During the Reformation period the local Catholic community worshiped at Cowdray House. In 1767, Viscount Montagu paid for a Catholic mission in Eastbourne. In 1858, the mission stopped with the ending of the lease on the place of worship. The Church of the Divine Motherhood and St Francis of Assisi replaced another church, St Francis of Assisi Church, which was built from 1868 to 1869. It still exists and was designed by Charles Alban Buckler who also designed St Richard of Chichester Church in Slindon. When the present Church of the Divine Motherhood and St Francis of Assisi was opened, the old church became a restaurant. In 1888, the Sisters of Mercy opened St Margaret's School in the area. In 1891, with the local Catholic population increasing in number, the site for the present church was bought.
