This year’s Friends of St Michael’s Annual Lecture is on Saturday 14 October at 3pm in the church, St Michael and All Angels. £12 on the door (free to Friends).

Over many years the Friends of St Michael’s have hosted an annual lecture. The formula is the same: a lecture, followed by tea and cakes in the splendid surroundings of the church. However, this year the talk has a slightly different slant, and a long title: “Making Gothic Revival Waves: St Michael’s Brighton at the epicentre of revolutionary Anglican medievalism”.

Our speaker, Dr Ayla Lepine, explores the controversies and triumphs of the Gothic Revival and three of its most important figures: William Morris, William Burges and George Frederick Bodley. St Michael’s was a unique opportunity to test bold new ideas that brought together the richness of the Middle Ages. The result is a jewel at the heart of the Anglo-Catholic movement, whose luminosity continues to provide insights into the unique blend of theology and the arts that radically changed the modern Church by looking to a rich medieval past.

This is a chance for you to explore the rich interior of St Michael’s and to view some of the wonderful artefacts: stained glass, woodcarving, embroideries, marble, and ornament. Discover why it is there: an inspiration for both art lovers and Christians.

Ayla Lepine is a specialist in the Victorian Gothic Revival, including the Pre-Raphaelites. She has taught at Yale, the Courtauld, the V & A and she lectures for the Art Fund in London.