St Peter's Church, Brighton

St Peter’s Church stands near the centre of Brighton, on an island between the A23 London Road and the A270 Lewes Road. Built between 1824 and 1828 to designs by Sir Charles Barry, it is widely regarded as the finest example of pre-Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. The church was the parish church of Brighton from 1873 until 2007 and is sometimes called Brighton’s cathedral. Nikolaus Pevsner praised its inventiveness and boldness in adapting late Gothic forms. Barry’s hexagonal apse was replaced in 1898 by a larger chancel designed by Somers Clarke and J. T. Mickelthwaite, built in warm Sussex sandstone.

The church contains notable stained-glass windows, most by Charles Eamer Kempe. A window on the liturgical east side commemorates Queen Victoria, funded by Brighton residents. Reredos panels were created by Edward Arthur Fellowes Prynne. The tower houses ten bells cast in 1914 by Mears and Stainbank of London, replacing an earlier ring of eight. The bells rang again in December 2022 after tower repairs. The organ, built in 1888 by Henry Willis and installed in 1910, was removed in 2019 and is now in Cambridge.

Visitors find a Grade II* listed building with a striking exterior of white Portland stone and warm sandstone chancel. Inside, Kempe’s stained glass and Fellowes Prynne’s reredos panels draw the eye. The tower’s bells and the removed organ’s musical legacy remain part of its story. Services now include a liturgical communion, a family service, and a youth-focused evening service. The church also runs social action projects such as Safehaven for homeless people.