Judy Middleton 2001 (revised 2023)
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| copyright © J.Middleton The best view of the exterior of All Saints is from the east in wintertime when the trees have shed their leaves. This photograph was taken on 20 March 2009. |
Revd Thomas Peacey
He was vicar of Hove for almost 30 years. He became aware
of the need for a new church in the late 1870s but there were other matters to
be attended to first such as the restoration of St Andrew’s Old Church, the
re-building of the George Street Schools, the building of the Parochial
Institute plus the erection of St Barnabas’s Church and the new Hove Vicarage.
Indeed, sometimes he despaired of his pet project because he stated ‘Whether I
shall see the Church built, for which I have longed and worked and prayed, God
only knows.’
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| copyright
© Royal Pavilion & Museums Revd Thomas Peacey Vicar of All Saints, Hove, 1874-1904 |
Peacey took his duties seriously
and what he saw was a town expanding rapidly year by year, which suffered from
under-provision in the matter of church capacity. By 1888 from a population
total of 27,250, less than 8,250 were included in the new parishes of St
Barnabas and St Patrick; this left 19,000 souls dependent on the ancient mother
church of Hove at St Andrew’s. The latter, together with Holy Trinity and St
John’s, could hold less than 3,000 people.
Although Peacey thought a
magnificent new Parish Church befitted Hove’s increasing status, he was adamant
that it was not to be exclusively for wealthy people. He made this clear in his
Easter letter of 1887.
“It is not only for the rich and
well-to-do that the Church is needed, there are the ‘hewers of wood and drawers
of water’ of whom the Bishop reminded us, the men-servants and maid-servants,
the coachmen and the grooms, the tradesmen and their assistants and all the
folk who minister to the necessities and luxuries of a fashionable
neighbourhood. And there are those who come to reside among us for a time only,
for health or in sorrow or by reason of other causes, which may make them
serious about their souls and among whom I am persuaded that there is a great
work for God to be done, for many strange and sad histories have come to my
knowledge.’
Although Peacey’s dream was realised
eventually, it caused him considerable stress and resultant ill health. By 1892
the strain began to show and the parish had a whip-round to raise enough money
for the Peaceys to go abroad for a holiday. On their return, Peacey’s health
was not sufficiently re-established to take up his duties and his doctor
prevailed upon him to take things easy for a further eight weeks.
Beginnings
In 1886 Viscount Hampden, Lord Lieutenant of Sussex,
presided over the first meeting to be held concerning the building of All
Saints. It was formally agreed that the new Parish Church should be built in a
central location. However, the site that All Saints later occupied had already
been leased to William Willett, the noted house builder, on 30 April 1879 by
Ellen Benett-Stanford. She specified that this land was only to be used as an ornamental
pleasure ground and she retained the power to resume possession of it within
three years should it be required for church building purposes. If the land was
not thus utilised, Mr Willett would have the option of purchasing it for £2,625
but it would have to remain as a pleasure ground.
There must have been a change of heart because the
Stanford Estate donated the site to the church – a gift said to be worth some
£3,000. The Bishop of Chichester was keen on the project and made the first
donation to the building fund of £100; he later added two more donations.
John Loughborough Pearson (1817-1897)
Several architects submitted their drawings to be
scrutinised by the Building Committee and it is a fact not generally known that
they did not like J.L. Pearson’s first design. They considered it too elaborate
and costly and asked him to go away and prepare new plans. This he did and in
November 1887 Pearson’s new plans – still only in pencil – were approved.
It was a bit of a cheek for the Building Committee to
treat Pearson in such a manner because he was a very eminent architect at the
peak of his profession and with vast experience in the design of churches. It
was not that he was an unknown quantity either because he also designed St Barnabas’s Church, Hove. But Hove liked to punch above its weight and there is
a parallel in that the architect chosen for Hove Town Hall was the renowned
Alfred Waterhouse.
Finance
It was obvious from the outset that the building of All
Saints would have to be done in stages, being dependent on continuous
fund-raising. Naturally, this aspect was a recurring headache for Peacey.
Hove was a relatively wealthy place. In 1891 it was stated
that the population had raised £35,000 over the previous twelve years to build
new churches. But still Peacey had to make appeal after appeal. The money
trickled in from the widow’s mite, as it were, to the grand donations of £100 a
time from the likes of Alderman Howlett and Sir Julian Goldsmid, who as a Jew,
was unlikely to ever set foot in the place. Residents and local businessmen
such as Mr H. Welsford Smithers of the brewing family made their donations and
Smithers also provided the choir with stoutly bound hymn books Ancient and
Modern.
Ladies were heavily represented in the list of donors as
well as being responsible for the beautiful needlework on the altar frontals.
(It is interesting to note that an altar frontal has recently been restored to
its former glory with the assistance of the Friends of All Saints). Ladies also
gave the first two stained-glass windows and the brass eagle lectern.
John Shillitoe & Son
Local firms of builders were invited to tender for the
privilege of erecting All Saints. The Building Committee would have liked to
employ J.T. Chappell, a name well known at Hove where he was responsible for
the building of some fine edifices. Unfortunately, Chappell’s tender turned out
to be £3,000 more than the tender finally chosen.
Shillitoe & Son secured the contract. It was a happy
choice for J.L Pearson because they had already worked for him on the
construction of Truro Cathedral as well as St Barnabas’s Church, Hove, and Hove
Vicarage. Mr S. Chivers was appointed Clerk of the Works and he had also worked
with Pearson on his grand church of St Michael, West Croydon.
Building Work
The foundation work took longer than expected because it
was discovered that the chalk extended from twelve to sixteen feet below the
surface, whereas next door at Hove Vicarage the depth of chalk had only been
some four or five feet.
Seventy-five men were employed on the site of whom 43 were
masons; a large proportion of them were from the neighbourhood or at least from
Sussex and thus understood the working of Sussex sandstone, which came from
Paddockhurst, between Worth and Barcombe. Mr Whitehead ‘of torpedo fame’ owned
the quarries; presumably this was Robert Whitehead (1823-1905) who invented the
first self-propelling torpedo in 1866. The sandstone was similar to that used
at Lancing College Chapel, which came from Scaynes Hill.
However, the sandstone of both buildings has not weathered
well because of their location near the sea. Sussex sandstone has the capacity
to absorb salt from sea air, which then corrodes the stone. In fact by 2001 at
Lancing College Chapel badly worn sandstone at the south-east corner was being
replaced by more durable York sandstone.
As for our magnificent All Saints, the erosion of
sandstone is a major headache, which together with the height of the building
and prospective scaffolding costs adds up to a formidable sum of money. In
these austere times, help is unlikely to come from the government, the council
or the Diocese of Chichester and so its future cannot be said to be secure.
Cost was also a consideration at the building stage. Some
timid souls wanted to save £800 by ordering pitch pine for the roof from
Norway. But Pearson strongly advised the use of English oak. The Sussex oak
came from the neighbourhood of Horsham and the 32-foot rafters were cut out of
solid wood; the roof trusses weighing three tons each.
Some idea of the working site can be gained from this
contemporary account. ‘ A double saw, which does the work of ten sawyers, a
rubbing table at which three men do as much as ten masons could in preparing
square stones for the ashlars of the outer and inner walls and a mortar mill
are all worked by one steam engine, which also at times drives a circular saw
for cutting wood. There is a blacksmith’s forge upon the ground to sharpen the
masons’ tools and the whole busy scene is dominated by a large crane, which was
six years at Truro Cathedral and for the last two years at Westminster
Hall.’
By September 1889 the archway of the south porch was
complete but it was to take nine long years before the chancel was finished.
The chancel is 23 feet long and it narrows to a width of 27 feet; the chancel
is entered under a 58-foot high arch. The walls of the nave rise to a height of
nearly 50 feet and the height of the roof is a startling 74 feet above the
floor.
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| copyright © J.Middleton This evocative view of All Saints was posted in 1905. |
Breakdown of Costs
Nave and aisles
£19,219
Builder’s contract for east part £19, 683
Architect’s fee
£800
Electric lighting
£300
Heating £300
Furniture £300
Clerk of the Works
£600
Completion of organ
£875
There were a few other items too but the total cost came
to just over £42,000. But the building costs were not the end of it because
later on came the beautiful reredos, bishop’s throne and sedilia, which cost
£3,300. In 1924 the narthex and tower base were completed from G.B. Woodruff’s
donation.
