St John the Evangelist's Church, St Leonards-on-Sea, Anglican church in St Leonards-on-Sea, England
St John the Evangelist's Church is an Anglican church building in St Leonards-on-Sea with Gothic Revival architecture featuring red brick walls, yellow brick details, and a prominent tower visible from surrounding streets. The structure contains a clearly organized interior space with shaped windows and preserves both earlier and later-added elements in its design.
Arthur Blomfield designed the original structure in 1881, which suffered extensive damage during World War II bombing in 1943. Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel later oversaw reconstruction in the 1950s, incorporating surviving portions of the original tower and west wall into his new design.
The interior displays stained glass windows by Joseph Ledger and a 16th-century painting by Ortolano Ferrarese that together create a sense of artistic intention within the space. Visitors encounter these works while moving through the building, experiencing the different layers of creative expression that shaped the place.
The building is accessible from the street with a large entrance gate through which visitors can enter to explore the interior spaces. The location sits within a residential neighborhood and is reachable by public transport.
The reconstruction demonstrated skill in handling remains, as roughly half of the new design was built upon intact sections from the original structure. This visible blend of old and new makes the place a notable example of how architects engage with damaged buildings.
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