North Street

Countess of Huntingdon's Church

Reproduced with permission from the Encyclopaedia of Brighton by Tim Carder, 1990

Please note that this text is an extract from a reference work written in 1990.  As a result, some of the content may not reflect recent research, changes and events.

Between Hanningtons and the entrance to the Lanes is Huntingdon House, which stands on the site of the:

f) COUNTESS OF HUNTINGDON'S CHURCH: This, the original church of the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion, was founded in 1761 by Selina Shirley who took a house in North Street in 1755 to improve her son's health. Returning in 1760, the Countess sent for the Calvinistic Methodist preacher George Whitefield who gave a first sermon on 8 September 1760 behind the White Lion Inn. The congregation quickly grew, and to accommodate her new followers the Countess sold her jewellery for £698 and opened a small chapel at the rear of her house in the autumn of 1761. It was enlarged in 1767, 1774 and 1788, and by the time the Countess died in 1791, several other chapels had also opened throughout the country. The original chapel was enlarged again in 1810, in 1822 when the Countess's former residence was converted into a long gallery and a Doric entrance was made from North Street, and in 1842.

In 1870-1 the church was entirely rebuilt by John Wimble in Early English style in flint and grey stone. There was a graceful north-eastern spire, and a triple-arched entrance supported by granite pillars with elaborate capitals, while the interior had galleries on all sides, excellent stained glass windows, a marble pulpit, and room for about 900 worshippers. The new church opened on 20 March 1871 and was initially well-attended, but eventually congregations dwindled and it proved impossible to keep the building in good repair. The church closed in September 1966 and was demolished in February 1972, although the spire had been taken down in November 1969. The proceeds from the sale of the site went towards the upkeep of other Huntingdon chapels. {15,24,62,123}

Any numerical cross-references in the text above refer to resources in the Sources and Bibliography section of the Encyclopaedia of Brighton by Tim Carder.