It is impossible to ascertain the overall cost because
various patrons provided the wealth of stained glass as well as other items.
Completion Dates
1889 – 25 March, laying of the foundation stone
1891 – 1 May, nave and aisles consecrated
1901 – 1 November, choir and sanctuary consecrated
1905 – Organ completed
1908 – 1 November, reredos, bishop’s throne and sedilia
dedicated
1915 – 4 June, organ case and choir stalls dedicated
1924 – Narthex and base of tower completed
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| copyright © J.Middleton The church looks somewhat raw in this photograph dating from 1906 due to the unfinished work on the south west corner. The base of the tower was not completed until 1924. |
Comments
It is interesting to note the opinions of different
experts on the subject of All Saints. For example, the austere Nikolaus Pevsner
was moved to describe the church as superb and also cathedral-like. The latter
is an interesting remark because in the 1920s there was talk of dividing the
Diocese of Chichester into two bishoprics and ‘All Saints would have made a
sufficiently stately Cathedral for the See of Lewes’.
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| copyright © J.Middleton This view of All Saints does indeed make it look cathedral-like. |
Dr Cranage, one time Dean of Norwich, and an authority on
church architecture had this to say. ‘We should be grateful that Canon Peacey
had the vision that enabled him and his great architect to realise such a
beautiful church. It marks a period but it marks that period at its best.
However long it remains and whatever changes of fashion supervene, people of
Hove, it is to be hoped, will always realise that they have something great and
noble in their midst.’
The architect H.S. Goohart-Rendel wrote words to the
effect that the chancel was as near perfect as it could be. But his enthusiasm
was tempered by his horror at there being no vault over the main body of the
church. He thought the omission incomprehensible, particularly for a man of
Pearson’s stature.
These admiring comments must be tempered by the opinion of
some clergymen who have regarded All Saints not so much as a source of
inspiration but rather as a millstone around their necks. This is because of
the nightmare caused by the extraordinary sums of money necessary to keep it in
a good state of repair.
Repairs
The hope that a spire would eventually crown the tower
lingered on until the 1930s; then it was finally abandoned. Perhaps it was just
as well because keeping the rest of the church building in a sound condition
was quite enough to worry about.
The expenditure on restoring stonework and woodwork from
1951 to 1953 came to £4,551. This was not enough and at the end of 1953 the
vicar and churchwardens had to cash in all their securities as well as having
to borrow an extra £1,000. This last resort followed on a grave report
submitted by the cathedral architect. He wrote concerning ‘the fractures of the
masonry in the arches of the nave and aisles … the result of the main walls
being forced out of the perpendicular, due to the thrusts of the timber roof.
The spread of the timber roof of the nave is aggravated by the many iron bolts
used in the construction becoming loose as the result of timber shrinkage … the
crack in the second arch from the west over the nave has apparently increased.’
The estimated cost of securing the massive arches was £5,000.
In 1984 All Saints launched a Centenary Appeal in an
effort to raise £150,000. John Burn-Hill did his bit for the effort by running
a book-stall outside the church and it is estimated that in over four years he
raised around £15,000; the last book sale was held in the church hall on 3
December 1988.
In 1986 American Express donated £5,000 towards the
restoration of the crumbling stonework around the west window.
In April 1996 a new appeal was launched with the target
being £1.5 million.
Royal Associations
On 1 March 1896 the Prince of Wales attended morning
service at All Saints while on one of his sojourns at Hove with the Sassoon
family. On 13 February 1910 he attended All Saints again and by then of course
he was King Edward VII. When he died suddenly on 6 May 1910 it came as a great
shock to the country at large and to the people of Hove who had seen him so
recently in apparent good health. A special service in his memory was held at
All Saints on 20 May 1910. Hundreds of people turned up and as they could not
all squeeze inside the church, the vicar was obliged to conduct a second
service in the open air outside.
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| copyright © J.Middleton A crowd of people and a host of flag-waving children celebrate the coronation on 11 June 1911. |
When George V and Queen Mary were crowned on 25 June 1911
there was a massed assembly outside All Saints overseen by the Bishop of Lewes
with a special coronation flag service for the children of Hove.
There might be another royal connection too. On 21 June
1897 there was a special service held at All Saints to commemorate Queen
Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. Revd Peacey said on this occasion that the Duke of
Connaught had promised he would endeavour to lay the corner stone of the
chancel in November 1897. The only hindrance to the plan was the fact that with
only four months to go some £2,600 was still needed.
Memorable Occasions
On 9 October 1897 Vaughan Williams married Adeline Fisher
at All Saints. Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was a celebrated English
musician who was fortunate to have outstanding teachers in the shape of Charles
Stanford at the Royal College of Music, Max Bruch in Berlin and Maurice Ravel in
Paris. But he was also firmly in touch with the tradition of English choral
music with particular reference to Tudor church music. He was involved in the
English folk-song movement too. Amongst his outstanding works were Sea
Symphony, London Symphony and Choral Symphony and there was an opera
Hugh the Drover and a ballet Job. He did not scorn modern media
and provided the music for the film Scott of the Antarctic. His lyrical
piece Lark Ascending is regularly voted as one of the nation’s favourite
compositions.
On 11 November 1918 the Great War ended with the Armistice
being announced. At Hove the Town Hall rang out a joyous peal of bells but the
celebration was tempered with the sober realisation of the dreadful cost in
human lives. There was no dancing in the streets or rowdiness in front of
public houses. Instead, every church flung wide its doors and people poured in.
At All Saints every seat was filled and there were people packed into the Lady
Chapel and even the organ chamber.
An unusual event was held in March 1982 when the former
Prime Minister Edward Heath addressed around 1,000 clergy and laity on the
subject of the Brandt Report, which dealt with Third World poverty and
Western aid.
On 14 May 1987 the Bishop of Chichester. Dr Eric Kemp, ordained
six women deacons. They were part of the sixteen women ordained that same day
in the Diocese of Chichester. The other services were held at Durrington with
the Bishop of Horsham and at Seaford with the Bishop of Lewes.
On 24 February 1992 the head of the Coptic Church, Pope
Shinodah III, in the company of seven of his bishops, conducted a three-hour
service for 700 Sudanese Coptic Christian refugees.
Recent History
On 5 December 2003 the Argus carried a story
emanating from a review by the Church of England about the current state and
affordability of their churches. It transpired that All Saints was one of
thirteen churches earmarked for closure. The proposal was due to All Saints
having a deficit in 2003 of some £32,740, which compared very unfavourably with
the surplus of £2,250 recorded in 2000. The news horrified both parishioners
and ordinary people at Hove. The official response was that better and wider
use must be made of the resources they had. It also meant that All Saints had
to dispense with the services of their curate Revd John Phillips, which meant
more work for the vicar Revd David Wostenholm.
The criticism was little unfair because the wider
community already use All Saints for various cultural and festive events. For
example, there is the well-attended City Charity Carol Concert that takes place
in early December every year. It started in 2002 and was the idea of Derek
Hunisett. The proceeds are split between the Martlets Hospice and the Argus
Christmas Appeal. In 2004 more than £12,000 was raised for charity and the
retiring collection alone usually nets over £1,000.
Then there are the popular lunchtime concerts that take
place every Thursday from May to September; their 21st anniversary
being in 2011. There is music to suit all tastes from organ recitals to jazz
trios and singers; individual instrumentalists can be heard playing guitar,
violin or tenor saxophone. The acoustics are particularly kind to chamber music
ensembles. On 4 May 2015 the celebrated violinist Isabelle Faust performed
Bach’s complete sonatas and partitas that took over 2 ½ hours to play, the
performance of which was divided into two parts.
Then there are special occasions; in February 2012
composer and conductor John Rutter introduced a selection of secular and sacred
songs. A highlight of the event was the singing of This is the Day commissioned
especially for the marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011
and the first public performance.
A Sad Christmas
After the popular Christmas Mass that started late on
Christmas Eve 2013, the church was empty and locked up by 1 a.m. Sometime later
thieves managed to get into All Saints, breaking open the charity box and
stealing the contents. When the vicar Revd Phil Ritchie arrived at 8 a.m. on
Christmas Day he found a massive pile of glass on the floor – the smashed
remains of the newly installed glass doors. He stepped over the glass and then
realised the thieves had also ripped out some beautiful stained glass windows
and thrown them to the floor. Father Ritchie said ‘It was the saddest thing.’
