St Michael and All Angels Church

One can see why this is called Cathedral of the Back Streets as it is quite overwelming when first seen. Previous Qypers have reviewed this church and there are varying opinons. For myself, I found the architecture interesting from an aritistic/​photographic angle. I found the inside a little over adorned.

St Michael and All Angels a physically impressive block at the top of our street, with a large enclosed space, excellent acoustics, and some interesting details in the form of unusual carvings and pre-​raphaelite items. Unfortunately, it is not the family-​friendly place one might hope for. For example, I had a nasty surprise when I took the family my wife and me and 3 daughters, aged 6, 11 and 15 for a lunchtime organ recital. Not only did they charge us a £15 family ticket (a bit steep for 45 minutes of solo organ music, IMHO), but after a moment someone came over and declared that we couldn’t be a family because our 15 year-​old looked quite grown up and should pay for an adult ticket, and demanded a further £5! I’m not sure which angered me more the ad hoc determination of adult and family, or the embarrassment of having this unfold in front of the rest of the audience numbering 15 or 20 other people but in any case this didn’t seem to me very consistent with the kind of spirit I was looking for. There are other places to see in Brighton, and at least the others are candid about being tourist attractions.

Dubbed the «Cathedral of the Backstreets», St Michael’s is a grand Victorian church perched on the hill. Intended to provide moral succour to a godless city of decadence and excess it has been called the finest church in Sussex.
It’s an architectural gem. The first phase was completed in 1862 to a design by famous architect, George Frederick Bodley. It was subsequently extended in the 1890s. Followers of the arts and crafts movement should pay a call. There are fixtures, windows and other interior features by Edward Burne-​Jones, William Morris, Philip Webb and Charles Faulkner. The church is open for visitors on Saturdays and there’s usually someone on hand to guide you round. Proper guided tours are also held during the Brighton Festival.
By Church of England standards its tradition is high, it draws a big congregation and the choir is very good too. The candlelit midnight mass at Christmas is particularly evocative and well worth attending. But do wrap up, it’s cold in there.
The church also serves as a cultural and community hub. The church hosts regular musical concerts and recitals as well as a host of lectures and talks through the year. The community hall is used by lots of groups and they also do important work for homeless people.
Little known St Michael’s fact. They do breakfast on a Saturday morning. It’s a hearty breakfast and coffee for a few pounds and it’s open to all. Check it out.

Known as ‘the cathedral of the back streets’. this is an unexpected gem, with stunning stained glass windows as dmj1962 clearly knows far more about than I do! I went to a candlelit midnight mass there on christmas eve a couple of years ago, and it was quite magical, even for my atheist self.

St Michael’s is a surprise: tucked away amongst the terraces in the fashionable Clifton area of Brighton, this large church seems almost out of place, its gothic red-​brick contrasting with its white-​stuccoed neighbours.
It is only by looking up that you begin to realise just how big a building this is. That’s partly because it is actually two churches in one, both built by renowned Victorian architects. The first was built by G F Bodley in 1861 – 62, and now forms the south aisle of the church. The interior features painted ceilings, tiled floors and polychromatic brick decoration. But the real joy of this part of the church is its pre-​raphaelite stained glass windows, by Burne-​Jones, Webb, Maddox-​Brown, Gabriel Rossetti and William Morris. A stronger artistic pedigree from the 19^th century would be hard to find.
In 1893, work began on an extension by William Burges, with sculpture by Thomas Nicholls, which dwarfed the earlier building and became the main body of the church. This is in the French gothic style, on a cathedral-​like scale, with an interior in stone rather than brick. The windows here are by Kemp, and there are other furnishings by Burges and Nicholls. But it is the sheer scale that makes this part special.
The church is well worth a detour from the bustle of Brighton, in the streets below. As well as for services, the church can accommodate small groups for tours (arranged in advance). The church has recently become accessible for wheel-​chair users.