Southern Counties

Chris Tullett

Chris Tullett is the churchwarden of St Bartholomew's in Brighton, a church seen by many as perhaps the most imposing Victorian church in England.

'I've been coming to this church all of my life. The family was residing in the parish since about 1890 and it was the natural place for me to worship. . I was baptised here in 1948, went to the primary and infant school here up to 1959.

The inspiration for coming here, apart from the family heritage of worshipping at the church, was initially due to the inspiration of Father Hutch who was the vicar at the time.

But after that and as I grew up, I naturally became inspired by the nature of the building; the fact that as you enter your attention is immediately drawn to the High Altar and to the mosaics on the high altar and each side of the High Altar which were symbols of the Arts and Crafts Movement of the 1900s but so evocative of one's faith and the demonstration of our Lord enthroned in heaven surrounded by his angels and archangels.

In quieter moments, away from the main services, it's more ideal to sit at the side chapels and probably the most inspirational side chapel in St Bartholomew's in which to sit is the Lady Altar or the silver altar as it's called.

Again, it's from Henry Wilson's Arts and Crafts movement and designs of 1900. It's very unusual. It's somewhat avant garde.  The centrepiece is of the Magi worshipping our Lord so it's got a very Christmassy theme but against it is the Assyrian symbols of all the planets worshipping God.

Because of the nature of the altar, it's called the silver altar; it's beaten silver on copper, it's really a charming place and to sit there, to look at it when you are doing a  church watch, or to sit there during a Low Mass, it's extremely uplifting.