An appeal to raise some £45,000 to repair stone mullions around Victorian
stained glass was already in the pipeline. Now there would be an additional
bill that could top £10,000 for the damage sustained on Christmas Day in order
to steal a relatively paltry sum.
In 2019 All Saints found itself in the unenviable
position of being placed on the risk register compiled by Historic
England, which includes all important and historic buildings that are
in danger of falling into a state of disrepair.
Urgent Repairs Needed
The main cause is of course the lovely Sussex
sandstone, which is totally unsuited for use in a seaside location
because of corrosion caused by salt-laden air. Indeed the Rt Revd
Martin Warner, Bishop of Chichester, made the unflattering remark
that All Saints was ‘the biggest sandcastle in Sussex’.
The sandstone is literally reverting to sand in
some places, particularly around the windows, which have led to
emergency repairs to prevent the windows from falling out. The spires
are beginning to lean, and a surveyor made the horrifying discovery
that one spire was only being held together by a small piece of
concrete.
Revd Angus Reid, curate, said it was quite
disconcerting when he stood in the pulpit and could clearly see the
damage. But he also said All Saints was ‘a place of majesty and
wonder’.
The
congregation of All Saints hopes to raise £45,000 – this would not
only fund the repairs but also pay for a cafe to be built in the
grounds to make the place more of a community hub. One benefit of
being placed on the register is that it would now be possible to
apply for various grants. (Argus
19
October 2019)
Reredos
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| copyright © J.Middleton We are so used to seeing the beautiful stone reredos that this photograph of how the chancel looked in 1906 comes as a shock. |
The beautiful reredos is the chief glory of the chancel.
It provides a striking focal point down the whole length of the nave and indeed
as soon as you step inside the door. It must have been a source of consolation
for Peacey to see it completed in all its splendour in the year before he died.
J.L. Pearson designed the reredos and Nathaniel Hitch
sculpted it in Chilmark stone. It does have echoes of the reredos in Truro
Cathedral but the Hove one has a more delicate and integrated scheme.
The central panel depicts the crucifixion and standing at
the foot of the cross are the figures of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the two other
Marys and St John, the beloved disciple; a centurion, a soldier carrying a
spear and a Pharisee, possibly Nicodemus, complete the group. Two angels hover
above the head of Jesus holding a crown.
Below the central panel are seven shields bearing the
emblems of the Passion, dice and box; scourge and post; hammer and pincers;
crown of thorns and nails; ladder, spear and sponge; the five wounds; and the
seamless robe.
On either side of the central panel, figures from the Old
Testament are represented. On the north side stands Isaac with the wood ready
for a burnt offering; Moses with the bronze serpent; and David with his harp.
These figures are seen as pre-figuring the Messiah.
On the south side stand the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and
Daniel who all foretold the coming of the Messiah.
On either side of the Old Testament subjects, there are
six niches containing the figures of six saints. On the north side St Stephen,
the first Christian martyr, is the central one and on the south side in the
corresponding niche is St Alban, proto-martyr of Britain. Then there are the
patron saints of the United Kingdom, from north to south St George, St Andrew,
St Patrick and St David.
The reredos is completed by a number of angels; some hold
a shield bearing the sacred monogram HIS; others hold shields with ‘A’ and ‘O’
representing the Greek letters for Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.
Higher up under canopies four angels hold other symbols, a censor (blessing) a
crown (honour) an orb (glory) and a sword (power).
The height of the reredos is 26 feet from the chancel
floor but the total height to the top of the canopies is 37 feet.
It is amusing to note that the architect H.S.
Goodhart-Rendel did not admire the pale stone of the reredos, which he thought
‘clamours for colour’. This sentiment would probably not be endorsed today.
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| copyright © J.Middleton This wonderfully clear photograph reveals the full majesty of the reredos, bishop’s throne and sedilia. |
Bishop’s Throne and Sedilia
The carved figures have local or national resonance and
again the inspiration came from J.L. Pearson, although his son, F.L. Pearson,
worked out the fine details and Nathaniel Hitch sculpted the figures. The fact
that the same artists were involved in all the stone figures in the chancel
lead to a unity of design.
On the north side there is the figure of St Claudia who
the historian Tacitus believed to be British and whom local legend connects
with Chichester. She is mentioned in St Paul’s 2nd Epistle to
Timothy.
The next figure is St Ethelwalch, first King of the South
Saxons, who was baptised in around A.D. 661.
Then comes St Cuthman, famously associated with Steyning,
Another figure connected with Sussex is Gundrada, wife of William de Warenne,
and supposed daughter or step-daughter of William the Conqueror. Her ornate and
intricate tombstone is still to be seen at Lewes.
Then there is Richard Poore, Bishop of Chichester
(1214-1217) the supposed founder of St Andrew’s Old Church, Hove, and the
creator of the Prebends of Hova Villa and Hova Ecclesia.
The central figure depicts a more famous ‘Richard’; that
is, St Richard of Chichester whose well-known prayer is still a favourite in
the diocese.
The first figure on the south side is Bishop Lancelot
Andrews who helped to formulate the Authorized Version of the Bible.
Chichester-born William Juxon, Archbishop of Canterbury, who crowned King
Charles II is the next figure. Juxon also had the sad duty of accompanying
Charles I to the scaffold and as the King laid his head on the block he said to
Juxon ‘Remember’.
Then there is Walter Farquhar Hook who became Dean of
Chichester in 1859 and was a noted church historian. Not surprisingly, Bishop
Durnford of Chichester is represented because it was he who laid the foundation
stone of All Saints in 1889 and consecrated the nave and aisles in 1891.
Lastly, there is the surprising inclusion of Queen
Victoria, most probably due to her role as head of the Church of England when
All Saints was built.
Choir Stalls
Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Ashley and his wife Mary donated
the beautifully carved choir stalls in memory of Revd Peacey; they were
dedicated in 1915.
Following the example of the stone figures, the carvings
on the screens above the choir stalls also have a tale to tell. The theme is
music and poetry with six Biblical poets on the north, and six composers of
hymns on the south.
Thus you will find the figures of Deborah, David, Solomon,
Zechariah, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Simeon on the north.
On the south side there are the figures of St Ambrose, St
Gregory, St Bernard, George Herbert (1593-1633) poet and clergyman; Bishop Ken
(1637-1711) whose two most popular hymns are Awake my Soul and Glory
to Thee, my God, this night; and John Keble (1792-1866) a famous churchman
and one of the originators of the Oxford Movement.
It is an ironic touch but despite the presence of John
Keble, All Saints did not have a high Anglican tradition, the bells and smells
of popular parlance.
Chapel of the Holy Spirit
The chapel is situated south of the chancel and is 46 feet
in length and 21 feet wide. It is vaulted throughout and terminates at the east
end in a polygonal apse.
Major General William Marsland donated the carved oak
screen in memory of those who died in the Great War.
Alderman Jeremiah Colman donated the carved and painted
oak reredos in memory of his wife; it was dedicated on All Saints Day 1935. The
theme is the Holy Spirit in action and there are five figures in the five
niches. The Blessed Virgin Mary occupies the central space.
William Byrd (1543-1623) English composer, represents
music; Dante stands for poetry, Fra Angelico represents painting and Roger
Bacon (c1214-1292) known as the doctor mirabilis stands for science.
The Jesus Chapel
The chapel is on the north side of the chancel. The
wrought-iron screen is a memorial to Canon P.J. Meybrick, vicar of Hove
1929-1943.
The Font
J.L. Pearson designed the font. It is made of deep red
African marble called Breche sanguine with shafts of green marble called
vert des Alpes, which comes from the neighbourhood of Genoa.
The font stands upon three graduated marble steps made of
different colours to represents stages of life. The lowest step is black stone
mixed with fossils from Frosterley, near Durham, and represents sin; the second
step is of red marble called ruge griotte, from Belgium, and signifies
redemption; the top step is of white Italian marble called pavonazza and
represents purity. The font cost £220 and was the gift of the children of the
parish.
Eveline Ormerod was responsible for the carving of the
magnificent wooden font cover rising like a Gothic spire complete with
crockets; it was a later addition to the font. The cover has seven sides and at
the base of each are words defining various attributes of the Holy Spirit;
Spirit of Knowledge; Spirit of True Godliness; Spirit of Holy Fear; Spirit of
Wisdom; Spirit of Understanding; Spirit of Counsel; and Spirit of Ghostly
Strength.
