Hastings – St Nicholas, East Cliff (The Fisherman’s Church)

As its popular name implies, the church was built to evangelise the fisherfolk who were based on the eastern shore.  As such, it may be compared with A D Wagner’s similar efforts in Brighton, though the building is architecturally less ambitious than most of Wagner’s.  Closed in 1939 and re-opened as a museum in 1956, it is a good example of the modest mission church of a type few of which survive in Sussex.  It was opened in 1854 and its simple rectangular plan with big lancets would by then have seemed old-fashioned.  There was no chancel and the material is stone; one sign of the 1850s is the open and unplastered roof.  The surveyor (architect is too pretentious) was W J Gant and the cost was £529 (B 11 p560).

Fittings

Font: The simple font, dating probably 1854, remains in the museum shop.
Glass: Glass panel commemorating the Millenium, 2000, by A Wright (Artist’s website).

My thanks to Nick Wiseman for the photographs