Churches - Bevendean History Project
St Albans Church, Preston Parish
St Alban’s Church, Preston as described in January 1917.
It is roughly about twenty years since the
Rev. Edward Riley, Vicar of Preston, set about the task of providing
for the spiritual needs of that isolated district of the Parish of
Preston which lies just outside the railway arches in Lewes Road -
stretching northward as far as Natal Road, and eastward from the
railway arch in Hollingdean Road to the Race Hill Cottages. The
population is now something over 5,000, and, but for the war, which put
a stop to building, it would have been considerably more.
An iron church was built by Mr. Riley, and the Rev. Frank Morgan appointed Curate-in-Charge of the district of Bear Road and neighbourhood.
For some years the fortunes of this district and that of St Matthias were bound up together Mr. Morgan dividing his time between the two Missions, being assisted by Mr. Frank White, Diocesan Lay Reader.
Mr. Riley left Preston in 1905, and at the same time Mr. Morgan was appointed to a living. The Rev. Gerald Moor became Vicar of Preston, and he appointed the Rev. H. Lascelles as Curate-in-Charge of the St. Alban’s District, Mr. Lascelles being succeeded in 1908 by the Rev. C. F. Kite.
During these years the population of the district had considerably increased, and better church accommodation was urgently needed. St. Alban’s Day, of 1910, was the day chosen for laying the foundation stone of the Mission Hall in Coombe Road. It is a matter worth noticing that the inscription upon the stone was engraved by Mr. W. J. Barber, who has been for some years past, and is now, we are thankful to say, one of our churchwardens.
Some little notice of the ceremony may perhaps be of interest. The day was ushered in with three celebrations of the Holy Communion in the Bear Road Mission Room at 5.30, 7 and 9.30, at which there were 41 communicants, not a bad record for a purely working class district. A little before 7 p.m. the procession of clergy and choir started from the Men’s Club in Coombe Road. First came the choir, augmented by members of Preston Parish Church and St. Matthias choir under the direction of Mr. H. S. Watkins, organist at St. Alban’s. Then followed Mr. A. A. Swanborough, the Lay Reader, and the wardens of the Mission, Mr. W. J. Barber, and Mr. F. W. Moore.
Amongst the clergy present were two former Priests-in-Charge of St. Alban’s, the Revs. Frank Morgan and H. Lascelles. The Bishop having already laid his hands upon the stone and asked God’s blessing upon the work, it was fitting that Mrs. Gerald Moor should perform the ceremony of laying it, as her relatives and friends had contributed the greater portion of the money subscribed for the undertaking.
The closing words of the Bishop’s address are well worth giving here, as they have indeed been verified by events –“What I want you to do is to thank God for to-day, to trust in God for the future, and to work with Him until He gives you the ending of what you have begun”- advice which has been well carried out by the members of the congregation, as far as their slender means permitted.
After the service the Bishop expressed a wish to Mr. Barber that the stone should have Mrs. Gerald Moor’s name inscribed on it as having been laid by her.
We now pass on to the year 1914, which saw the Scheme of Church Extension in the Parish of Preston completed, which also proved to be the last great work in that direction carried out by the late Prebendary Gerald Moor. On October 10th the Bishop of the Diocese consecrated the enlarged and permanent church of St. Alban’s.
St Albans Church c1916 from Coombe Road.
It may be mentioned here that three layers of bricks in the West wall of the church were laid by members of the congregation who had paid one shilling each for the privilege. The centre brick was laid by Miss A. M. McKellar (of whom mention has been made in another place) and bears the inscription, A.M.M., MCMXIV.
Originally, the first portion of the church, which was dedicated on November 25th, 1910, was intended to be used as a Church Hall, as at St. Matthias, the church itself being built above. For various reasons it was thought better to enlarge the building of 1910, and make that the permanent church. It was, however, by no means an easy task, but the Diocesan Architect found a way of solving the problem entrusted to him. Though simple, the building has many characteristic features, and can hardly fail to arouse a reverent spirit among those who enter it. The beautiful Side Chapel in itself is well worth a visit, with its altar of English, Belgian, and French marbles and stone. The Credence table is of Portland stone, and bears the inscription “Ora et labora. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam. Frank White, Obiit, MCMXIV.” All the beautiful work in this chapel, together with the low stone and marble screen is the work and gift of our churchwarden Mr. W. J. Barber, than whom no one could be found more earnest in his desire for the beautifying of God’s House.