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| copyright © J.Middleton These children from All Saints Sunday School are enjoying their annual treat on 17 June 1911. |
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| copyright © J.Middleton Children attending All Saints Sunday School enjoyed sticking the special stamps in their album, week by week. This book dates from 1948. Note the little homily Every stamp says Duty done – every blank cries ‘Shame’. |
Organ
According to former organist, Michael Maine, the original
proposals for the organ were quite modest and the sort of model you would
expect to find in an ordinary parish church. But when Arthur Hill saw the plans
for the magnificent church, he became quite excited and he was inspired to
produce an organ of cathedral-like proportions; there were three keyboards, 63
stops and 3,000 pipes. The largest pipe is 32 feet in length and weighs one
ton. The famous firm of William Hill & Son always regarded the All Saints
organ as one of their finest instruments; an opinion that is firmly upheld
today. Indeed the British Institute of Organ Studies awarded this organ a
Historic Organ Certificate, the only such award in the whole of Sussex.
It is fitting that such an instrument should be complemented
by a truly splendid organ case. F.L. Pearson, son of J.L. Pearson, designed the
organ case and Mrs Mortimer Singer donated the cost. On 4 June 1915 the Bishop
of Sheffield, a former vicar of All Saints, dedicated the organ case.
Mr W.A. Macduff was the first organist at All Saints and
he had been a pupil of the celebrated Dr Sawyer of St Patrick’s Church, Hove.
By 1910 it was claimed that the combined choirs of All
Saints and St Andrew’s Old Church numbered 36 gentlemen and there is no mention
of choirboys or females.
In 1980 Michael Maine beat 30 other applicants for the
privilege of becoming organist and choirmaster at All Saints. He had previously
been organist at St Paul’s West Street, Brighton. He was aged 23 and had been
born and brought up in Cornwall. It is a strange coincidence that he had been a
choral scholar at Truro Cathedral, another great Pearson edifice. He moved to
Brighton in 1976. He has since achieved the rare distinction of being made an
honorary member of the Guild of Church Musicians in recognition of his many
years of work devoted to organ and choral matters in Brighton and Hove. He
described the organ at All Saints as a ‘splendid instrument to play, as there
is so much variety, yet a total blend of great richness.’ In addition to church
services, the organ is heard to great effect in the recitals given by Michael
Maine and fellow organists.
In around 1993 some £80,000 was spent on restoring the All
Saints organ to its full glory and it has become an exemplar of how a Hill
Organ ought to be. For example, when the organs at Eton College, Peterborough
Cathedral and Litchfield Cathedral were being restored, the pipe-work at All
Saints was studied and copied.
Brass Eagle Lectern
This beautiful lectern was the gift of Mrs Clayton Daubney. The eagle lectern has a long history and there are still examples from mediaeval times. The eagle was the symbol of St John the Evangelist, and it is also associated with authority, not forgetting the popularity of the eagle symbol in Roman times. There was a revival of interest in the eagle lectern in England during the 19th century, along with the revival of interest in traditional practices adopted by the Anglo-Catholic movement.
Mrs Clayton Daubney was a thoughtful lady with a care for those less fortunate. An example of her empathy was that in 1888 she offered to pay for a shelter to be used by cab-men near Hove Town Hall. She must have seen them out in the rain or cold waiting for customers, and felt sorry for their plight. But the Hove Commissioners were having none of it and turned down her generous offer with the excuse that there was no suitable place. But the cab-men were not going to be put off, and in 1889 they presented a petition in favour of the shelter with 397 signatures appended. The Commissioners had a swift change of heart about this ‘free gift to the Cab-men of Hove’ and allowed a shelter to be constructed on the west side as an experiment.
Windows
Clement Bell and Canon Peacey were responsible for the overall
design of the windows.
East Window – There is a rare depiction of Jesus in
two different roles, set side by side, which is quite a break from the
conventional mode. On the left is Jesus the ‘man of sorrows and acquainted with
grief ’ while to the right He is seen as ‘Christus Rex’ Christ in His Glory, a
Heavenly priest. Below the sorrowful Jesus, there is the sorrowful Mary whose
heart was pierced by the sword of suffering; below the triumphant Christ there
is the figure of St John. But the overall message is upbeat because the windows
to the left and right depict the Order of Angels with Thrones, Dominions,
Principalities and Virtues with Archangels and the Armies of Heaven above them.
Mrs Henrietta Ralli donated the three windows in memory of
her husband Stephen Ralli and his two sons Augustus and Antonio.
Chapel of the Holy Spirit – The annunciation window
shows Mary receiving the Archangel Gabriel’s message and the nearby Madonna
lily denotes Mary’s purity. The window was given in memory of Samuel Nicholson
in 1912.
Above the altar there is a window depicting the
crucifixion and resurrection. It was given in memory of Thomas Dale Hart in
1896.
To the right there is a window that takes Christ’s charge
to St Peter as its subject while above it the ascension is depicted. The window
was donated in 1903 and was in memory of Carr Wigg.
The next window shows the scene on the day of Pentecost
while above it St Paul receives his conversion on the road to Damascus. Sabina
Stratton donated the window and it dates from 1908.
The two large windows are devoted to stories from the Acts
of the Apostles. Starting from the
east there is St Matthias and the casting of lots to chose the new apostle;
then St Stephen, first Christian martyr; next is Dorcas, a charitable lady who
distributed clothing and alms to the poor. (Many churches used to have a Dorcas
Guild to carry out similar charitable work). Then follows St Cornelius and his
vision of an angel, and St Paul and St Barnabas. Below this, St Paul is shown
again, this time receiving his vision of a call to Europe; below St Barnabas
there is a scene where money is laid at the feet of the Apostles, which was
raised by the sale of property.
In the tracery depictions of the great virtues make their
appearance; Love (at the centre) Faith (with chalice) Hope (with anchor)
Temperance / Justice (with set of scales) Prudence (looking into the glass of
the future) and Fortitude (with the armour of God). These windows date from
1902 and were donated in memory of Sir James Timmins Chance.
The south-west window illustrates characters from the Acts
of the Apostles who were all friends of St Paul; Silas, St Timothy, Aquila,
Priscilla, St Titus and Apollos. The gifts of the Holy Spirit appear in the
tracery windows, which date from 1900 and were given in memory of Sir Alfred
Henry Bevan.
South Transept – This window celebrates the Church
Triumphant and has been described as a Te Deum in glass. The central
light illustrates Christ in Glory with adoring angels on either side. Below
this are the Blessed Virgin Mary and Child with St Peter on one side and St
Paul on the other side. Further down is St John the Evangelist with St Cecilia
(patron saint of music) on one side and St Catherine (with the wheel of her
martyrdom) on the other side.
In the outer lights can be found St George (with his
dragon) St Alban and St Cyprian, and on the right St Augustine of Hippo, St
Stephen and St Athanasius. The window was given in memory of Charles Edward and
Georgina Mary Boothby.
South Aisle – The first two windows in the south
aisle were the first to be installed in the entire church and they were in
place by October 1891; the third window followed in 1895. Together, the three
windows have a theme of nine Apostles and eighteen scenes from the Gospels. A
contemporary account had this to say, ‘(the windows) accord well with the
architecture of the church … the
figures being set in elaborately canopied niches with angels above in the
quatrefoils.’ Although the windows were full of colour, there was also an
abundance of white glass in order that the interior should not be too dim.
The first window has almost life-size figures of St Andrew
(with his saltire cross) St Peter (with two keys, one gold and the other
silver) St James the Great (with a scallop shell in his hat and clasping a
pilgrim staff). Below theses figures are three depictions of the dead being
restored to life; Lazarus (brother of Martha and Mary and friend of Jesus), the
widow’s son at Nain, and the daughter of Jairus. Then there are three post-resurrection
appearances; to Mary Magdalene, to the two wayfarers on the way to Emmaus, and
to St Thomas. Baroness Horatia Caroline de Teissier donated the window in
memory of her husband Lieutenant Colonel James Fitzpatrick, 2nd
Baron de Teissier who was churchwarden of Hove for four years; he was a veteran
of the Afghan Wars of 1838-1842.
The central window features St Philip, St Bartholomew
(with a flaying knife, the symbol of his martyrdom) and St Thomas. Below these
figures are six scenes of Jesus as Healer; the Pool of Bethesda; the deaf and
dumb man; the paralytic man let down through the roof; the woman with the flux
of blood touching the hem of Christ’s garment; the boy possessed of a devil;
the blind man. Mrs Penny Carr Burton gave the window as a thank-offering and
the subject was very suitable for her because she was also a generous
benefactor to Hove Hospital.
