Hove in the Past: Hove Methodist Church

Judy Middleton 2002 (revised 2021)

Background

In 1807 a Methodist circuit was formed covering Lewes and Brighton, while Hove was not included until 1808. In 1809 there were thirteen Methodists living at Hove while at Brighton there were 33. Methodism at Hove had fluctuating fortunes because after a few years no members were recorded. In 1827 the Bible Christian Society had six members but this group petered out too.

1891 Hove Street Directory - Bertram Road
was renamed Portland Road in 1894

In the 1851 Religious Census there were fourteen Wesleyans at Hove, although it was not recorded where they met. But a Wesleyan preacher came to visit them every Sunday, and sometimes on week-days too. Wherever it was that they met, it was recorded that 20 free seats were available. However, by 1857 there were no members, although by 1860 there were ten

In 1880 a place for meetings was secured in Shirley Street, and Mr J. Athol Wood started work with enthusiasm only to run into financial difficulties before long. But in the 1880s circumstances at last took an upward turn. On 31 March 1883 a site for a meeting house was purchased for £400 from timber merchants Edward Beves and Francis Tooth. The site had once formed part of the Vallance Estate and was in Bertram Road – eventually to be called Portland Road. At first the building they used for worship was a humble iron church that had come from the Preston Park area of Brighton where it had seen service in the 1870s as the Dyke Road Drive/Preston Road Wesleyan 'Iron' Church.

copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
1887 drawing of the original Williamson Cottage Homes for Ladies in Portland Road, on the right is the Wesleyan Iron Church.

The Hove Commissioners were not impressed by such a structure, perhaps thinking it lowered the tone of an up-market road. At any rate, they issued orders that the structure should be removed by 1892. Once it had gone, the members were obliged to share accommodation with the Primitive Methodist Church in Goldstone Villas.


copyright © J.Middleton The former Primitive Methodist Church in Goldstone Villas

A New Church

John Wills of Derby drew up plans for a new church to be built in Portland Road, and these were approved on 2 January 1896. Mr Wills then amended the plan of the frontage, and this was approved on 21 May 1896.

On 3 June 1896 Mrs Davenport gave a luncheon in the lecture hall of the Cliftonville Congregational Church before the company repaired to the site of the new church where a number of memorial stones were laid at the base of the font and chancel windows – they were laid by the following people:

Mrs E. R. Beecroft

Miss Sophia Beves

Miss E. Kathleen Dutton Briant

Miss Ethel D. Bryant

Mrs Corringham

Mrs Davenport

Revd Dr Finnemore

Mrs W. P. Griffith

Mrs Walford Green

Mr A. Heald

Miss James

Mr W. Johnson

Mrs J. H. Lile

Mr C. Mees

Miss Phillips

Mr J. Peters

Mrs A. D. Spong

Miss Mabella H. Sutton

Miss Sarah Sutton

A bottle was laid under Mrs Davenport’s stone containing a lithograph of the proposed church building. The church was built of the Gothic Romanesque style using Keymer red bricks ‘freely relieved with Monk’s Park stone’ in the Brighton Herald’s description. An unusual feature was the double flight of steps leading up to the double doors with the impressive wheel window above with twelve spokes and trefoil cusps. The church could seat around 600 people, while the classrooms under the church at ground level could accommodate 400 children. It was certainly a magnificent edifice in comparison to the old tin hut.

copyright © J.Middleton
This postcard dates from 1906, The Methodist Church between the 'Williamson Cottage Homes for Ladies' and the red brick Police Seaside Home.

The church was opened on 17 December 1896, and Mrs J. H. Lile had the privilege of wielding the silver key. The total cost, including the site and furnishings, came to £4,700, and not surprisingly by 1899 there was still a debt of £1,740. The debt was not cleared until 1906 when the treasurer found himself in the happy position of having £3 in hand.

Some Ministers

Revd Robert Bond – He was the first minister of the church from 1896 to 1899. At the time he was still a young man, but he went on to become an important figure in Methodism and in 1938 he became Moderator of the Free Church Federal Council.

Revd Ernest Kirtlan – He was the minister from 1908 to 1912, and was renowned for the booming voice with which he delivered his sermons. It was not unknown for the carafe of water to fall to the ground with a crash when he was in full oratorical flow. Dr Kirtlan was a recognised authority on early English literature, and he had translated Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, as well as Beowulf, and a 14^th century poem called The Pearl. But he was the most dreadful car driver, and was often hauled up in court because of it.

Revd Douglas Sharp – He belonged to the Sharp’s toffee family, and was minister from 1920 to 1923.

Revd John Naile – In July 1995 he embarked on a five-week exchange with the resident minister. Revd Naile hailed from St Clair, Michigan, and had to get accustomed to a more elderly congregation than was the case back in the USA. But he simply could not get used to the local parking problem, and preferred to use buses instead.

The Organ

In the early days before the use of electricity, the musician who played the organ relied on a man to manipulate the bellows. One of the organ blowers in those days was Bert Jelly, but he was liable to fall asleep during the course of a long sermon, and needed to be prodded awake in order to get the organ going to accompany a rousing hymn. The first organ used at Hove, was later donated to Portslade Methodist Church, while the next organ at Hove came from the church of St Michael and All Angels at Brighton.

