services every Sunday, including a Communion service, and various groups and events for young people.^[6] The boundaries of the parish are Portland Road (between Bolsover Road and Westbourne Street), Rowan Avenue, Hangleton Road, Nevill Avenue and Hove Park.

[edit] References