In the third window are St Simon, St James and St Jude
while below are six scenes of Jesus meeting various people; Nicodemus; Zacchaeus;
the penitent thief; the woman at the well; Mary and Martha; and Martha
anointing Christ’s feet. The window was given in memory of William James
Armitage (1819-1895) and his wife Emily.
South Tower – This window illustrating the Tree of
Jesse is the richest in colour of the many windows at All Saints. The central
light shows a recumbent Jesse and above him are David, Solomon, Jehoshaphat,
Hezekiel, Zerubbabel, and Zadoc; on the left are Rehoboam, Uzziah, and
Shealtiel; on the right are Solomon, Asa, Josiah and Matthan. All these names
are recorded in the first chapter of St Matthew’s Gospel when he seeks to
portray the genealogical tree of Jesus. In the lower light are Isaiah and St
Matthias. The Blessed Virgin Mary and Child and St Joseph appear in the tracery
windows. Charles George Williamson donated the window in 1924 in memory of his
wife Alice Louisa Nona.
Great West Window – Reginald Bell wrote in 1914
that the function of any great west window was not only to give light,
especially in the evening, but also to illuminate the east end. The window was
described as being of ‘soft and silvery tones, suggestive of lights and shades
playing on a lake’.
The theme of the window was creation and re-creation. On
the left, Eve is created from the rib of a sleeping Adam, attended rather
surprisingly by blue-winged cherubs; the corresponding light shows the Blessed
Virgin Mary (sometimes described as the Second Eve by theologians) with her
Child and St Joseph holding a lantern; angels attend them on either side. The
six days of creation are depicted below Eve while below the Holy Family are
three scenes from the Nativity; Mary and Joseph travelling to Bethlehem; angels
appearing to the shepherds; the Magi and the star of Bethlehem. Colonel W.E.
Marsland, Colonel of the 5th Dragoon Guards, gave the window in
memory of King Edward VII who attended services at All Saints. General Marsland
also donated windows in the Jesus Chapel and the Chapel of the Holy Spirit.
Baptistery – Bible stories are the subject matter of
these windows, chosen for their appeal to young children. The left window shows
Noah and below there are three scenes from his life; the building of the ark;
the entry into the ark; Noah’s sacrifice after the flood.
The window was given in memory of Charles Gordon Hotham
who died on 27 December 1927. Whether or not Mr Hotham would have been pleased
with where his window is placed is open to conjecture. In his will he
stipulated that he would like a large memorial window in the north aisle (the
easternmost one) but when the trustees approached the vicar they found that
space had already been reserved for someone else. This resulted in an unsavoury
dispute (see under North Aisle).
A window to the memory of his wife Nonora Hotham is also
in the Baptistery and is dated 1927. It is the window to the right of the
central one and Moses is the subject with three scenes from his life set out
below; the passage through the Red Sea; the delivery of the Tablets of the Law;
and Moses striking a rock to bring forth water in the wilderness.
The central window depicts St John the Baptist and below
there are six scenes from the childhood of Jesus; the Presentation in the
Temple; the flight into Egypt; the disputation with the elders; the home at
Nazareth; blessing the little children; and the baptism of Christ. The children
of the parish donated this window in 1904.
There are two small windows to the north also with the
subject of baptism; starting at the base, St Gregory in the slave market at
Rome; St Paul at Damascus; and Nicodemus. Then there is St Augustine baptising
King Ethelbert; St Peter baptising St Cornelius; and Nicodemus brining myrrh to
the tomb.
The other window depicts St Wilfrid teaching the Saxons to
fish; St Paul baptising Lydia; St Philip baptising people in Samaria; St
Richard de Wych preaching to the Saxons; St Paul baptising the jailor at
Philippi; and St Philip baptising the Ethiopian eunuch.
St Joseph of Arimathea and St Philip the deacon appear in
the quatrefoils.
The parents and boys of Marlborough House School presented
the window in 1912 in memory of Sophia Lombe White, the school founder.
North Aisle – The four windows are all devoted to
Old Testament subjects and the main feature is the twelve Minor Prophets that
are placed in the same order in which they appear in the Bible. The first
window and the most westerly has the figures of Hosea, Joel and Amos while
below them are Adam and Eve; the banishment from the Garden of Eden; and Abel
sacrificing; the covenant with Noah; Abraham with the three angels; and Abraham
offering Isaac. The window was given in memory of Mary Frances, wife of
Brigadier General Broadwood (1851-1925) a veteran of the Boer War.
The next window shows Obadiah, Jonah and Micah and below
them Jacob and Rachael at the well; Jacob wrestling with an angel; Joseph cast
into a pit; Moses and the burning bush; and the brazen serpent. This window was
given in memory of Edward Alfred Smithers who died 5 February 1914. He was a
member of the well-known Smithers Brewery family (see Portslade Brewery).
The next window has the figures of Nahun, Habakkuk and
Zephaniah and below them Joshua and the Captain of the Lord’s Host; Gideon with
the fleece; Ruth and Naomi; Samson carrying the gates of Gaza; Samuel called by
God; and David and Goliath. This window was given in memory of Herbert Welsford
Smithers who died 9 July 1913.
The most easterly window is the one there was a dispute
about. Charles George Hotham died 27 December 1927 and in his will expressed a
desire to have a memorial window here. His executors were told the space was
available but when they contacted the new vicar, Revd F.J. Meyrick, he stated
Lady Ackroyd had reserved the window space. Naturally enough, this resulted in
rash of correspondence between the parties. The consensus was that this
particular space had always been reserved for Lady Ackroyd and there was some
surprise that the previous vicar had neglected to mention it to Hotham’s
trustees. Then there was the suggestion that because Lady Ackroyd was only
prepared to splash out £300 on the window whereas the real cost was £368-10s,
she might like to have instead one of the smaller Baptistery windows. The
unfortunate artist Reginald Bell was caught in the crossfire and he had to
protest he only designed the windows and had nothing to do with the placement,
which decision rested with the church authorities. In the end Lady Ackroyd
prevailed and the window was duly installed in memory of Sir Edward James
Ackroyd who died 5 February 1904; the Hotham trustees settled for two smaller
windows in the Baptistery.
Lady Ackroyd’s window followed the same theme as the
others and there are depictions of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.
Below them are Elijah and Ahab in the vineyard; Joash shooting the arrow of
deliverance; Job in his affliction; the judgement of Solomon; the ascent of
Elijah; and Nehemiah rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem. This last scene was
apparently a change of plan from that in the schedule and mentioned in the
dispute, which specified the subject as being Esther and Ahasuerus. Queen
Esther was a Jewish heroine renowned for saving her people from destruction;
somebody must have felt rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem a safer subject. Let
the last word on the troubled history of this window rest with the artist Reginald
Bell. ‘I intend to use … a very large portion of silvery white with broken
notes of colour and I think this would result in softening the cross light on
the east windows, which at the same time would not affect the light and shade
of the reredos.’
North Transept – The rose window has been described
as ‘a splendour of colour’ but it also contains two unexpected subjects. The
central light shows Jesus with Isaiah above, Ezeliel below, Jeremiah on the
left and David to the right. Around these figures are arranged ten depictions
with the highest showing Christ with cross and chalice. The lower one
represents the Jewish religion with Moses the Lawgiver and the two tablets of
stone. But the Lawgiver has been given a blindfold to represent the truth having
not yet been revealed. Today such a sentiment would cause offence. The second
surprise is the depiction of four sibyls. In classical times sibyls were women
revered for their prophetic powers, particularly the prophetess of Apollo. What
an odd choice. But the meaning is clear when the positions are considered. The
sibyls occupy the four lower places while the corresponding upper parts are
devoted to four venerable Church Fathers – Ambrose, Augustine, Jerome and
Gregory. Obviously, the theme is the Church Triumphant, and by implication,
male superiority. Robert Kell, a City merchant who spent his weekends at Hove,
gave the window in 1902.
Under the rose window there are three smaller windows. The
one with Abraham and Moses was given in memory of John Edward and Ellen Martin
in 1910. The next one showing Samuel and David was given in memory of William
Holland by his daughter A. Maxwell Davis. Major Seafield Grant donated the last
one depicting Elijah and Nehemiah in memory of his son Cecil de Montmorency Grant
who died 26 October 1907.