The church seats quite 500 worshippers, and all this has been secured, including a fine two manual organ, and necessary furniture at a cost of something like £5000.
It has at least been shown that it is possible to build a simple, yet beautiful church to seat 500 people at a cost of £10 per head, and so poor and populous districts in need of further church accommodation can see for themselves what the cost would be.
The burden of the cost of this great work fell very largely upon the shoulders of the late Prebendary and Mrs. Moor. It was hoped that subscriptions would come in, and when the completion of the work was commenced in May, 1914, no one could have foretold what was to come in a few months. Efforts to raise money met with some success, and there was good hope that the Vicar would be able to get in most of the required sum, but the Declaration of War in August, 1914, at once dried up every source. However, it was too late now to stop the work, and with characteristic determination and hopefulness Prebendary Moor saw the work carried through, and made himself responsible for a debt of something over £1700.
The Rev. Cecil Langdon, who succeeded the Rev. C. F. Kite as Curate-in-Charge, had been steadily building up the congregation and parochial organisations during the four years which elapsed between the laying of the Foundation Stone and the consecration of the completed church of St. Alban. These years had told their tale upon Mr. Langdon’s health, making his departure to an easier sphere of work an absolute necessity, just at the time of the consecration of the church.
The Rev. J. H. Broadhead, who had been at St. Luke’s, Bromley, Kent, for nine years, was appointed to succeed Mr. Langdon as Curate-in-Charge, with a view to his becoming the first Vicar of St. Alban’s, when the district was separated from Preston Parish. It was expected that this would be in about two years, but, as events turned out, it was only about three months.
But to go back, Saturday, October 10th, 1914, was the day appointed for the consecration of the completed church.
The first service to be held in the new building was the Lord’s Own Service at 7 a.m. on the Saturday morning, when Prebendary Moor celebrated, and between 30 and 40 people communicated. The church was then closed to most people during the day until about 5 o’clock in the evening, when the great congregation which gathered for the consecration began to assemble. At 6 o’clock the choir went to the Men’s club in Coombe Road, whence the large united procession, with the Bishop (in Cope and Mitre), the Rural Dean (Canon Hoskyns), the Vicar (Prebendary Moor), the Bishop’s Chaplains, and other clergy wended its way to the church, singing Psalm 122. Arrived at the west door of the church, the consecration service began with the words, pronounced by the Bishop, “Peace be to this House from God our Heavenly Father.” Then, after the petition for consecration had been presented by Mr. Churchwarden Barber, the service proceeded according to the authorised form.
A good deal of interest was caused after the service by the Bishop inspecting the Church Lads’ Brigade under Captain G. H. Whennell, who was appointed Captain in 1902 when the Company was formed by the Rev. F. S. Morgan, and the St. Alban’s company of Girl Guides under Mrs. Cecil Langdon.
Many gifts were presented to the church by various donors at the time of the consecration, and the church has been further enriched through the generosity of the Vicar and Churchwardens of Christ Church, Montpelier Road, Brighton, who so kindly gave the old chancel screen and choir stalls from that church, when it was decided to replace them by oak stalls in memory of the Rev. A. W. Carr, late Vicar of Christ Church.
Interior of St Albans Church c1916.
At the same time a large oil painting of Calvary (12ft. by 7ft.) was placed on the East wall over the Altar. The picture was formerly the altar-piece of Old St. Mary’s Church, Kemp Town, and it is owing to the generosity of the Rev. G. M. Hutton and his Churchwardens that it occupies its present position.
The next step was the formation of St. Alban’s district as a separate ecclesiastical parish by an Order in Council, published in the London Gazette of February 9th, 1915, by which a separate district was assigned to St. Alban’s, which now started on its new and independent life.
Prebendary Moor nominated the Rev. J. H. Broadhead to the Bishop as the first Vicar, and from that time marriages were solemnised at St. Alban’s, the Vicar of Preston agreeing that the fees for marriages at St. Alban’s should be retained by its Vicar. It was also decided that, until the endowment of the parish by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, the Vicar should receive his stipend from the Vicar and Churchwardens of Preston. (It is expected that the endowment will be given in May, 1917).
Writing on the subject in March, 1915, Prebendary Moor said: - “Under the practical and vigorous guidance of the Vicar-elect, St. Alban’s is gradually learning to run alone, and to rely less upon Preston props. They are realising, we believe, the truth of the old proverb, ‘Cut your coat according to your cloth.’ Now that they have a consecrated church of their own, and have entered on separate parochial life, they will be able to show what a large working class parish can do. However time will show what St. Albans and its people can do, and we believe it will be an eye-opener for some people.”
