Listed Building: CHURCH OF ST CUTHBERT (1333225)

Church. 1914-15. By E Stanley Hall. Original east end apse was destroyed by bombing, Second World War. The present east end wall is post-war reconstruction. Red and grey brickwork in Flemish bond. Half round red clay roof tiles. STYLE: Byzantine. PLAN: 2 large bay aisled nave, 1 large bay chancel. North-east vestry and organ loft, south-east Lady Chapel, main west porch and south entrance. South bell tower to left of Lady Chapel. Aligned north/south, liturgical east used in this description. EXTERIOR: south face: lower vestibule on far right has a 2-leaf linen-fold boarded door, fanlight with leaded lights recessed within stepped brick opening with round brick arch and dripstone, stepped buttress to left corner. At left corner of aisle and further right to left of tower are 2 double wide buttress walls each pierced with rounded arch and rising out of aisle and terminating at above mid point of the nave. To left and right of central double buttress are 3 leaded light windows, each with recessed brick jambs and sill, flat arch with 4 courses of brick tiles in stretcher bond set under round brick arch with diamond pattern brickwork within tympanum. Decorated brick parapet with stone coping. Round headed brick clerestory windows to nave with recessed brick jambs. Brick tiled band and decorated brick parapet with stone band and coping. To right is the projecting bell tower. Entrance porch with recessed 2-leaf linen fold boarded door, fanlight set under round stepped brick arch. Tower has vertical recessed brick panels rising above nave roof with moulded stone band, recessed diamond pattern brick panels and stone coping. Circular stone top tier to tower with open arcade of short stone columns with rounded arches; at each corner is a diagonal brick buttress. Projecting stone cornice surmounted by pierced stone octagonal turret and lead dome. Left and right returns to tower have two tiers of 2 narrow casements each set under a segmental brick arch. To right of tower is a low flat roofed projecting Lady Chapel with 3 windows, each with leaded lights set within recessed brick panel with brick tiled flat arch, under round brick arch with brick tympanum. Brick parapet and stone coping. Windows flanked by pilaster buttresses. West face: to left and right of nave are clasped pierced buttresses similar to south face but each continuing as a flat pilaster buttress up to roof coping. At centre is a wide recessed brick panel with round arch. Decorated brickwork with tile-slip bands at eaves level and to facing stone gable. 3 recessed clerestory windows with leaded lights each set under round-headed brick arch. Lower projecting vestibule has at centre a brick porch with recessed 2-leaf linen-fold boarded door set under round brick arch with curved stone pediment. Flanking porch are on each side 2 windows similar to aisle. North face: similar to south but with 2-storey vestry and organ loft at east end. East face: at centre is a recessed round-arched brick panel with 3 recessed windows, each set under a round brick arch within recessed panel. Diagonal brickwork to tympanum and below sill is a range of short brick pilasters. INTERIOR: each bay of the north and south arcades has 3 recessed round-headed brick arches supported on 2 central stone columns with cushion capital and base, flanking pilasters set between massive brick piers - each brick pier has round-headed brick arched opening set in recessed brick panek, stone band. Over stone band full width recessed brick panel with round brick arch. Inset are 3 clerestory windows to each bay. Brick barrel vault across nave (north to south) to full width of brick piers with groined plaster ceiling vaults between. 1 bay chancel has north and south arcades similar to nave except that stone columns and pilasters each have a scalloped capital and openings between columns have moulded timber screen infills with, on north side, a door at centre leading to passage, Vestries and organ loft. Organ loft to left opening. Barrel vaulted ceiling with 3 windows on each side cutting through vault. West end has low vestibule with at centre 2 stone columns similar to nave arcade. Main entrance doors and a porch to left (south). East window to chancel has stained glass 1959 by Osmund Caine. (Balfour A: Portsmouth: Highgate Hill, London: 1970-: 73; Lloyd DW: Buildings of Portsmouth and its Environs: Portsmouth: 1974-: 131; The Buildings of England: Pevsner N & Lloyd DW: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight: Harmondsworth: 1967-: 437, 438; Offord J: Churches, Chapels and Places of Worship on Portsea Island: Southsea: 1989-: 27). Selected Sources Books and journals Balfour, A, Portsmouth, (1970), 73 Lloyd, D W , Buildings of Portsmouth and its Environs, (1974), 131 Offord, J , Churches Chapels and Places of Worship on Portsea Island, (1989), 27 Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, (1967), 437,438