The enormous bulk of St Bartholomew's is the dominant landmark in the Preston district around Brighton railway station and is tricky to photograph. This is the view from Oxford Street.
The church was built by the wealthy Wagner family, the most well known members being H. M. Wagner, Vicar of Brighton from 1824 to 1870 and his son A. D. Wagner.
The building was designed by an otherwise indifferent architect, Edmund. E. Scott. Its towering walls, both internally and externally presents an unrivalled impression. A. D. Wagner probably had as much influence on the design as the architect.
Here is a view of the church from above the station, whose overall glass canopy is to the right of the picture. The bulk of St Joseph's Catholic Church is visible in the distance behind the east end of the church.
Here is the view of the church as it is approached from Providence Place; the huge bulk of the building is almost overpowering. Building work marred the view on the day of our visit however, the patron saint keeps vigil over the west door.
Entering the church is rather like going into a catholic European church; the ornamentation was not to my taste, but the space is certainly impressive.
The font is enormous - I wondered initially if it had been designed for adult baptism by immersion.
The organ is installed on a gallery at the west end. The rose window was intended to have coloured glass, which was never installed.
There are attractive windows in the southern wall, however my camera was not really up to the task owing to their height and distance. Here are the two most successful pictures.
Digital photographs
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