Highbrook parish was formed from West Hoathly as a separate parish in 1884, today it is a joint incumbency with that parish.
The church was founded owing to the generosity of two sisters from Bavaria, Caroline Ilsemann Weguelin and Frances Sara Kirby. John Kirby was a barrister and came to live with his wife Frances and her sister Caroline in Highbrook in 1857. The family were Lutheran Protestant.
Before the opening of All Saints church, when winter weather was too harsh for people to travel to St Margaret's in West Hoathly, services were held in the old schoolroom in Highbrook by Henry Harris, and ordained minister and school master at Ardingly College. Queen Victoria gave permission for the creation of a separate parish of Highbrook and for the building of a new church on 30th November 1882.
The land was given by Stephenson Clarke of Brook House, in the parish. The two sisters gave £4000 and Stephenson Clarke £2000. The architects were Carpenter and Ingelow of London and the style is Early Decorated. The builder was Mr George Box of Ardingly. The structure is built of sandstone, lined with brick and finished with stucco and was opened by Doctor Durnford, Bishop of Chichester on 15th October 1855. The first incumbent was Henry Harris.
Here is another view taken from the graveyard - I confess to a little cheating with this picture as I used perspective correction to straighten the tower, which has also caused the silver birch to lean a little!
The church tower is unusual in that it houses an electrically driven carillon which can be set to play tunes at certain times in the day. The bell hammers are operated by two rotating spiked barrels, seven tunes being installed on each barrel. The tunes include Men of Harlech, the National Anthem, Home Sweet Home, the Bluebells of Scotland and several hymns. In its present form it is the work of Messrs Gillette & Johnston.
The organ was built to the design and specification of Messrs Morgan & Smith of Hove and was completed in 1927.
Here is a picture taken from the nave looking into the chancel. The east window is by Clayton & Bell as are the windows in the south wall. Sadly the sun was too bright outside for me to take any acceptable photographs of these windows - they are all over exposed; however I did manage the one below from the north wall.
Digital photographs
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