Appeal launched to save St Andrew's Hove

The Churches Conservation Trust today launched an appeal to raise the final £22,950 needed to begin urgent work on the roof of St Andrew's Church in Waterloo Street, Hove, East Sussex. Already £100,000 has been raised with the help of the Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund, and now the final amount is needed so that works can begin.

The Grade II* listed church of St Andrew’s has been in the care of The Churches Conservation Trust since 1991, and over that time nearly £500,000 has been invested inconservation projects at the church. St Andrew’s is a very important community building in Hove, just off the sea front, welcoming over 50,000 visitors annually as well as hosting a series of events.

Built in the Italian Renaissance style to designs by Sir Charles Barry – the architect of the Houses of Parliament – and completed in 1827, St Andrew’s is known locally as ""the church by the sea"", and once boasted a royal congregation that included Queen Victoria’s aunt, the Duchess of Gloucester.

Water penetration is now risking the recently elegant interior of St Andrew’s and there is also imminent risk of further timber decay to the roof structure:

• The main nave roof-lights are leaking badly causing water penetration into the roof
• The south east lantern frame is badly rotten causing water penetration onto the ceiling
• The covering of the flat roofs on the north side has greatly decayed over the years and shows cracks and splits causing leaks and water penetration.
• The south east roof-lights have broken glazing.
• The gutter along the north wall is badly damaged and is causing water penetration.

Our roof conservation project will:

• Protect the historic fabric of the church preventing further damage
• Secure the continued sustainable use of St Andrew’s ensuring it remains a successful city venue safe, open and in use by the local and wider community.

Peter Aiers, The Churches Conservation Trust's Director in the South East said: “St Andrew’s Hoveis a most unusual church, and has been in the care of The Churches Conservation Trust for more than twenty years. The church has a great choral heritage, and we hold it very dear. We need to act now to ensure its beautiful interior doesn’t suffer any further damage.”