1867 – Church of St. Saviour, Eastbourne, Sussex

Architect: George Edmund Street

By the middle of the nineteenth century, Eastbourne was a growing town noted for its healthy climate. The railway had arrived in 1849 and an increasing number of people were choosing to live in the town or spend their holidays here. The Duke of Devonshire, who owned much of the land, was laying out a new town with wide streets, italianate terraces and fashionable villas. The old parish church of St Mary the Virgin was at some distance from the new town so the Duke gave land for the building of a new church which was completed in 1867. The architect was George Edmund Street who designed many churches at the time when the Church of England was rediscovering its Catholic heritage through the Oxford Movement. Hence the design of the church emphasises the centrality of the eucharist, surrounding the altar with glorious decoration in the form of colourful mosaics and fine stained glass windows. Perspective view published in The Building News, July 15th 1870.