Listed Building: CHURCH OF ST GEORGE (1387161)

Church. 1754; damaged by bombs Second World War, restored 1952 and 1972. Probably by Nicholas Vass. Red brick with grey headers in England bond. Plain tiled hipped roofs. Aligned north-west/south-east, liturgical east used in this description. STYLE: "New England Colonial". PLAN: 3-bay aisled nave, north-east vestry, main entrance porch and balcony access pavilions at west. EXTERIOR: south face has 2 tiers of 5 wood mullioned and transomed windows with plain glass leaded lights. At ground floor each window is set under a round gauged brick arch with key stone and stone imposts, and on first floor each set under a cambered gauged brick arch with keystone. Projecting brick eaves. To left (west) is a low flat roofed balcony access wing with blinded recessed window opening set under gauged brick round arch with keystone. Brick band and stone coped parapet. West face of nave projects slightly and has 3 tiers of wood windows with brick bands between. At centre is headed window similar to south face. Second and third tiers have 3 similar mullioned windows each set under a gauged brick cambered arch with keystone. Flanking windows to third tier are blinded. Facing stone coped parapet gable broken by wood bell turret with lead roof, gold ball and weather vane. Each side of turret has a round-headed opening with flanking Doric columns. Left and right aisles have sloping stone coped parapets. Projecting from north and south aisles is a low balcony access pavilion, each with similar round-headed window and facing stone coped gable. On inward return to each pavilion is a 6-panelled door with moulded architrave and entablature. The north face is similar to south but with 4 windows to each of the 2 tiers. c1900 entrance projection to left (east). East face partially obscured by later church hall (of no special interest) has at centre Venetian window with plain glass leaded lights, Doric flanking pilasters and entablature, round-headed stone arch to centre with keystone, gauged brick relieving arch, keystoned oculus. On far left and right is a blinded round-arched window opening. INTERIOR: east face has Venetian window with Doric pilasters and entablature with flanking round-headed blind panels and moulded surround set within recessed round-headed panel. Quarter Corinthian column pilasters to left and right of recess with ornate brackets to entablature. 4 large Tuscan columns surround the central space with barrel vaulted ceiling. Balcony to west north and south supported by timber fluted piers set on high pedestals. (Balfour A: Portsmouth: Highgate Hill, London: 1970-: 25; Lloyd DW: Buildings of Portsmouth and its Environs: Portsmouth: 1974-: 17, 18; The Buildings of England: Pevsner N & Lloyd DW: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight: Harmondsworth: 1967-: 438, 439; Offord J: Churches, Chapels & Places of Worship on Portsea Island: Southsea: 1989-: 31, 32, 33). Selected Sources Books and journals Balfour, A, Portsmouth, (1970), 25 Lloyd, D W , Buildings of Portsmouth and its Environs, (1974), 17,18 Offord, J , Churches Chapels and Places of Worship on Portsea Island, (1989), 31,32,33 Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, (1967), 438,439