St Mark's Church, Brighton

St Mark’s Church stands in Brighton’s Kemptown, a former Anglican church built in the Early English Gothic Revival style. Its stone and concrete exterior, with lancet windows and a tall spire, faces Eastern Road. The tower at the west end is flanked by porches, and the roofs are slate. Inside, the nave once had open aisles marked by cast-iron columns, leading to a stone chancel arch. The church was designed to serve St Mary’s Hall School, a nearby institution founded by Reverend Henry Venn Elliott. The church’s history reflects Brighton’s growth in the early 19th century. Frederick Hervey, 1st Marquess of Bristol, funded much of its construction, though disputes over public access delayed completion. It became Kemptown’s parish church in 1873 but was declared redundant in 1986. After nearly 150 years, it returned to its original purpose as the school’s chapel, arts centre and concert hall. Inside, the chancel features tracery windows and a marble reredos added in 1913. The vestry and organ chamber sit beside it, while the galleries, altered in the 1890s, once wrapped around three sides. The church’s Grade II listing recognises its architectural and historical importance. Its quiet presence in Kemptown contrasts with the city’s busier streets, offering a glimpse of Brighton’s layered past.