St Philip C Of E Church

St Leonard’s is an ancient foundation, now much rebuilt and in a firmly suburban setting, and effectively in Portslade. The main offices of the Diocese of Chichester sit alongside.
History
Originally an Anglo-​Saxon settlement, Aldrington is mentioned in the Domesday Book as Eldretune but there is no mention of a church. The predecessor of the present building was erected in the 13^th century, but a gradual decline of the settlement hastened by severe storms in 1703 and 1705 meant that by 1800 there were just two people in the parish and the church was largely ruinous (the roof having collapsed in 1738). 18^th century drawings show it as a single celled building with lancets and a tower.
The arrival of the railway in nearby Portslade in 1840 stimulated a slow process of suburban development, and the church was rebuilt in 1876 – 8 by Richard Herbert Carpenter (1841 – 93). He largely followed the pattern of the original building, although the roundel above the two east lancets was replaced by a sexfoil.
Further suburban development necessitated another expansion, consisting of a nave and baptistery to the north (1931) with a new chancel (1936), both by Milburn Pett. This effectively relegated the original church to form a large south aisle, with an arcade of square piers between. A planned north aisle was never built, and the ‘temporary’ brick facings on the north wall contrast with the knapped flints elsewhere. The arcade has, in recent times, been partitioned so the nave and south aisle now form two separate spaces.
The church
The church sits in a pretty and overgrown churchyard (the noticeboard explains that this is intended to foster a wildlife reserve). The carefully knapped flint walls give away its relatively modern origins, but the shingled broach spire, lancets and pretty carved porch give it a rural air.
The interior is something of a surprise after this introduction, as the nave and chancel are wide and bright and contrast sharply with the original church. Pevsner didn’t like Pett’s work at all, describing it in the Sussex volume of the ‘Buildings of England’ as very horrible.
Furnishings are all modern, with some Clayton and Bell glass in the south aisle (the original church).

The Church Hall at St Phil’s on Church Road is a useful amenity that plenty of Hove people don’t know about. It’s available for hire and represents great value for money. I used it recently as the venue for a meeting of local people and thought it good value and very well maintained. You could use the hall for parties or other events too.