St Thomas a Becket
Lewes, Sussex
Open every day, St Thomas is steeped in history, built as a chapel for Cliffe the dedication to St Thomas a Becket suggests the chapel was founded in the late 12th century.
From the 17th century onwards, people in Lewes set up new independent churches. There were frequent disagreements, splits, and reconciliations. These led to the establishment of several new churches including Eastgate Baptist (1784), Jireh (1805) and the Tabernacle (1816), with the last becoming the town’s biggest church by the mid 19th century.
The Tabernacle opened in the High Street on 6 November 1816. It was owned by three prosperous traders who had previously worshipped at Cliffe Chapel, on Chapel Hill. Its establishment was driven by a desire to establish a prestigious chapel to be ‘more spacious, handsome and commodious than any of the chapels at present in use here’. The imposing building (see left) could house upwards of 1,000 worshippers, although the first congregations were much smaller.
In 1901, the Tabernacle’s work with children had become so extensive that a separate ‘Tabernacle Sunday School’ was opened behind the church and backing onto the river: that building is still standing in Railway Lane, next to what is now the Riverside Centre. The rose window of the Good Shepherd from that Sunday School was later incorporated into the apse of the present church building at Prince Edwards Road.
For some 90 years after the Revd Jones, the Tabernacle was served by a succession of ministers. However, by 1954, the congregation had become too small to sustain such a large building. The bold decision was taken to sell it and use the proceeds to build a modern church.
That building is now known as Christ Church, a modern brick building. Above the apse is a stained glass window of The Good Shepherd which was relocated from the Tabernacle.
The main feature is the Christ Church Embroidery, a large three panel embroidery on the theme of God’s creation of the natural world and care for His people. The fabric and stitching depict the town of Lewes and its surrounding countryside and many prominent local buildings.
The church is also decorated with banners from our current and predecessor churches, framed memorials to members who fell in both World Wars, and items from mission partners in Africa and elsewhere.