A thousand years ago the little wooden Saxon church of St. Michael stood at the centre of the tiny village settlement of Burne, 1 ½ miles inland from the sea, at the foot of the Downs, near the source of the Bourne stream. The earliest known date when a priest ministered there is 1054, but the building probably existed long before then. 
  
From 1130 onwards the wooden church gave place to the large Norman Church dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin The Parish Church of East­bourne, as it still stands at the centre of Old Town, with the Lamb Inn nearby.   
In this early period the ancient Parish Churches of St. Mary, WESTHAM (1080), St. Nicolas, PEVENSEY (1200) and St. Mary, WILLINGDON (early 13th century) were also built. So English church history flourished through­out seven or eight centuries in these local villages, disturbed only by the various upheavals of historical events plagues, the Reformation, Cromwell, and the threat of Napoleonic invasion.   
In the 19th century we saw the gradual expansion of Eastbourne The Meads, The Grove, Southbourne, the Sea Houses, the railway and Terminus Road until Eastbourne became the popular seaside resort it is today.   
Expansion of the town brought the need for new churches and chapels of all denominations. The first Victorian Anglican church to be built in the fields near the sea, as a chapel-of-ease to the parish church, was Holy Trinity (1847). Christ Church, Seaside, followed (1859) to meet the needs of the poor people of that area, quickly followed by: St. Saviour’s, South Street (1867); St. John’s, Meads (1867)[Damaged by enemy action during the last War, and restored] All Saints, Carlisle Road (1879) [Damaged by fire in 1926, and rebuilt] All Souls, Susans Road (1881).  All the above churches are at least 100 years old   
Two other Anglican churches were built towards the end of the 19th century: St. Anne’s, St. Anne’s Road (1883) [Destroyed by enemy action during the last War, and later demolished] St. Peter’s, Granville Road (1896) [Declared redundant in the 1970s, and demolished]  Anglican church building continued into this century, as follows: St.Philip’s, Whitley Road (1905) St. Michael’s, Willingdon Road (1911); StAndrew’s, Seaside (1914); St. George’s, Dacre Road (1916) [Declared re­dundant and demolished in 1976] St. Elizabeth’s, Victoria Drive (l936): St. Richard’s, Langney (1950); and, to meet the needs of developing areas, St. Mary’s, Hampden Park and St. Peter’s, The Hydneye. OUR LADY OF RANSOM 
the church was built in 1901 and is in late decorated style of Gothic architecture. It is built in Bath stone and the architect was Frederick A. Walters who designed Buckfast Abbey. It stands opposite the Town Hall at the junction of five busy roads. Inside it is a quiet and prayerful church and is seldom without a few people worshipping. 
  
The church has a number of fine stained glass windows, a 19th century Italian tapestry altar frontal, a more than life size crucifix, a Lady Chapel rich in coloured carving and an altar and reredos of the finest carved marble. It is a church in which you should feel welcome and at home