The Institution and Induction of the Rev. J. H. Broadhead, as first Vicar of St. Alban’s, took place on Thursday, April 15th, 1915. The Bishop of Lewes performed the ceremony of institution, and the Rev. Prebendary Moor inducted the new Vicar into the Temporaries of the Cure. The Bishop, in the course of his address, said that, as first Vicar, Mr. Broadhead had the responsibility of setting the tone, which was so much in a church’s history. It was for him to set the standard of worship and spirituality so that in days to come men might look back and say, “These are the traditions of St. Alban’s from the very commencement.”
The services are, we think, now fairly settled, with regular early celebrations of the Holy Communion every Sunday, and Choral Eucharist with a short address at 10 o’clock each Sunday, followed by Matins and sermon at 11; Children’s Service at 3, and Evensong and sermon at 6.30. In addition there are two celebrations during the week, and the regular daily offices.
We must not close this notice without expressing our deep sense of appreciation of the services of Miss McKellar of Preston, who, Sunday after Sunday, for something like 20 years, has presided over the destinies of St. Alban’s Sunday School, with very few holidays indeed.
Miss L. Mayner has worked in the district as Lady Worker for some six and a half years, with a short interval of sickness caused by overwork. She has won the affection of the parishioners in a marked degree, and we pray that she may long be spared to continue her beneficent work.
Of our two Churchwardens, Mr. H. Winton and Mr. W. J. Barber, our Organist, Mr. H. S. Watkins, and Mr. G. H. Whennell who, besides being Verger and Clerk, acts as Captain of the C.L.B., and conducts a lads Bible Class every Sunday, we cannot speak too highly. Without such staunch workers as these it would be indeed hard for a Vicar to carry on the work of the parish with any degree of success.
We have many loyal workers amongst the women of the parish, and to these we tender our warmest thanks.
A Free-will Offering Fund was started in this parish, and, owing to the indomitable energy of Mr. A. A. Swanborough, the Secretary, it is already a most useful source of help for the various funds of the parish.
And now we must bring this notice to a close. We have no ancient history to work upon, but trust that what we have written may be interesting to many who hitherto knew nothing of this outlying parish of Brighton, and may be an inducement to come and see for themselves, and to give us help either in kind or personal service, which are both so much needed.
J. H. B.
An iron church was built by Mr. Riley, and the Rev. Frank Morgan appointed Curate-in-Charge of the district of Bear Road and neighbourhood.
For some years the fortunes of this district and that of St Matthias were bound up together Mr. Morgan dividing his time between the two Missions, being assisted by Mr. Frank White, Diocesan Lay Reader.
Mr. Riley left Preston in 1905, and at the same time Mr. Morgan was appointed to a living. The Rev. Gerald Moor became Vicar of Preston, and he appointed the Rev. H. Lascelles as Curate-in-Charge of the St. Alban’s District, Mr. Lascelles being succeeded in 1908 by the Rev. C. F. Kite.
During these years the population of the district had considerably increased, and better church accommodation was urgently needed. St. Alban’s Day, of 1910, was the day chosen for laying the foundation stone of the Mission Hall in Coombe Road. It is a matter worth noticing that the inscription upon the stone was engraved by Mr. W. J. Barber, who has been for some years past, and is now, we are thankful to say, one of our churchwardens.
Some little notice of the ceremony may perhaps be of interest. The day was ushered in with three celebrations of the Holy Communion in the Bear Road Mission Room at 5.30, 7 and 9.30, at which there were 41 communicants, not a bad record for a purely working class district. A little before 7 p.m. the procession of clergy and choir started from the Men’s Club in Coombe Road. First came the choir, augmented by members of Preston Parish Church and St. Matthias choir under the direction of Mr. H. S. Watkins, organist at St. Alban’s. Then followed Mr. A. A. Swanborough, the Lay Reader, and the wardens of the Mission, Mr. W. J. Barber, and Mr. F. W. Moore.
Amongst the clergy present were two former Priests-in-Charge of St. Alban’s, the Revs. Frank Morgan and H. Lascelles. The Bishop having already laid his hands upon the stone and asked God’s blessing upon the work, it was fitting that Mrs. Gerald Moor should perform the ceremony of laying it, as her relatives and friends had contributed the greater portion of the money subscribed for the undertaking.
