Braybon Avenue, Fountain Centre, Brighton

Asset type

Historic Building - Place of Worship (Anglican)

Local Listing Reference

LLHA0007

Conservation Area (CA)

No CA

Description

Formerly the Parish Church of Christ the King, it is now known as the Fountain Centre and used by an Elim Pentecostal Congregation. 1952 to 1958 by L. Keir Hett and built to serve the surrounding expanding suburbs. Brown brick with tiled roofs. Squat, monolithic tower to west end (housing main entrance), with three round-arched windows above and horizontal louvred windows to the belfry. The tower is embraced by blind side elements with inverted brackets. Church Hall in red brick (now rendered) with tiled roofs; complementary to the main building but of no particular special interest itself. Described by Antram & Pevsner as a ‘fusion of Romanesque, Italian Baroque and English Arts & Crafts Influences’. It has similarities to Keir Hett’s other works in the city, notably St Andrew’s Church Moulsecoomb (Kier Hett’s first Church work and of greatest architectural interest, separately assessed) and Hounsom Memorial URC Church (altered and of lesser architectural quality). Source: Antram & Pevsner 2013

A  Architectural, design and artistic interest

ii. A good example of a church building of its time, which applies 1930s architecture to a traditional church form

iv. Work by L. Keir Hett, a notable local architect who went on to design many churches in the region. His work includes St Richard’s Church, Haywards Heath (listed grade II).

C. Townscape interest

i. Not within a conservation area, the building contributes greatly to the streetscene F Intactness i The building survives largely intact.

Date of inclusion

2015