Jesus Chapel – Here are the four Fathers of the
Church again but in a slightly different sequence – Augustine, Ambrose, Jerome
and Gregory. In the quatrefoils there are reproductions from a 16th
century Book of Hours, one symbolizing the Holy Spirit and the other showing
the Blessed Sacrament. The windows were given in memory of General and Mrs
Marsland.
Narthex – The ‘grateful and loving children’ gave
these windows in memory of their parents Canon Peacey and his wife Ellen Maria
Connolly. The subjects are the Annunciation; the Nativity; the Magi, and the
presentation in the Temple. The two small windows south and north of the
narthex depict St George and St Patrick – St George for Canon Peacey who was
born and brought up in London and St Patrick for his wife who came from Dublin
where her father was a canon of St Patrick’s cathedral. The windows were
unveiled on 1 November 1932.
Memorials
Abbey – Lieutenant Noël Roland Abbey, son of
William Henry Abbey and his wife Florence, Lieutenant of the Grenadier Guards
‘fell in battle before the forest of Nieppe April 12th 1918. In this
very critical action the Guards held up the German advance for three days
suffering severe losses.’ The memorial contains a coat of arms in colour; it is
a quarterly device with one and four representing Abbey and two and three
representing Belcher. The marble memorial has a deep carving of laurel leaves
on one side and oak leaves along the top. It is mounted on the north wall of
the north aisle.
Lieutenant Abbey was born on 23 December 1897, the second
son of the family, and he was educated at Windlesham House, Brighton and at
Eton where he won football colours. His family lived at 71 The Drive, Hove.
Lieutenant Abbey’s grandfather Henry Abbey was Mayor of Brighton in 1875 and
his uncle John Roland Abbey enjoyed collecting rare books with beautiful
bindings or fine illustrations and he donated some items to Hove Library. In a
similar fashion to the Smithers family, already mentioned, the Abbey family was
also connected with the brewing industry. Lieutenant Abbey has another memorial
in St Andrew’s Church, Nuthurst, while the ancient chapel of St Thomas and St
Edmund of Canterbury in Chichester Cathedral was restored in his memory.
 |
| copyright © J.Middleton The memorial tablet is in memory of 2nd Lieutenant Frederick Athelstan Fanshawe Baines. |
Baines – 2nd Lieutenant Frederick
Athelstan Fanshawe Baines of the 4th Battalion King’s Royal Rifle
Corps was only aged 19 when he was killed in action on 24 May 1915 near Ypres.
The memorial includes a quarterly coat of arms representing Baines / Johnson /
Oeils / and Cuthbert.
Baines was born on 2 February 1896 and he was baptised at
All Saints on 4 March 1896. His father Athelstan Arthur Baines was a member of
legal firm Fitzhugh, Woolley, Baines and Woolley of 3 Pavilion Buildings,
Brighton. His mother Kathleen Mary was the eldest daughter of Revd Frederick
Fanshawe. Another relative was Lieutenant Colonel Cuthbert Athelstan Baines of
41 Medina Villas, Hove.
2nd Lieutenant Baines had a tragically brief
military career because he joined his battalion on Sunday and was dead by Tuesday.
But in his short life he earned the respect of those who knew him. Captain
Grattan-Bellew wrote that the last time he saw him ‘he was in great spirits and
as cool as the oldest hand there’. His old headmaster at Winchester College
wrote ‘This is the saddest blow I have felt so far; he was such a wholesome,
honourable and attractive fellow, truly a white soul, if ever there was one.’
Cleeve – Sub Lieutenant Alexander Stewart Cleeve
R.N. died 8 December 1888 at Hove from the climatic effects of service on the
West Coast of Africa in the gunboat HMS Goshawk, which was launched in
1872. He was born 1 December 1863 at Aldershot, son of Colonel Stewart
Alexander Cleeve and the late Maria his wife, and grandson of the late William
Cleeve, Colonel of the staff of the Royal Artillery, Knight of St Louis of
France for distinguished service.
The Cleeve coat of arms is included in the brass memorial,
which is located on the south side of the south aisle.
Crotty – The Bishop Crotty memorial has a
three-quarter face portrait in relief at the top with the following
inscription: ‘ This church was restored in 1954 in memory of Horace Crotty,
Bishop, vicar from 1943 to 1952. He loved it, enriched it, and began its
restoration.’ James Woodford R.A. designed the plaque. (see also under
‘Vicars’).
Drummond – George Robinson Bridge Drummond, Captain
of the 20th Regiment Bombay Light Infantry, Chief Constable of West
Sussex for 32 years, died 27 April 1917. The memorial is a brass tablet.
Durnford – Set into the floor at the back of the
church a brass plaque records that the foundations stone was ‘laid by Richard
Durnford, Bishop of Chichester, St Mark’s Day March 25 1889 and the nave and
aisles were consecrated by him St Philip and St James’s Day 1 May1891. Fell
asleep in Christ at Basle October 14 1894 in the 26th year of his
episcopate and the 93rd year of his age.’
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| copyright © J.Middleton This memorial tablet is in memory of Private Harold Austen Goldsmith. |
Goldsmith – Private Harold Austin Goldsmith, 12th
Middlesex Regiment, died of wounds at Thiepval, France, 1 October 1916, aged
30. He was buried at Wimereux. The book Hove and the Great War contains
the roll of honour and Private Austin is mentioned although his regiment is
identified as the Royal Fusiliers, which means he must have been seconded at
some stage.
 |
| copyright © J.Middleton The Marlborough House War Memorial is situated near the font. |
Marlborough House – Near the font, on the wall of
the north aisle is a large plaque in memory of Old Boys and a master from
Marlborough House School who died during the Great War.
MARLBOROUGH HOUSE HOVE
AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM
And to
The boys of the school who fell in the Great War
From those to whom their memory is ever sacred
Jutland
Lieutenant Edward Francis Egan R.N. HMS Ardent
Zeebrugge
Lieutenant Claude Ernest Vincent Hawkings R.N. HMS Iris
France
2nd Lieutenant Carol Edward Vere Awdry, 2nd
Battalion Royal Munster Fusiliers
2nd Lieutenant Charles Francis Ithell Bethell
R.E.
Lieutenant Hatton Charles Conron R.A.F.
Captain Evelyn Claude Culling, 2nd Infantry
Battalion of Canada
Captain Arbuthnott John Dunbar R.F.A.
Lieutenant John Matheson Forrester, Natal Contingent S.A.
B.D.E.
2nd Lieutenant Burnett Gilroy Crauford Gardner
R.E.
Lieutenant Stephen Easthaugh Girling, Duke of Cornwall’s
Light Infantry
Major Raymond Sheffield Hamilton-Grace, 13th
Hussars
2nd Lieutenant Sydney Jasper Hargreaves,
Grenadier Guards
2nd Lieutenant Leslie Howis Hillman, Rifle Brigade
Captain John Brereton Howard, Royal Welsh Fusiliers
2nd Lieutenant Arthur Glanmore Lewis, North
Wales Borderers
Captain Eric Bruce Reid, Royal Staffordshire Regiment
2nd Lieutenant Charles Ronald Rowley,
Lancashire Fusiliers
Lieutenant James Clifford Turner R.F.A. & R.F.C.
Lieutenant Colonel William Ernest Marriott Tyndall D.S.O.
Duke of Wellington’s Regiment
Salonika
Lieutenant Hugh Wynn Wilding Jones, Royal Welsh Fusilers
Gallipoli
Major George Cecil Brooke, 1st Battalion Border
Regiment
Lieutenant Raymond de Lusignan, 1st Dublin
Fusiliers
Egypt
Major Arthur Kerr Noverre, Army Service Corps
Torpedoed
Lieutenant Arthur Hill Sturrock, Royal Irish Fusiliers
M.B.C.
Also Lieutenant Noel Gilbert Bryan King, Wiltshire
Regiment (for six years assistant master)
Lieutenant Claude Ernest Vincent Hawkings is worthy of
special mention. He was the youngest son of Mr and Mrs Percy Hawkings of 49 The
Drive, Hove. In 1908 Hawkings entered the Royal Navy as a cadet. He saw action
at the Battle of Jutland on 31 May / 1 June 1916 and took part in the
extraordinary Zeebrugge Raid 22 / 23 April 1918. His ship was HMS Iris, at
one time a ferry working on the Mersey until commandeered by the Royal Navy. At
Zeebrugge Hawkings had the task of trying to secure the vessel to the mole so
that the landing party could scramble ashore. But the conditions were very
difficult and it proved impossible to attach the parapet anchor to the mole;
Hawkings made a gallant attempt to reach the mole by a scaling ladder. He
managed it but the ladder smashed to pieces behind him; he was last seen
standing on the parapet defending himself with his revolver; he was aged 22
when he was killed. His commanding officer Lieutenant Commander George
Nicholson Bradford also perished in the valiant attempt and it was he who was
awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross while Hawkings received a mere Mention in
Despatches. But it is fair to say that the authorities were in a dilemma over
the award of medals because there were so many brave actions to consider.
