History

St George's is a small, friendly Church built to serve the needs of the community of Broad Oak. It was dedicated by the Bishop of Lewes, the Rt. Rev. G H Warde MA on 30th July 1959.

Church services had been taking place in Broad Oak for a number of years in the infant school on the corner of School Hill, now Scotsford Road. In 1942, services subsequently moved to a wooden bungalow also in School Hill, when the Broad Oak church committee secretary and owner Mr. Pickering, offered its use as a semi-permanent place of worship. 

Minutes at the time stated that "offertories should accumulate enough fund to be used eventually in helping provide a church in Broad Oak".

In May 1942 the vicar Rev. W D Matthews, announced that an option had been taken to purchase a piece of land in Broad Oak as a site for the church, which one day he hoped to see built. However the purchase and building could not take place until after the war.

Eventually two plots of land were purchased and a third donated by a Broad Oak parishioner which was earmarked for a Deacon’s house, once the church had been built. These plots were let as allotments while fund raising continued. However the Broad Oak church fund took a set-back in 1947 when monies were diverted to pay parish expenses.

In about 1957 following problems with the continued use of the Bungalow church and a donation of £1000 from the Hissock family, Mr John Tallant drew-up preliminary plans for a church on the present site and gained Diocesan Arts Council and local authority approval.

Further funds came from the Diocese who had sold a site in Eastbourne, the proceeds producing enough money for two new churches, with the residue being given to the Broad Oak church fund. The architect Mr WS Newman of Lewis with the help of the building committee, comprising members of Broad Oak church committee, set up an appeal to raise the balance required. A letter addressed to all the residents in Broad Oak resulted in good support from the community, including people who never came to church.

William Ellis Ltd of Etchingham were the successful builders, but their price did not include work to the site, so voluntary labour by the local Toc H branch along with church members prepared the site and constructed the car park.

The church was completed and dedicated in 1959, being formally named St. George’s. A magnificent painting of the Crucifixion above the altar was completed by Mordant Mauleverer Parker who was a licenced reader of St George's for many years.

The church was extended with the building of the parish room in 1981, again using money raised by the St George's committee. The parish room continues to be well used by a number of organisations. 

A video of the building of St. Georges and its dedication can be found here.