Robertson Street United Reformed Church

Robertson Street United Reformed Church stands in the centre of Hastings, a seaside town in East Sussex. Built in 1885 on the site of an earlier church from 1857, it was designed by Henry Ward, who also designed Hastings Town Hall. The building occupies a split-level arrangement, with part of the gallery extending over an alleyway on Robertson Street. It is listed at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance. The church sits between Robertson Street and Cambridge Road, close to the town’s main shopping area. The church was founded in 1856 by Daniel Smith, who led evangelical work in Hastings. A Gothic Revival chapel was built first, but by the 1880s the congregation had grown too large. The Rev. C. New played a key role in raising funds and overseeing the new building’s construction. The memorial stone was laid in 1884 with the Mayor and local pastors present. The new church was dedicated in 1885, attended by Congregationalist leaders and dignitaries. Today the building houses His Place Church, a Pentecostal fellowship that moved here in 2013. Alongside worship, the space is used for a café, theatre, mental health support groups and community events. The Opus Theatre operates under Polo Piatti, offering performances in a horseshoe-shaped auditorium with excellent acoustics. Fundraising continues to repair windows, stonework and the Robertson Street entrance, with damp damage now being addressed. The building remains a centre for both spiritual and cultural life in Hastings.