Christ Church, Ore

Christ Church
The church from the east
50°52′20″N 0°36′30″E / 50.8722°N 0.6082°E / 50.8722; 0.6082Coordinates: 50°52′20″N 0°36′30″E / 50.8722°N 0.6082°E / 50.8722; 0.6082
Location	Old London Road, Ore, Hastings, East Sussex
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Open Evangelical
Website	www.christchurch-ore.net
History
Founded	23 November 1858
Founder(s)	Rev. W.T. Turner
Dedication	Christ Church
Dedicated	1858
Architecture
Status	Parish church
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	14 September 1976
Architect(s)	Alexander Dick Gough
Style	Decorated Gothic
Completed	1859
Construction cost	£4,268 (£387,400 in 2017)
Administration
Parish	Ore: Christ Church
Deanery	Rural Deanery of Hastings
Archdeaconry	Lewes and Hastings
Diocese	Chichester
Province	Canterbury

Christ Church is an Anglican church in the Ore area of the town and borough of Hastings, one of six local government districts in the English county of East Sussex. It is one of three Anglican churches with this dedication in the borough. The Decorated Gothic-style church, in the centre of a village which has been surrounded by suburban development, was built in 1858 to supplement Ore's parish church, St Helen's. The most distinctive structural feature, a corner bell turret, has been described as both "outstanding" and "very naughty" by architectural historians. English Heritage has listed the building at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.

The ancient Cinque Port and fishing town of Hastings evolved into a seaside resort in the 19th century. The arrival of two separate railway routes from London (one via Lewes, the other via Tunbridge Wells) and improved road links helped this; the population doubled from about 11,000 a few years before these developments to 23,000 20 years later. The town, previously focused around the seafront area, grew inland, and Ore—a small linear village on the road to Rye—was gradually absorbed into the urban area. It was first recorded in the early 12th century, although its Anglo-Saxon name (derived from ora, meaning a ridge or slope) suggests earlier settlement, and a parish church was built on high ground to the northwest, near Ore manor house, in the 12th century. There were a few cottages around it until the mid-19th century, but by that time the focus of Ore's development had moved decisively to the area around the main road and Fairlight Down (assisted by the construction of a barracks at Halton and the conversion of the road to turnpike status).