FOI request (FOIR-534961013)

St Leonards Parish Church,The Marina

Requested Thu 27 July 2023
Responded Wed 23 August 2023

1. St Leonards Parish Church on the Marina is now closed. Who currently owns and is responsible for the building?

2. Does Hastings Council hold plans, drawings, or any other material of this present church building, built in the early 1950s, that would reveal whether under the nave of the current building there are vaulted graves from the time of the previous church, built in 1834 and destroyed 1944?

3. Does Hastings Council hold any records from the time of the old church's demolition, circa 1947, that reveal what became of memorial plaques and tablets on the then surviving walls which are clearly visible in contemporary photographs?

Response

1. Ownership information about what happens to closed churches can be found on the internet by typing in 'Closed churches - The Church of England'. The Church is now in the care of the Church Commissioners, contact address: Closed Churches Division, Church Commissioners, Church House, Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3AZ.

2. Information on Graves - Hastings Borough Council holds this information. Please see attached document: Extract Critical Information Summary St. Leonards Parish Church prepared by the Statutory Advisory Committee on closed and closing churches advising the Church Commissioners and the Churches Conservation Trust on behalf of the Church Buildings Council dated 29 June 2018.

Please also see planning application records for OA/50/00733 - Re-erection of Church destroyed by enemy action, which includes the original drawings for the new (1950s) church. this can be viewed on our public access search tool available on our website:

https://www.hastings.gov.uk/planning/searching/ using the reference number provided.

The Quinquennial Condition Report by John D. Clarke Architects for the Dioceses of Chichester 2017. P 170-180 Appendix 8 - Original Drawings provides further original drawings for the church - please see attached document.

3. Memorial Plaques - Information not held

Attachments

• FOIR-534961013_FOIR-534961013_2-FOI534961013_(2).pdf
• FOIR-534961013_FOIR-534961013_1-FOI534961013_St_Leonards_Church_Critical_review_extract_Aug_2023_Redacted.pdf