The site next door to the church originally hosted the Ye Rising Sun Coffee Tavern that opened in 1879. The intent was to discourage people away from ‘the demon drink’. This was funded by the Brodie family who invested so much to improve welfare standards in the area. It closed in 1924 and was a temporary library before becoming a bank.
Christ Church is the third oldest church in the town dating back to 1859. Built on shingle, it took a few years to stabilise the tower. By 1900, its Parish was the most populous in the entire Chichester diocese. The church coordinated much of the welfare work in this poor community through soup kitchens, savings schemes, parish nurses and elementary schools.
The small building in the grounds, also listed, was built to school 100 children. It is now used by the Matthew 25 Mission to help turn around the lives of those going through a bad time.
There is a History Corner in the church that tells more about the building and its historic role in this community.