Building MPM1097 - Church of St James, Milton

Anglican Church designed by John Scott. The foundation stone was laid in 1913 and the church consecrated in the same year. The building is in the Gothic style, with a flint and stone exterior and brick and timber interior. A stained glass window, the 'Jesse Tree', designed by Sir Ninian Comper was added at the east end in the 1930s. During the early years of the 20th century St James' was also known as the Bernard Wilson Memorial Church, after a Vicar who had presided at St Mary's during the period 1901-1909.

St James' replaced an earlier church built in 1841. The only remnant of this earlier building is part of the south wall, which now forms the wall between the Vicarage and churchyard. In 1978 one third of the church was separated to form two church halls. Twelve glass panels by Tony Gilliam of Ropley entitled 'The Creation' were placed above the screen of the St Cross Chapel in 2002. [2]

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Until the early C20 Milton was a rural village on the south-east of Portsea Island. A church seating 349 people, designed in the neo-Norman style by AF Livesay, was built here in 1841, but this became too small for the rapidly expanding suburb of Portsmouth and was replaced by the present church in 1911-13. The new church, seating 864, stands to the east of the site of its predecessor. [3]

<1> Offord, J, 1989, Churches, Chapels and Places of Worship on Portsea Island (Bibliographic reference). SPM39.

<2> St James' Church, 2016, St James' Church website (Bibliographic reference). SPM365.

<3> Historic England, The National Heritage List for England (Index). SPM35.