Shared description
St Mary in the Castle
The former parish church of Saint Mary in the Castle, 1825-1828, is the centrepiece of Pelham Crescent, which was designed by Joseph Kay (1775 to 1847) for Thomas Pelham, 2nd Earl of Chichester between 1823 and 1828.
The church was consecrated in 1828. It was declared redundant in 1970 and refurbished in the early 1990s.
The church sits in the middle of Pelham Crescent, which is raised above Pelham arcade, reached by a ramp. The crypt extends southwards to street level.
The church is semicircular in plan, and is semi-built into the rock behind it. There is an upper gallery level.
The sanctuary is located on the south side, with doors either side and stairs descending to the crypt.
The main ceiling is a complex structure in the form of a coved horseshoe rather than a dome, panelled with moulded ribs. To the east there is a baptistery complete with stone lined immersion font (now the Bar!)
The church was refurbished in the 1990s, much of the timber was suffering from rot. The rear wall of the gallery is now exposed stone.
The sanctuary has a marble reredos and a stained-glass window above. This is now the stage area for performances, and curtained off.
In the late 1990s, the church was regularly used as a performance and arts centre, with regular concerts. However in recent years the future of the venue has looked uncertain, with threat of closure.
This year it was agreed that Buckswood school, a local private school, would support the venue for up to 3 years. Recently work began to restore the cafe area at the lower level, with a grant from English Heritage and Hastings Borough Council. The venue has now acquired charitable status.
4 images use this description:
Shared descriptions
This shared description
The 'Shared Description' text on this page is © copyright 2013 Julian P Guffogg.
Shared descriptions are specifically licensed so that contributors can reuse them on their own images, without restriction.
About shared descriptions
These Shared Descriptions are common to multiple images.
For example, you can create a generic description for an object shown in a photo, and reuse the description on all photos of the object. All descriptions are public and shared between contributors, i.e. you can reuse a description created by others, just as they can use yours.
Explore images
View images using this "St Mary in the Castle" Shared Description
View images mentioning the words [St Mary in the Castle] anywhere in text
Links for TQ82000941
This description is located in TQ82000941.
Other shared descriptions
Descriptions nearby
- Hastings Castle
- Pelham Crescent & St Mary in the Castle
- Pelham Place Car Park
- Breeds Place
- Sturdee Place
- May Day Run
- West Hill Lift
- Castle Street
- East Parade
- St Mary's Terrace
- Priory Meadow Shopping Centre
- Hastings Town Hall
- West Street
- Cornwallis Gardens
- Hill Street
- Cobourg Place
- Milward Road
- Queen's Road
- Hastings Miniature Railway
- Pirate day
- Mediaeval Day, 29th April 2011
- East Beach Street
- Old Town Carnival
- The Bourne
Related descriptions
- Pelham Crescent & St Mary in the Castle
By Oast House Archive. Used on 80 images
- Pelham Place
By Oast House Archive. Used on 43 images
- Hastings Pier Fire
By Oast House Archive. Used on 24 images
- Holy Trinity Church, Hastings
By Julian P Guffogg. Used on 32 images
- Pelham Place Car Park
By Oast House Archive. Used on 14 images
- 2-7 Havelock Road development
By Oast House Archive. Used on 13 images
- White Rock Theatre
By Oast House Archive. Used on 29 images
The above selections are automatic and approximate, it might not always select closely matching descriptions