The closing words of the Bishop’s address are well worth giving here, as they have indeed been verified by events –“What I want you to do is to thank God for to-day, to trust in God for the future, and to work with Him until He gives you the ending of what you have begun”- advice which has been well carried out by the members of the congregation, as far as their slender means permitted.
After the service the Bishop expressed a wish to Mr. Barber that the stone should have Mrs. Gerald Moor’s name inscribed on it as having been laid by her.
We now pass on to the year 1914, which saw the Scheme of Church Extension in the Parish of Preston completed, which also proved to be the last great work in that direction carried out by the late Prebendary Gerald Moor. On October 10th the Bishop of the Diocese consecrated the enlarged and permanent church of St. Alban’s.
St Albans Church c1916 from Coombe Road.
It may be mentioned here that three layers of bricks in the West wall of the church were laid by members of the congregation who had paid one shilling each for the privilege. The centre brick was laid by Miss A. M. McKellar (of whom mention has been made in another place) and bears the inscription, A.M.M., MCMXIV.
Originally, the first portion of the church, which was dedicated on November 25th, 1910, was intended to be used as a Church Hall, as at St. Matthias, the church itself being built above. For various reasons it was thought better to enlarge the building of 1910, and make that the permanent church. It was, however, by no means an easy task, but the Diocesan Architect found a way of solving the problem entrusted to him. Though simple, the building has many characteristic features, and can hardly fail to arouse a reverent spirit among those who enter it. The beautiful Side Chapel in itself is well worth a visit, with its altar of English, Belgian, and French marbles and stone. The Credence table is of Portland stone, and bears the inscription “Ora et labora. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam. Frank White, Obiit, MCMXIV.” All the beautiful work in this chapel, together with the low stone and marble screen is the work and gift of our churchwarden Mr. W. J. Barber, than whom no one could be found more earnest in his desire for the beautifying of God’s House.
The church seats quite 500 worshippers, and all this has been secured, including a fine two manual organ, and necessary furniture at a cost of something like £5000.
It has at least been shown that it is possible to build a simple, yet beautiful church to seat 500 people at a cost of £10 per head, and so poor and populous districts in need of further church accommodation can see for themselves what the cost would be.
The burden of the cost of this great work fell very largely upon the shoulders of the late Prebendary and Mrs. Moor. It was hoped that subscriptions would come in, and when the completion of the work was commenced in May, 1914, no one could have foretold what was to come in a few months. Efforts to raise money met with some success, and there was good hope that the Vicar would be able to get in most of the required sum, but the Declaration of War in August, 1914, at once dried up every source. However, it was too late now to stop the work, and with characteristic determination and hopefulness Prebendary Moor saw the work carried through, and made himself responsible for a debt of something over £1700.
The Rev. Cecil Langdon, who succeeded the Rev. C. F. Kite as Curate-in-Charge, had been steadily building up the congregation and parochial organisations during the four years which elapsed between the laying of the Foundation Stone and the consecration of the completed church of St. Alban. These years had told their tale upon Mr. Langdon’s health, making his departure to an easier sphere of work an absolute necessity, just at the time of the consecration of the church.
The Rev. J. H. Broadhead, who had been at St. Luke’s, Bromley, Kent, for nine years, was appointed to succeed Mr. Langdon as Curate-in-Charge, with a view to his becoming the first Vicar of St. Alban’s, when the district was separated from Preston Parish. It was expected that this would be in about two years, but, as events turned out, it was only about three months.
But to go back, Saturday, October 10th, 1914, was the day appointed for the consecration of the completed church.
The first service to be held in the new building was the Lord’s Own Service at 7 a.m. on the Saturday morning, when Prebendary Moor celebrated, and between 30 and 40 people communicated. The church was then closed to most people during the day until about 5 o’clock in the evening, when the great congregation which gathered for the consecration began to assemble. At 6 o’clock the choir went to the Men’s club in Coombe Road, whence the large united procession, with the Bishop (in Cope and Mitre), the Rural Dean (Canon Hoskyns), the Vicar (Prebendary Moor), the Bishop’s Chaplains, and other clergy wended its way to the church, singing Psalm 122. Arrived at the west door of the church, the consecration service began with the words, pronounced by the Bishop, “Peace be to this House from God our Heavenly Father.” Then, after the petition for consecration had been presented by Mr. Churchwarden Barber, the service proceeded according to the authorised form.
