St. John
the Evangelist, Burgess Hill
St John’s Church has stood at the centre of Burgess Hill for 140
years, occupying an important and prestigious position in the town.
It has been said of St John’s, that it is a perfect example of a
truly local church, conceived and built by local people, using
local firms, materials and craftsmanship. The use of bricks and
tiles from Burgess Hill’s own brick and tile works make it a
continuing testament to the origins of the town itself.
The church was constructed between 1861-1863 and consecrated by
the then Bishop of Chichester, Dr Ashurst Turner Gilbert on 12th
June 1863. The architect was Thomas Talbot Bury, a pupil and close
friend of Augustus Pugin and the style adopted was Decorated
Gothic.
The church has changed since it was first constructed, in that the
north aisle now screened off for vestry and sacristy use was added
in 1889, as was the original vestry, now in use as the parish hall.
The west gallery was removed in 1910.
The church benefited significantly from the existence in the
locality of the firm Norman and Burt who made the pulpit and
lectern (1891) to designs by Charles Kempe (1838-1907), a Victorian
designer and manufacturer of stained glass and ecclesiastical
furniture of great distinction. The stained glass of St John’s
includes 4 windows by Kempe, with other glass by Mayer and Company
and Lavers, Barraud and Westlake.
The extensive carved woodwork in St John’s includes screens and
panelling that exhibit a beautifully crafted late Gothic style,
much of it also manufactured by Norman and Burt.
St John’s has a Grade II* listing under the Planning (Listed
Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as it is ‘of importance
as a building of high quality and character constructed in the
gothic revival style in the period between 1840 and 1914 in
locally-produced materials’.
If any body would
like to expand to this series please do, I would just ask that you
could let Sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the
Church numbers and names to avoid duplication