St Michael and All Angels

St Michael's

Steve cadfman

Flight into Egypt by Burne-Jones

St Michael's PCC

The Chancel

St Michael's PCC

St Michael by Morris

St Michael's PCC

'The cathedral of the backstreets'

By Tony Bailey

St Michael's is noted for its magnificent architecture sculpture and woodwork, as well as its superb collecion of pre-Raphaelite stained glass. It is the only Grade One listed building in the conservation area. In his Thousand Best Churches in England, Simon Jenkins places St Michael's in the top hundred - the highest of any Sussex church.

St Michael's consists of two churches in one. The first was designed by G F Bodley and completed in 1862. It now forms the south aisle.  The cathedral-like nave was designed by William Burgess and completed in 1895

Of the several windows designed by Edward Burne-Jones, the most famouse is 'The Flight into Egypt' in the Lady Chapel. But there are many others  by him and other pre-Raphaelites -  Morris, Madox Brown, Rosetti and Marshall.

The chancel has a ceiling  painted by Philip Webb and a set of twelve misericords carved by Thomas Nichols.

The church is open on most Saturdays but check with the parish office

Click here to see internal and external panoramic images.  Note that Quicktime or Flash is needed to view the images.