Marlborough House was founded in 1874 as a prep school for the sons of gentlemen and was located at Brighton at first but by 1888 it had moved to The Drive, Hove. Mrs Sophia Lombe White founded the school and her daughters Edith and Gertrude helped to run it. In 1894 there was further family assistance in the shape of Revd T.J. Bullick, Edith’s husband. The first pupil was Michael Egan who later became a general; his son, another Old Boy, was killed at Jutland.
The boys attended All Saints and apparently the boys who sat in the front row were forbidden to use hair oil because the vicar liked to pat their heads in passing. The boys maintained the school menu had remained unchanged since 1874 and included delicacies the boys nicknamed ‘Hard-baked tombstone’ ‘Dead man’s leg’ ‘Worms’ and ‘Old Hundreds’. Mrs White retired in 1912, leaving her daughter Miss Gertrude Wolsey White to run the school for the rest of the time it remained at Hove. In 1914 Miss White received a mysterious package from a parent in India. Inside was a pistol with instruction that should the Germans invade England, the weapon was to be used to shoot his two sons.
The writer Peter Vansittart (1920-2008) was a pupil at the school; the family had Flemish origins. He went on to become a prolific author penning some 40 novels besides stories for children, memoirs, historical studies and three anthologies. His most popular book was Voices from the Great War (1981). He wrote the following description of the unforgettable Miss Gertrude Wolsey White
‘She was formidable, invulnerable, as if, in her, Queen
Victoria and Florence Nightingale had formed a working partnership …She was
inescapable as God, and, on evidence, more active … Her stout, bulky,
determined procession cut a swathe through complaint, complacency, conceit.’
Like Queen Victoria she was not easily amused and once pronounced ‘I do not
approve of comedians’ after some frivolity at the annual cricket supper.
Another notable Old Boy was David Joel who attended the
school between 1900 and 1904 before proceeding to the harsh environment of HMS Britannia.
He later became a pioneer in the making of British contemporary furniture.
In 1930 Christopher Bullick, son of Edith née White, took
over the running of the school in partnership with Arthur Harrison who enjoyed
wearing ‘hugely checked plus-fours’. It was they who decided the school should
leave Hove and in 1930 it moved into a fine Georgian house set in 35 acres near
the village of Hawkhurst in Kent. It is still in operation there to this day.
Ralli – There is a memorial tablet to Marietta
Ralli, wife of Stephen Ralli. It includes a coat of arms and is located at the
west end
Sanders – 2nd Lieutenant Frederick
Sanders 7th Gurkhas died in India 19 March 1906 aged 20. The small
brass tablet is located on the wall of the south aisle. Schoolfellows and
friends at Marlborough House School paid for the tablet.
 |
copyright © Brighton & Hove City Libraries copyright © J.Middleton
This fine portrait of Captain Smithers is stored in
the Roll of Honour Archive at Hove Library, the elegant memorial plaque in All Saints is in memory of Captain
Reginald Cuthbert Welsford Smithers. |
Smithers – Reginald Cuthbert Welsford Smithers
Captain and Adjutant of 7th Battalion King’s Own Yorkshire Light
Infantry. He was killed near Ypres in 1917 aged 19. God Gives us Love,
something to Love He lends us.
 |
| copyright © J.Middleton The presence of the War Memorial is emphasised by the many adjacent flags. |
War Memorial – The War Memorial is located in the
south aisle and has 253 names of men who were killed in the Great War inscribed
on the beautifully decorated stone. There are no names from those lost in the
Second World War, just gold lettering at the base in memory of those who died.
There are three names added from the Great War that do not
appear on the brass War Memorial tablets at Hove Library.
C.J.W. Hobbs
K.G. Malcolmson
D.D. Rose
Watts – Set into the floor at the back of the
church, near the Durnford brass, there is a bronze plaque to the memory of
Frederick James Watts who was verger of All Saints for over 43 years from 1892
to 1936. He died aged 65 in January 1936. He had arrived at Hove in 1881 when
his retired coastguard father became caretaker of Ellen Street Schools. Mr
Watts rode his bicycle everywhere and it was this that led to his death when he
collided with a car in Church Road.
Vicars
1892-1909 – CanonThomas Peacey
1909-1914 – Bishop Leonard Hedley Burrows
1914-1929 – Revd Archdall Malden Hill
1929-1943 – Canon Frederick James Meyrick
1943-1952 – Bishop Horace Crotty
1952-1964 – Revd Vernon Kingsbury Lippiett
1964-1972 – Revd Alexander Roden Blackledge
1972-1978 – Revd Walter Greenfield
1978-1980 – Revd Clifford Graham Doyle
1981-1991 – Revd Hugh Glaisyer
1991-2001 – Canon John Caldicott
Canon Thomas Peacey (1846-1909) – He was born 16
September 1846 and he was educated at City of London School and Clare College,
Cambridge where he became 23rd Wrangler. Two other clergymen at All
Saints also hailed from Clare College. Peacey was ordained in 1869 and became
curate of St Margaret and St Nicholas, King’s Lynn, 1869-1873; then he was at
St Ann’s, Dublin, 1873-1874; followed by a living at Downton, near Salisbury,
1874-1876; and then three years at St Mark’s, North Audley Street, London.
Peacey became vicar of Hove on 2 April 1879 and held the post for almost 30
years, overseeing a time of great expansion in church affairs at Hove. In 1881
he stated that he came to Hove with no light heart because he understood just
how heavy his workload would be.
He married Ellen Maria Connolly (born 10 March 1854) and she was daughter of a canon at St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin. The couple became the proud parents of a large family with three sons and seven daughters. This is usually given as the reason behind the impressive size of All Saints Vicarage.
The 1891 census shows Peacey, 44, in residence with
his wife Ellen, 37, and their daughters Ellen 15, Constance 14, Katherine 9,
Mary 6, Dorothy 3, and sons Harold 13, Capel 11, and two-year old Charles.
Later that year the youngest, Charles, died and was buried on 27 June 1891.
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| copyright © J.Middleton The extra large All Saints Vicarage can be seen on the right of this postcard. |
In October 1893 a Grand Bazaar was held at Hove Town Hall for three afternoons to raise funds for George Street Schools. The string band of the Royal Irish Rifles provided the music. Foremost amongst items in the handicraft section were creations by two Peacey ladies. Mrs Peacey was a skilled wood carver and she produced pipe racks, brackets and book covers adorned with the Hove Coat of arms while one of her daughters was responsible for some elegant poker and marquetry work.
Mrs Peacey died on 22 October 1899 at Hove.
On 7 December 1904, after 25 years as vicar of Hove, Peacey was presented with a silver salver, a handsome illuminated album containing the names of all the subscribers and a cheque for £565.
Peacey died on 1 April 1909. His funeral was a grand
affair attended by no less than 39 clergymen, the Bishop of Chichester, the
Mayor of Hove, a detachment of Hove Fire Brigade while children from George
Street Schools lined up on either side of Blatchington Road to witness the
cortege passing by on its way to Hove Cemetery. The King sent a message of condolence.
Souvenir postcards were produced to mark the melancholy occasion.
Peacey is immortalised on the exterior of All Saints where
he is the 5th figure; he faces south west holding a completed model
of the church in his hands.
Bishop Leonard Hedley Burrows - He was educated at
New College, Oxford. He was Rural Dean of Croydon, Surrey from 1904 to 1909. In
1909 he became vicar of All Saints and in the same year was appointed Bishop of
Lewes. His years at Hove coincided with the popularity of picture postcards and
because he was a handsome man and cut an imposing figure in his wide dog-collar
and clerical leggings, he was photographed on numerous occasions; the resulting
postcards were snapped up by his many female fans. By contrast, his wife Louisa
was a stern-looking woman who did not photograph well. In 1914 Burrows left
Hove when he was appointed Bishop of Sheffield.
