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Ship of Fools: St Nicholas of Myra, Brighton, England

The Mystery WorshipperThe Mystery Worshipper Shipmate
edited February 2022 in The Mystery Worshipper

imageShip of Fools: St Nicholas of Myra, Brighton, England

Our Mystery Worshipper will return as soon as possible to this thriving congregation

Read the full Mystery Worshipper report here


Comments

  • Baptist TrainfanBaptist Trainfan Shipmate
    The review laments the removal of the pews and replacement by chairs. However this webpage suggests that this is just the latest of several church re-orderings: https://tinyurl.com/3y6nzh9y. It also shows that box pews were installed at some stage prior to 1853 when they were replaced by Victorian ones, and suggests that originally there would have been no pews at all! So I think there is a difference between removing pews here and removing them in (say) a Victorian chapel where they are an integral part of the design.

    Great review and clearly a lovely church!
  • Bishops FingerBishops Finger Shipmate
    Agreed - and the interior photos on the parish website show the chairs. IMHO, they don't distract from the church, but make it look lighter and more spacious. Obviously, YMMV...

    It's good to hear of an inclusive Anglo-Catholic parish.
  • angloidangloid Shipmate
    Bishops Finger wrote: »
    It's good to hear of an inclusive Anglo-Catholic parish.

    There are many!
  • Alan29Alan29 Shipmate
    It is the ancient parish church of Brighton, a role that was passed to St Peter's which later had to be closed as it was in a state of disrepair. I believe it has re-opened with a very different kind of churchmanship. (I grew up in Brighton and went to school close to StNicks, but left over 50 years ago.)
  • Bishops FingerBishops Finger Shipmate
    angloid wrote: »
    Bishops Finger wrote: »
    It's good to hear of an inclusive Anglo-Catholic parish.

    There are many!

    O yes - but none near here, alas...quite a few MOTRs, of course.
    Alan29 wrote: »
    It is the ancient parish church of Brighton, a role that was passed to St Peter's which later had to be closed as it was in a state of disrepair. I believe it has re-opened with a very different kind of churchmanship. (I grew up in Brighton and went to school close to StNicks, but left over 50 years ago.)

    IIRC, St Peter's is now an HTB offshoot, so yes, very different.

    Back to St Nicholas of Myra, this is surely a rather unusual dedication in the C of E? I bet they have some fun around December 6th, celebrating the Real Santa!
  • Ex_OrganistEx_Organist Shipmate
    edited February 2022
    Bishops Finger wrote: »

    Back to St Nicholas of Myra, this is surely a rather unusual dedication in the C of E? I bet they have some fun around December 6th, celebrating the Real Santa!

    Saint Nicholas seems to be a fairly common dedication (as in the church adjacent to your Cathedral). Use of his full title (i.e. including "of Myra") may be less common.

    Edited to fix quote. ABR
  • Bishops FingerBishops Finger Shipmate
    edited February 2022
    Ex_Organist wrote: »
    Bishops Finger wrote: »

    Back to St Nicholas of Myra, this is surely a rather unusual dedication in the C of E? I bet they have some fun around December 6th, celebrating the Real Santa!

    Saint Nicholas seems to be a fairly common dedication (as in the church adjacent to your Cathedral). Use of his full title (i.e. including "of Myra") may be less common.

    Yes, you're right, and I should have made that qualification. It is indeed the full dedication which is unusual, I think.

    Edited to fix quote. ABR
  • DafydDafyd Hell Host
    I used to worship there. I'm glad to hear from it.
  • PomonaPomona Shipmate
    angloid wrote: »
    Bishops Finger wrote: »
    It's good to hear of an inclusive Anglo-Catholic parish.

    There are many!

    Not in the local area - the next nearest one would be in Hastings, St George's I think? Locally in terms of Anglican churches, you generally have a choice of conservative evangelical or The Society.
  • Bishops FingerBishops Finger Shipmate
    edited February 2022
    I took @angloid to mean that there are many inclusive A-C parishes across the country, and not necessarily in Brighton - but we are straying from the topic somewhat...

