St John the Evangelist's Church, Burgess Hill

The area now covered by the town of Burgess Hill was, until the mid-19th century, rural common land that straddled the boundary of the parishes of Clayton and Keymer. The area developed as a settlement after the inclosure act for Keymer's part of St John's Common passed on 18 April 1828 was implemented, and the London and Brighton Railway Company opened its line from a temporary terminus at to on 21 September 1841. The line passed through the area of St John's Common and the company opened Burgess Hill railway station on the same day. The railway stimulated residential development and the Keymer Brick and Tile Works, already well-established as Burgess Hill's main industry, was able to…

Thomas Talbot Bury designed St John the Evangelist's parish church in a 13th-century Decorated Gothic style with elements of the Geometrical style. It is built of red brick with large areas of yellow and black brick, and there are stone dressings on parts of the exterior. The brickwork is in Flemish bond, and the roof is tiled. The plan comprises a 3½-bay nave, chancel, clerestory, north and south aisles and transepts, entrance porch to the south and three-stage tower to the northwest, topped by a tall tiled spire. Trefoil windows predominate. The middle and upper stages of the tower have paired lancet windows with trefoils above; the large nave window in the west end has five trefoils.…