In 1925 an organ fund was started but it made slow progress. A new one was not installed until 1932 and then it was only because a member of the congregation had left £800, and that combined with £700 already collected, was enough for the purpose.

Different Names

The church has been known by different names over the years. Originally, it was known as the Wesleyan Church, but in 1932 after the different branches of Methodism were reunited, it became the Portland Road Methodist Church. Today, it is simply known as Hove Methodist Church, the other Methodist establishments in Hove and Portslade having closed. One new member at the Hove one was Mrs Violet Osborn whose former place of worship had shut. It must have been a sad time for her because her husband George had been one of the original trustees of the Methodist Church in Franklin Road, Portslade. However, when she died in 1995 she left a handsome sum of money to Hove Methodist Church, being in the region of £200,000.

Youth Groups

The 22^nd Brighton (Hove) Company Boys Brigade was formed in 1912, and the 16^th Brighton (Hove) Girls Guildry was formed in 1926.

copyright © Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove
Revd H. W. Goldsack and Revd P. Townsend in the Children's Corner of Hove Methodist Church. 19 February, 1938.

Expansion

In the 1930s the idea began to grow that the church building might be extended, In 1936 the church trustees purchased a property in Cowper Street, and a further two properties were acquired over the years. But it was not until Midsummer Day 1964 that the minister, Revd Arthur Chambers, laid the foundation stone at the St Patrick’s Street entrance. The extension included an upper hall, an extended kitchen, and new youth premises, and it was opened on 7 April 1965. The scheme cost £25,000, but fortunately half of the cost was met by the Ministry of Education, and a further quarter by the local education authority with the proviso that youth organisations should use the premises on five nights a week.

Church Membership

In 1982 there were 209 members, with the ladies outnumbering the men by 158 to 51. The female numbers included 56 widows, and 43 unmarried women. The all-time high figure for membership was probably in 1964 when there were 440. By 1991 the numbers had dwindled to 140, but then the numbers began to grow and in 1996 there were 185 members.

A New Frontage

The entrance as it was originally designed, was used for the last time on 7 June 1992. Then work began on an ambitious new frontage that involved demolishing the flights of stone steps, and replacing them with a glass tower. The tower had a useful function because there was a lift for those who had found it difficult to toil up the old steps. The tower also provided space for church functions, an office, a kitchen and a toilet for the disabled. The tower features an elongated cross of yellow glass with a starburst effect in red and blue. Keith Jones was the architect involved, and Paris Construction undertook the work. The final cost of all the improvements came to £266,000. In 1993 the new extension won an award for the best new building from Hove Civic Society and Hove Council.

It was ironic that the work had been completed just as it was announced that the church had been designated a Grade II listed building. If the application for the extension had been made after the listing, the final outcome might have been very different.

Radio Broadcast

On Easter Sunday 4 April 1999 the church service was broadcast on BBC radio. Dr Colin Morris gave the sermon, and the music was provided by Brighton Brass, Hove Methodist Church Singers, and the choir from St Christopher’s School. Afterwards, there was a buffet breakfast.

Ministers

1889 ? -1896 Revd William Cowlin Lawry, minister of the temporary Hove Wesleyan 'Iron Church' which was first listed in the 1889 Hove Street Directory as being sited in Bertram Road (Portland Road)

1896-1899 Revd Robert Bond, first minister of the new brick built Hove Methodist Church in Bertram Road (Portland Road)

1899-1902 Revd Frederick Clarke

1902-1905 Revd William H. Phipps

1905-1908 Revd Charles E. Hunter

1908-1912 Revd Ernest J. B. Kirtlan

1912-1915 Revd Revd Walter Trevor

1915-1920 Revd James F, Parkes

1920-1923 Revd Douglas S. Sharp

1923-1926 Revd Sydney P. Jacoby

1926-1929 Revd H. Clough Weaver

1929-1932 Revd William T, Sharpley

1932-1937 Revd Ernest C. Taunton

1937-1944 Revd Harold W. Goldsack

1944-1949 Revd A. Cecil Parker

1949-1953 Revd Conrad E. Job

1953-1958 Revd Ernest W. Griffin

1958-1964 Revd Arthur L. Chambers

1964-1967 Revd David Ball

1967-1972 Revd Harry Warne

1972-1978 Revd Ian W. Lewis

1978-1981 Revd D. Brian Dougall

1981-1986 Revd G. Clifford Hunt

1986-1990 Revd John Dale

1990-1991 Revd R. Martin Broadbent

1991-1996 Revd Colin A. Smith

1996-2002 Revd Rob Hufton

2002 - ? Revd Kathleen Allen

20?? - Revd Andy Lowe

Sources

Argus

Brighton Herald

Encyclopaedia of Hove and Portslade

Hove Methodist Church, Portland Road, Hove.

Mr. G. Osborne

Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove

Smith, C. A. & Nurcombe, P. B. New Life Still Flows: A History of Methodism in Hove (1996)

24 June 2021

Hove Methodist Church