Church of the Sacred Heart, Hove

The Church of the Sacred Heart stands in Hove, a seaside town now part of Brighton and Hove. It is the oldest of Hove’s three Roman Catholic churches and one of eleven in the city. The building is a Grade II listed structure, recognised for its architectural importance. Its history begins in the late 19th century when a priest left money in his will to establish a mission church. After delays and site changes, construction finally began in 1880 under architect John Crawley. The church is built in the Early English Gothic style, using limestone with rock dressings and a slate roof. Inside, the chancel and side chapels feature vaulted marble and stone shafts, while the nave has a barrel-vaulted roof. Stained glass windows by Nathaniel Westlake and a single modern window by Cox & Barnard add colour and light. The Lady chapel and Saint Joseph chapel flank the aisles, and the reredos in the apse is a notable feature. Visitors find a space shaped by decades of worship and music. The church hosts three Sunday Masses, including a family service and one combining English and Latin with Gregorian chant. The organ, rebuilt in the late 1990s, supports both liturgy and recitals. Names like Eric Gill and Luigi Arditi are linked to the church’s past, while today’s choir continues a tradition that includes works by Mozart and Haydn.