Church of The Good Shepherd

Church of the Good Shepherd, 35-37 Stanley Avenue,

Mile Oak, Portslade, BN41 2WH

The Church of The Good Shepherd Mile Oak in north Portslade, is situated north of the Southern Cross traffic lights on the Old Shoreham Road (A270) via Locks Hill, to South Street turning right into Valley Road and proceed to the end of this road and at the junction at Chalky Road turn left and second right into Stanley Avenue where the Church is situated on the right. At The Good Shepherd there is a car park next to the Church.

The Brighton & Hove Buses routes 1 and 1A stop close by the Church in Chalky Road & Graham Avenue.  These routes connect Portslade and Mile Oak with all parts of the City, across to Whitehawk at the eastern end of the route.

Please click the picture for timetables:               

HISTORY

In the late 19^th century “Mile Oak” an area of north Portslade consisted of very few houses, a Victorian Waterworks and the “Paddocks”. In Edwardian days the Paddocks was a popular tea garden and model farm where race horses were bred and trained and there were also sports facilities catering for tennis, croquet,cricket and football.

The Good Shepherd "Tin Hut", Mile Oak in 1936

 

Between the Wars there was a rapid growth of house building in Mile Oak and the Vicar of St Nicolas, Revd. Ernest Holmes, decided that a mission church should be built. In March 1936 a site in Stanley Avenue was purchased from Mile Oak Estates Limited and a “Tin Hut” donated by the Good Shepherd Mission Church in Dyke Road, Brighton, was erected on this new site. The “Tin Hut” was formerly a cook house and mess room at Shoreham Airport’s First World War Military Camp. The “Tin Hut” consisted of two 50ft by 20ft standard army huts side by side , the north hut the Church and the south hut the Church Hall.

The cost of erecting the “Tin Church” was £437,13s, 11d.  which was entirely raised by the people of Mile Oak. The Church of the Good Shepherd was dedicated by the Bishop of Lewes on the 9th November 1936.

In the 1950’s the “Tin Church’s” roof was replaced and the building's exterior tin walls were refaced.

The Good Shepherd "Tin Hut", Mile Oak in 1959

Christus Rex Church of The Good Shepherd Mile Oak