First phase of Brighton church restoration revealed

Vicar Archie Coates at the top of St Peter's tower last week (Photograph: Elle-Anna Smith/St Peter's Brighton) SUS-170116-131805001

The newly-restored spires of St Peter's Church have been unveiled as scaffolding begins to come down at one of the city's landmark buildings.

The first phase of a £1.7m external restoration of ‘Brighton’s Cathedral’ was completed last month, with the top section of the tower being restored to its former glory by a team of stonemasons.

St Peter’s Church, located between The Level and the Royal Pavilion, is a Grade II*-listed building, built between 1824 and 1828. Its architect Sir Charles Barry also rebuilt the Houses of Parliament.

But decades of ‘weathering, ageing and corrosive salt laden winds’ have damaged the building, resulting in the church being placed in the Heritage ‘risk register’.

The top of St Peter's (Photograph: Elle-Anna Smith/St Peter's Brighton) SUS-170116-133213001

The restoration project, which launched in 2009, has resulted in the rebuilding of the balustrade and pinnacles and the tower roof being replaced.

The project was funded with £250,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), alongside grants from English Heritage, the National Churches Trust, Garfield Weston, Allchurches Trust and Sussex Historic Churches Trust.

As the church reaches a milestone in its restoration, Rev Archie Coates, vicar of St Peter’s Brighton, said the church had been its busiest since it was threatened with closure in 2009. In December it welcomed more than 3,400 people to services over the festive season, including a children’s carol service with live farm animals and a candlelit prayer event to mark New Year’s Eve.