    BTW, the entrance hymn Dear Lord and Father of mankind seems to have been much in demand in many churches this past Sunday, chiming in with the Gospel reading...
  • ThenewThenew Shipmate Posts: 2
    edited February 2022
    I hope the vicar doesn't move to Scotland as [remainder of post deleted -- GDPR].

    [mitre donned]

    Please do not name clergy or others associated with the service or the church.

    @Amanda B Reckondwyth
    Lead Editor, Mystery Worship

    [mitre handed to MC]
  • HelixHelix Shipmate
    I used to worship at this church. It was the last church that I felt comfortable going to and when I left the area - I stopped going to church altogether. It was a lovely community some 20 years ago and glad to hear it still is.
  • Bishops FingerBishops Finger Shipmate
    A lovely memory @Helix - I'm tempted to say that St Nicholas of Myra represents the *High* or *Anglo-Catholic* end of the C of E spectrum as it should be...
  • HelixHelix Shipmate
    Thanks @Bishops Finger - for me it was as it should be as you say. Anyway nice to have happy memories.
  • Alan29Alan29 Shipmate
    Helix wrote: »
    I used to worship at this church. It was the last church that I felt comfortable going to and when I left the area - I stopped going to church altogether. It was a lovely community some 20 years ago and glad to hear it still is.

    I was in the choir there 40+ years ago. It was a proper robed chancel choir singing a cathedral repertoire. A fine organ that is now in disrepair sadly.
  • Bishops FingerBishops Finger Shipmate
    The Report mentions that an organ and a grand piano were played - perhaps the organ has been repaired recently, or is still playable anyway?
  • Alan29Alan29 Shipmate
    Bishops Finger wrote: »
    The Report mentions that an organ and a grand piano were played - perhaps the organ has been repaired recently, or is still playable anyway?

    Maybe replaced with a digital?
  • Bishops FingerBishops Finger Shipmate
    Alan29 wrote: »
    Bishops Finger wrote: »
    The Report mentions that an organ and a grand piano were played - perhaps the organ has been repaired recently, or is still playable anyway?

    Maybe replaced with a digital?

    Yes, of course it's a possibility. I hadn't thought of that!
    :blush:


  • Amanda B ReckondwythAmanda B Reckondwyth Shipmate
    They appear to have been advertising for a new organist/choir director in 2019. The job description includes the following:

    St Nicholas’ has two organs: a three manual digital instrument by Eminent, installed in 2012; and a one manual Makin chamber organ. There is also an Elysian grand piano, which has recently been revoiced; and a Yamaha digital piano.
  • Alan29Alan29 Shipmate
    Amanda B Reckondwyth wrote: »
    They appear to have been advertising for a new organist/choir director in 2019. The job description includes the following:

    St Nicholas’ has two organs: a three manual digital instrument by Eminent, installed in 2012; and a one manual Makin chamber organ. There is also an Elysian grand piano, which has recently been revoiced; and a Yamaha digital piano.

    Oh, I would sell off body parts to have a Makin chamber organ.
  • Ex_OrganistEx_Organist Shipmate
    What happened to the original pipe organ? The National Pipe Organ Register states that is was rebuilt in 1961, but in 1969 was unusable and had been replaced by an electronic intrument. Was there some disaster affecting the organ?
  • Amanda B ReckondwythAmanda B Reckondwyth Shipmate
    Pipe organs that are not maintained for extended periods of time do become unplayable. Not only will the organ become hideously out of tune, but leather valves can rot, pipes can corrode and sediment can accumulate in them, mice can nibble through the cables, etc.
  • Ex_OrganistEx_Organist Shipmate
    My question is how did it become unusable within eight years of a rebuild?
  • Amanda B ReckondwythAmanda B Reckondwyth Shipmate
    Only the mice know for sure. :wink:
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