Newhaven – Christ Church

This was opened in 1881 as a mission church for the harbour area of the town.  No photograph has yet been found, but it was in red and yellow brick with an apse and belfry, said to have been in the Early English style (KD 1899), that is to say with lancets.  The architect was E P L Brock and it cost £1575 (BN 38 p350).  The church was pulled down in 1965 (Elleray p73).

Despite the obvious discrepancies, it is most likely that a church of 1877-78 in Newhaven, dedicated to St John the Baptist, that is mentioned in Goodhart-Rendel’s index and said to be by A Salvin, is in some way linked with this, assuming it existed at all.  No other source, including Jill Allibone’s book on Salvin, mentions this and no church in the town, of any denomination, has this dedication.

All that remains of Christ Church are two stained glass windows, which were presented in 1969 to the Roman Catholic church of St Thomas More in Seaford in circumstances that remain unknown.  One window dates from 1919 and is described vaguely as ‘Commercial’ in www.stainedglassrecords.org.uk.  However the other, though undated, is signed by W T Morris of Westminster and depicts the Good Shepherd.  The two doctors commemorated both died in 1906 and this is likely to be the approximate date.  It is probably no co-incidence that W T Morris produced a window for St Michael’s church which is dated 1909.

My particular thanks to Nick Wiseman who not only spotted the reference to the glass but took the attached photographs

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