A good deal of interest was caused after the service by the Bishop inspecting the Church Lads’ Brigade under Captain G. H. Whennell, who was appointed Captain in 1902 when the Company was formed by the Rev. F. S. Morgan, and the St. Alban’s company of Girl Guides under Mrs. Cecil Langdon.
Many gifts were presented to the church by various donors at the time of the consecration, and the church has been further enriched through the generosity of the Vicar and Churchwardens of Christ Church, Montpelier Road, Brighton, who so kindly gave the old chancel screen and choir stalls from that church, when it was decided to replace them by oak stalls in memory of the Rev. A. W. Carr, late Vicar of Christ Church.
Interior of St Albans Church c1916.
At the same time a large oil painting of Calvary (12ft. by 7ft.) was placed on the East wall over the Altar. The picture was formerly the altar-piece of Old St. Mary’s Church, Kemp Town, and it is owing to the generosity of the Rev. G. M. Hutton and his Churchwardens that it occupies its present position.
The next step was the formation of St. Alban’s district as a separate ecclesiastical parish by an Order in Council, published in the London Gazette of February 9th, 1915, by which a separate district was assigned to St. Alban’s, which now started on its new and independent life.
Prebendary Moor nominated the Rev. J. H. Broadhead to the Bishop as the first Vicar, and from that time marriages were solemnised at St. Alban’s, the Vicar of Preston agreeing that the fees for marriages at St. Alban’s should be retained by its Vicar. It was also decided that, until the endowment of the parish by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, the Vicar should receive his stipend from the Vicar and Churchwardens of Preston. (It is expected that the endowment will be given in May, 1917).
Writing on the subject in March, 1915, Prebendary Moor said: - “Under the practical and vigorous guidance of the Vicar-elect, St. Alban’s is gradually learning to run alone, and to rely less upon Preston props. They are realising, we believe, the truth of the old proverb, ‘Cut your coat according to your cloth.’ Now that they have a consecrated church of their own, and have entered on separate parochial life, they will be able to show what a large working class parish can do. However time will show what St. Albans and its people can do, and we believe it will be an eye-opener for some people.”
The Institution and Induction of the Rev. J. H. Broadhead, as first Vicar of St. Alban’s, took place on Thursday, April 15th, 1915. The Bishop of Lewes performed the ceremony of institution, and the Rev. Prebendary Moor inducted the new Vicar into the Temporaries of the Cure. The Bishop, in the course of his address, said that, as first Vicar, Mr. Broadhead had the responsibility of setting the tone, which was so much in a church’s history. It was for him to set the standard of worship and spirituality so that in days to come men might look back and say, “These are the traditions of St. Alban’s from the very commencement.”
The services are, we think, now fairly settled, with regular early celebrations of the Holy Communion every Sunday, and Choral Eucharist with a short address at 10 o’clock each Sunday, followed by Matins and sermon at 11; Children’s Service at 3, and Evensong and sermon at 6.30. In addition there are two celebrations during the week, and the regular daily offices.
We must not close this notice without expressing our deep sense of appreciation of the services of Miss McKellar of Preston, who, Sunday after Sunday, for something like 20 years, has presided over the destinies of St. Alban’s Sunday School, with very few holidays indeed.
Miss L. Mayner has worked in the district as Lady Worker for some six and a half years, with a short interval of sickness caused by overwork. She has won the affection of the parishioners in a marked degree, and we pray that she may long be spared to continue her beneficent work.
Of our two Churchwardens, Mr. H. Winton and Mr. W. J. Barber, our Organist, Mr. H. S. Watkins, and Mr. G. H. Whennell who, besides being Verger and Clerk, acts as Captain of the C.L.B., and conducts a lads Bible Class every Sunday, we cannot speak too highly. Without such staunch workers as these it would be indeed hard for a Vicar to carry on the work of the parish with any degree of success.
We have many loyal workers amongst the women of the parish, and to these we tender our warmest thanks.
A Free-will Offering Fund was started in this parish, and, owing to the indomitable energy of Mr. A. A. Swanborough, the Secretary, it is already a most useful source of help for the various funds of the parish.
And now we must bring this notice to a close. We have no ancient history to work upon, but trust that what we have written may be interesting to many who hitherto knew nothing of this outlying parish of Brighton, and may be an inducement to come and see for themselves, and to give us help either in kind or personal service, which are both so much needed.
J. H. B.
From the Brighton & Hove Parochial Gazetteer January 1917
