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The Regency Society was very pleased to have been able to use St. Andrew's Church, Waterloo Street, Hove, for the recent launch of Plaque Trails: what follows is drawn from the excellent guide to the church by John Vigar, Field Officer for The Churches Conservation Trust, and Mike Robins, Custodian of St.Andrew's.

St. Andrew's was built as a proprietary chapel to serve Brunswick Town on land that did not form part of the Estate, but belonged to the Revd. Edward Everard, perpetual curate of St. Margaret's Chapel, Cannon Place- built 1824, architect Charles Busby-(demolished and replaced by Sussex Heights,1959).
In 1828 he was granted an Act of Parliament allowing him to erect a privately owned chapel.
This speculative venture, if successful, would ensure a future income:the Act allowed him to keep two thirds of the income from pew rents, christenings, the churching of women and burials. Everard was also allowed to appoint each successive minister for the next forty years.

Everard was Joint Secretary of Sussex County Hospital which was being built to the designs of Charles Barry, who then received the commission for the new chapel, to the somewhat natural displeasure of Charles Busby, who, having created Brunswick Town, did not appreciate this commission passing to another.

Opening in July 1828 to instant fashionable acclaim, the system of pew rents ensured that only Society's Finest would be in Sunday attendance, with servants allocated space in the balcony.

In 1882 the apsidal chancel was added by Charles Barry's son, also Charles, to give the form that we see today.

The church offered burials, but due to the land-locked site these took place in the crypt, until it was closed with some fifty five occupants in 1854.
Memorials to twenty-seven of these were made on the walls of the nave, but all but four were removed to the lobby and stairwell by Fr.Kirkley who was appointed in 1922.

The monument to , Governor of Cape Colony, is worthy of particular inspection.

St. Andrew's was finally declared redundant in 1990 and passed to the care of
The Churches Conservation Trust.
More recently it was vandalised and suffered extensive damage internally, although it is pleasing to report that it is currently in fine form .

 

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