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copyright © J.Middleton
A formal portrait of Right Revd L.H. Burrows. The interior of All Saints with a roundel of the
bishop.
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| copyright © J.Middleton The Bishop of Lewes with his wife and their little dog. The Bishop of Lewes giving the address at celebrations for Empire Day 24 May 1910. |
Another son became a priest; he was Revd Hedley Robert
Burrows.
Canon Archdall Malden Hill – He became vicar of All
Saints in 1914 and he was also a lifelong friend of his predecessor Dr Burrows.
Hill was described as having a ‘breadth of view, courteous tolerance and a
willingness to hear all sides’. These qualities were evident during the Great
War when there was so much unhappiness and distress caused by the carnage of
battle; he even took the unusual step of chairing a meeting where the
experiences of spiritualists were debated. He was also known as an excellent
preacher.
On Armistice Day 11 November 1918 he was to be seen in
front of the assembled throng outside Hove Town Hall waving a large Union flag.
His first wife died in 1923. He then married Marjorie
Cooper, younger daughter of Revd Charles Edward Cooper, one time vicar of
Portslade. She had been vicar’s secretary for many years. Hill retired in 1929
and was appointed a canon in the following year. He died on 4 April 1936 in his
73rd year; he left a gross estate of £1,381.
Canon Frederick James Meyrick – In 1917 he had the
memorable experience of being a weekend guest of King George V at Sandringham.
The King liked to meet people from diverse backgrounds and he spent some 40
minutes talking to Meyrick about his recent visit to the Front.
Meyrick was vicar of All Saints from 1929 until 1943. When
he first arrived at Hove, he was anxious to see the long-awaited spire finally
added to the tower of All Saints and there was even some £850 set aside for the
purpose. But by October 1936 he had to concede it was a lost cause because
there were too many other demands for church money in Hove Deanery. He stated
‘our duty lies elsewhere’. For example, there was the church site at Mile Oak
and the building of the churches of Bishop Hannington and St Peter’s,
Fishersgate to think about.
Meyrick was also interested in local history and in around
1932 produced his booklet Hove and the Parish Church.
Bishop Horace Crotty (1886-1952) – The remarkable
Bishop Crotty was born on 9 October 1886 at Nottingham but moved with his
family to Australia at a young age. He was educated at Melbourne Grammar School
and Trinity College, Melbourne University. During the Great War he served as a
chaplain with the Australian Imperial Forces in France.
In 1928 he became Bishop of Bathurst, New South Wales. He
enjoyed a fine academic career but he never lost the common touché and his
splendid work amongst the mining community in Newcastle was warmly regarded.
He resigned his see in 1936 because he was so disturbed at
the unsettled state of Europe and felt impelled to return to England. He said
‘My own special interest as a churchman has been in the battle for human faith
and freedom in which I believe England still leads the world.’ He ministered to
the people of St Pancras during the worst part of the bombing of London.
He became vicar of All Saints in 1943 and was appointed
Rural Dean of Hove in 1946. He was a memorable speaker and the following
extracts are typical of him:
‘It’s no good putting an ambulance at the bottom of the
cliff if you neglected to put a fence at the top.’ (Address on Moral Welfare
1950)
‘Those who claim to be in tune with the infinite are
frequently out of tune with the definite – the Holy Spirit is the enemy of
vagueness.’
‘We become soldered against sin at some point, flourishing
on a single virtue, while we leak dismally at every other moral pore.’
A good friend of Bishop Crotty was his curate Revd Donald
Carpenter who arrived at All Saints in 1948 from Wales. He had an electrifying
effect on the staid parishioners of All Saints who had never known a priest
like him. Carpenter was warm-hearted, ebullient and the possessor of a
marvellous voice. He had dark hair and eyes and was of such short stature that
he was almost swamped in the pulpit. Carpenter was a fan of the theatre and he
could give masterful renderings of the poems of Dylan Thomas, whom he knew
slightly.
The actor Dinsdale Landen was once a choirboy at All
Saints. One early morning he was serving as an acolyte and had to accompany
Carpenter to the chapel where just two communicants were waiting. Carpenter
turned to him and said ‘A poor house this morning, Din, but you’d better get
used to it, boy, as you’re going into the theatre.’
When Bishop Crotty was ill at Hove Hospital and on a diet,
Carpenter would visit him every evening with the Bishop’s favourite ice-cream
hidden under his coat. Bishop Crotty died suddenly on 16 January 1952 and it
was Carpenter who conducted his funeral. Afterwards, Carpenter felt he must
move to pastures new and went to St Mary’s, Hampden Park where he stayed until
he died in 1973.
Canon Vernon Kinglsey Lippiett – Bishop Crotty and
Don Carpenter were a hard act to follow. But Revd Lippiett was a wartime
veteran, having served as a Naval padre in the Second World War. He served
aboard the cruiser HMS Glasgow in the waters around Iceland, Murmansk
and the Azores. He also participated in the D-Day landings.
In 1953 there was a dispute about whether or not ‘Amen’
should be sung at the conclusion of hymns. Lippiett was against the tradition
but after a vote it transpired a small majority were in favour of it.
Lippiett left Hove in 1964 to become a residentiary canon
at Chichester Cathedral.
Revd Alexander Roden Blackledge – He became vicar
of All Saints in 1964 and retired because of ill health eight years later.
Revd Walter Greenfield – During the Second World
War Greenfield was commissioned into the Royal Engineers and saw action in the
Burma campaign. Before coming to Hove, Greenfield had spent eight years as
vicar of Willington, Eastbourne. His wife Kathleen kept two beehives in the
garden of All Saints Vicarage. She used to keep one hive at Ditchling and one
hive at Hove but the latter did so much better that she moved the Ditchling one
to Hove too. The bees produced up to 200lbs of honey a year.
In 1977 Revd Graham Jeffery was a curate at All Saints. He
published six books of cartoons featuring a little monk called Barnabas.
Revd Clifford Doyle – He became vicar in 1978 but
he died at the age of 47 after only two years at Hove, leaving a window and
children.
Archdeacon Hugh Glaisyer – Soon after his arrival
at Hove he was photographed for the local Press, looking just as fierce as the
large Alsatian dog by his side. His family history was interesting because his
forbears were staunch Quakers and the Glaisyers were a well-known local family.
In July 1985 the Bishop of Chichester ordained his curate,
Colin Mattock, at All Saints.
Glaisyer was also Rural Dean of Hove and left Hove in April
1991 to become Archdeacon of Lewes and Hastings.
Canon John Caldicott – He was born locally and used
to attend St Andrew’s Church, Portslade as a youngster. In 1991 at the age of
46 he was appointed vicar of All Saints; his previous parish being Forest Hill.
But a week before the date of his induction, he was involved in a bad car crash
at Nantes and ended up with a leg in plaster and an injured back.
Caldicott was inducted in September 1991 but the
impressive service was marred by the sudden collapse and death of Revd John
Arrowsmith, vicar of St Barnabas and acting Rural Dean. There were accusations
that medical assistance had not been sought quickly enough. There was also
criticism that the service was allowed to proceed and trained nurse Margaret Thurley
was appalled. She had rushed over to help from Catisfield House opposite the
church. It later transpired that the Bishop of Chichester had no idea of the
gravity of the situation and thought Arrowsmith had been taken straight to
hospital.
Canon Caldicott resigned in January 2001 and announced he
would spend three months considering his future. He had to resolve the thorny
problem of whether or not he wished to remain within the Anglican Church. This
was precipitated by the decision that women could be ordained to the
priesthood. He thought the Anglican Church should not have taken such an
arbitrary step and should have waited until there was consensus with the
Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. He was not the only clergyman to be upset
by the decision and indeed the Diocese of Chichester was well known for being
one of the most traditional in England while Eric Kemp, Bishop of Chichester,
was never a fan of women priests. Canon Caldicott made up his mind and on 21
June 2001 he was received into the Roman Catholic Church.
Link:- All Saints Hove Church website
Link:- All Saints Hove Church website
Sources
Argus
Census Returns
Encyclopaedia if Hove and Portslade
Meyrick, Canon F.J. Hove and the Parish Church (c.1932)
Middleton, J Hove and Portslade in the Great War (2014)
The Keep
PAR 387//10/177 – All Saints, conveyance of site 1879
PAR 387/10/194/1-10 – Dispute about placement of a stained
glass window between two sets of executors
Copyright © J.Middleton 2016
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