St Leonard's Church, Aldrington

St Leonard’s Church stands in Aldrington, a district of Hove within Brighton and Hove. It occupies a quiet corner on New Church Road, a short distance from the seafront and Hove railway station. The building began as a mediaeval parish church in the 13th century, but by the early 19th century it had fallen into ruins. In 1878 Richard Herbert Carpenter and Benjamin Ingelow rebuilt it, reusing parts of the old tower and south aisle. A second major enlargement took place in 1936 under Harold Milburn-Pett, who widened the church and added a spire. The exterior is faced in knapped flint, with red-brick sections marking the 1936 north wall. The church is worth visiting for its layered history and the craftsmanship of its rebuilds. Carpenter’s 1878 design reproduced mediaeval features such as lancet windows and knapped flintwork, while Milburn-Pett’s 1936 work doubled the capacity by creating a new nave and chancel. The tower contains six bells, and the churchyard holds a Commonwealth War Grave from 1917. A Grade II listing in 1950 recognises the building as nationally important. The ashes of actor C. Aubrey Smith lie in his mother’s grave in the churchyard. Inside, the nave and chancel form a broad, light space with lancet windows on both sides. The original south aisle survives as an aisle on the south side, and the 1936 north aisle was never completed, leaving its red-brick wall exposed. A lychgate was added after the Second World War on the southern approach. The churchyard includes Hove Cemetery, reached through the parish boundary that stretches north of the railway. The interior was refurbished between 2021 and 2023 as part of a £1.1 million project.