Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity, Brighton
| Church of the Holy Trinity | |
|---|---|
| Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity | |
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| 50°49′26″N 0°7′53″W / 50.82389°N 0.13139°WCoordinates: 50°49′26″N 0°7′53″W / 50.82389°N 0.13139°W | |
| Location |
Carlton Hill, Brighton, Brighton and Hove BN2 0GW |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Greek Orthodox |
| History | |
| Former name(s) | St John the Evangelist |
| Founded | 1838 |
| Founder(s) | Rev. Henry Michell Wagner |
| Dedication | John the Evangelist |
| Consecrated | 28 January 1840 |
| Events | Sold to Greek Orthodox community in 1985 |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II listed |
| Designated | 20 August 1971 |
| Architect(s) | George Cheesman, Jr. |
| Style | Greek Revival |
| Construction cost | £4,660 (£380 thousand in 2017) |
| Closed | 11 November 1980 (as St John the Evangelist) |
The Church of the Holy Trinity is a Greek Orthodox church in Brighton, part of the English city of Brighton and Hove. Built in 1838 in one of Brighton's most notorious slum districts, Carlton Hill, it was an Anglican church for most of its life: dedicated to St John the Evangelist, it was used by the Anglican community until it was declared redundant in 1980. After some uncertainty about its future, it was sold to Brighton's Greek Orthodox community in 1985 and has been used as their permanent place of worship since then. Reflecting its architectural and historical importance, it has been listed at Grade II since 1971.
Carlton Hill is a long, steep road on high ground known as the East Cliff, north of the Kemp Town development and south of Hanover. Following Brighton's rapid growth in the early 19th century, it became established as one of its most deprived slum areas.Henry Michell Wagner, the Vicar of Brighton from 1824 until his death in 1870, was committed to providing free churches for Brighton's poor people, at a time when pew-rents were standard in Anglican churches. He used his large fortune to build six churches in which most of the seats were free rather than subject to pew-rents. The need for such action was urgent in the early years of his curacy: by 1830 about 18,000 poor people lived in the town, representing nearly half the population, but only 3,000 rent-free pews were available in the existing churches.
St John the Evangelist was the third church built under Wagner's curacy, after All Souls Church in Eastern Road—built between 1833 and 1834, and demolished in 1968—and Christ Church in Montpelier Road (built between 1837 and 1838, and demolished in 1982). The architects and builders of Christ Church, Brighton-based firm Cheesman & Son, were employed again; George Cheesman Jr. was responsible for the design, and his father George Cheesman built it. Unlike its Gothic-inspired predecessor, however, St John the Evangelist was designed in the Classical style. The foundation stone was laid on 15 October 1838. The church cost £4,660 (equivalent to £380 thousand in 2017) (including £908 (£73.9 thousand in 2017) for the purchase of the site), and was consecrated on 28 January 1840 by Robert James Carr, a former Vicar of Brighton who had become the Bishop of Worcester. He was visiting Brighton at the time, and stood in for the unwell Bishop of Chichester. More than half of the 1,200 seats were free.
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