The Friends of St Nicholas' Church
Brighton
Patron: The Bishop of Chichester The Rt Rev'd Dr Martin Warner
President: Sir Peter Field, KCVO, KStJ, JP
Chairman: Brian Morris
GALLERY
The Gallery depicts a few examples of The Friends' projects undertaken during the past 25 years of its existence. Visitors to the church are welcome and stewards are on duty during "Open Church" on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Check the church website for exact times, or phone the Parish Office on 01273 205360 for up to date information.
"The life of the dead is placed in the memory of the living"
Marcus Tullius Cicero
The Rood Screen
The Screen is believed to be from the 15th century
and was restored in 2009 with financial assistance
from The Friends. The cornice and cross and the
gates at the foot of the chancel steps were the gift
of Alderman J L Brigden, JP, a Mayor of Brighton
in the mid 19th century in memory of his wife who
died in 1886.
The Wellington Memorial
The memorial to the victor of Waterloo, in the style of an Eleanor Cross with a figure of St George at the apex, was erected by public subscription. Known as The Wellington Memorial, it was designed by the church architect, R C Carpenter, and sculpted/carved by John Birnie Philip. It was commissioned in 1853 and completed in 1854.
The Latin inscription around the pedestal reads, in translation: "In memory of the great Duke of Wellington this sacred building in which, in his youth, he worshipped God, is restored." The Duke worshipped in the church when, before going to Eton, he had attended an "Academy for Young Gentlemen" presided over by our then vicar, Henry Michell, grandfather of H M Wagner.
Kempe Window
Charles Eamer Kempe, a distinguished stained glass artist, designed the windows. Kempe was a young cousin of Thomas Read Kemp, the founder of Kemp Town - he added the final 'e' himself - and the east window is, in fact, a memorial to members of the Kemp family, many of whom, though not Thomas Read, are interred in the church, some of them beneath the chancel floor. See the inscription in situ.
Charles Kempe was also responsible for the decorations on the walls at either end of the nave, the excellent foliage murals being designed by Somers Clarke.
Somers Clarke was the clerk of the administrative vestry for 62 years from 1830. He donated a new pulpit to the church in 1867, after the original three-deck structure was removed by R C Carpenter (church architect) and replaced with a much smaller wooden example. Clarke's pulpit was made of iron and still in use today. A new vestry was built between 1876 and 1877 to the north of the chancel.
The west wall, containing the arms of King George IV, flanked by those of the Norman, William de Warenne and the Diocese of Chichester (our patron) has been restored to its full glory.