Description of the attraction
The Church of St. Nicholas of Myra is an old church in Brighton, UK, the oldest building in the city. We find references to her in the Book of the Last Judgment in 1086. It is not exactly established where the church was at that time, but most likely in the same place as the present one. Brighton was then a small fishing village, which was located on the very coast, and the location of the church on the hill seems to be quite logical.
In its current form, the Church of St. Nicholas appeared in the middle of the XIV century. For the construction of the tower, the stones left over from the destroyed old church were probably used, and inside there is a baptismal font, carved from stone in 1170. In the 14th century, a massive tower was built on the west side, an altar and a nave. At the beginning of the 15th century, a side chapel was added.
In 1514, during a raid by the French invaders, the village was burned to the ground, but the church, which stood in the distance, survived. In 1703 and 1705 during the strongest storms the roof blew off the church.
In the 18th century in England there was a fashion for the treatment of sea waters, and the small town of Brighton became a very popular and fashionable resort. It is here that the Prince Regent, the future King George IV, stays. The city's population is growing rapidly, and the only Anglican church in the area can no longer accommodate all the parishioners. In 1853, architect Richard Cromwell Carpenter began renovations. Additional side galleries were demolished, but the church itself was expanded, and a place for an organ appeared. In the second half of the 19th century, the church continues to change. Beautiful stained glass windows by the renowned master Charles Kempe appear.
Since the end of the 18th century, a belfry with 10 bells has been located on the tower. There is an old cemetery around the church. Under the oldest gravestone lies Captain Nicholas Tattersel, who in 1651 took King Charles II aboard his ship and helped him get to France.
Despite the fact that the Church of St. Nicholas is no longer the main one in the Brighton parish, the Brighton people love it very much and affectionately call it “our mother church”.
