St Richards in Winchelsea Beach
The Church that started in a garage
Worship
Suspension of Services
Because of the uncertainty of the future of St Richard’s Church there are no services taking place at present. It is possible that some services may take place next year and this page will be updated accordingly. Do contact the Rector for further information.
St Richard’s is a small church, built in the 1960s, providing a friendly, welcoming atmosphere, serving the local community and visitors.
The Rector of Winchelsea serves both St Richard’s Church and St Thomas and conducts baptisms, marriages and funerals at St Richard’s as well as pastoral visiting.
The main outreach into the community is the Fellowship Lunch, held on the last Friday of the month at the Community Hall. This includes an excellent meal followed by a short talk. Donations are invited to support local charities and to meet expenses.
History – The Church in the Garage
It was the sale of agricultural land for housing after the First World War that created the community of Winchelsea Beach.
Seeking a place at the sea, some bought plots and built bungalows while others imported old railway carriages. By the 1930s there were enough residents to encourage local Christians to think about creating a place of worship.
Parts of Winchelsea Beach were in Rye Harbour parish and parts in the parish of Pett, and it was Pett that took the initiative, buying a row of lock-up garages in Dogs Hill Road and converting them into a chapel. Art students from Hastings decorated it, embroidery was designed, a bell hung and an altar made from a concrete slab. It was dedicated to the diocesan patron saint, Richard of Chichester, and services began in the summer of 1935.
History – The New Church
Services at Winchelsea Beach ceased with the wartime evacuation and resumed in 1949, although it was not until Miss C M Biddle became Missioner in Charge in 1955 that all was put on a firmer footing.
The war-damaged chapel, though patched up, was too damp to use in the winter and services were transferred to her house. She was the driving force behind the campaign to raise the funds to buy a new plot of land and build a proper church.
Designed by Duncan Wylson of Rye and built by Padden and Durrant, the new St Richard’s opened in 1962. The original concrete altar was brought from the lock-up garages and an organ from Rochester Cathedral. Rye Harbour parish was not entirely happy with Pett’s claim on the Beach, and a low level dispute rumbled on until 1966 when it was agreed to redraw parish boundaries and combine Winchelsea Beach with Winchelsea, recognising the role that Winchelsea had taken in supporting the building of the new church.
St Richard’s The Future
Unfortunately due to financial pressures the future of our church at Winchelsea beach is in doubt.
In recent years the congregation at St Richard has dwindled and now numbers around six regular worshippers. It is a statutory obligation for us to carry out a full architectural survey on the church every five years (The Quinquennial). Following the most recent report it has emerged that we would need to find between £50,000 and £100,000 to carry out the necessary work. In addition to that there are underlying structural problems relating to the foundations which are likely to continue to cause problems. Bearing all this in mind the PCC have reluctantly voted unanimously to proceed with the proposed closure of the church. A public meeting was held at the Winchelsea beach community Hall on 27 October 2021. Notes from the meeting can be found by clicking here.
At this stage we are still considering the options and any developments will be published on our website, on the Winchelsea town website and anywhere else that is helpful or appropriate.
The PCC and the Rector are committed to maintaining a Christian presence within Winchelsea beach and it is likely that regular services of some kind will be held in another venue. If you would like to discuss this matter please do feel free to contact the Rector revdjonathan@btinternet.com
