Building MPM207 - St Mary's Church, Portsea

Anglican church in the Neo-Perpendicular style designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield, built 1887-89. The present church is the third to stand on the site. The first St Mary's was built in the 12th century and is the earliest known church on Portsea Island. In 1843 the medieval church was replaced by a new church designed by Thomas Ellis Owen. Owen's church was subsequently demolished in 1887 to make way for the present church. St Mary's is the mother church of the parish of Portsea.

The first church was built by the de Portsea family in the 12th century, although the exact date is not known [1-3]. In 1170 the church was granted to Southwick Priory by the Lord of the manor, Baldwin de Portsea/Portsesia [2,4] in memory of his father, Alexander [3]. This earlier church had a chancel and a nave with aisles. A bell tower was added to the western end in the 16th century. Later additions included galleries and doormer windows. [1]

The medieval church was demolished in 1843 and replaced by a Neo-Gothic style building designed by Thomas Ellis Owen. The new church could seat around 1000 people. The 16th century bell tower was retained. [1]

The second church was found to be defiecient in light and ventilation and ultimately also proved too small for the congregation [1]. Owen's church and the surviving 16th century bell tower were both demolished in 1887. The present church was designed by the diocesan architect Sir Arthur Blomfield. The foundation stone was laid by Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, Victoria the Princess Royal and German Crown Princess, on the 9th August 1887. A temporary iron church was erected in the churchyard for use while the new church was being constructed. The church was consecrated by the Bishop of Winchester on the 20th October 1889. [3]

The exterior walls are constructed of wrought stonework and flint pebbles from the Daulton quarry in Somerset. Interior walls Ham Hill stone, dado of marble mosaics. Chancel surrounded by Septum of alabaster which originally supported a gilded hammered iron screen, now at the west end of the church. In the sanctuary is a carved oak Triptych depicting Adoration of the Magi flanked by Saints below the great East window with 'The Lord in Glory adored by the Church', above which is a literne vaulted ceiling. Hammerbeam roof above the nave with gilded angels. The 165ft tower was built to support a spire. All of the bells were recast in 1933. This included four bells transferred from the previous church. [1]

The present church was partly funded by the Rt. Hon. William Henry Smith, former First Lord of the Admiralty, who donated more than £28,000 towards the £44,000 building costs [1]. The west window below the tower is a memorial to Smith. [2]

The 165ft high tower contains a peal of eight bells. Recast in 1933, but four date to 1764. Clock by Gillet of Croydon. Several memorial tablets from the old church have been preserved within the new tower. [2]

The font was a gift from the parish Sunday School to the new church. It is made from Staffordshire alabastar and has panels depicting scenes from the Old and New Testaments. [2]

The St Boniface and War Memorial Chapel is named after one of five Mission Churches that were established in the late 19th and early 20th century [1, 2]. The St Boniface Mission opened in 1892 and was closed in 1961 [1, 3]. A window from the former mission depicting the saint is now above the altar in the chapel. The chapel was originally furnished as a memorial to those killed in the First World War [2].

The great Te Deum window showing Our Lord in glory was installed in 1952 to replace the original East window that was destroyed during the Second World War. [2]

A 13th century purbeck coffin that was removed from the medieval church before it's demolition in 1843 is positioned in a reces to the left of the altar where it was placed after being recovered in 1912. [2]

Above the south porch is a Royal Coat of Arms dating to the reign of Queen Anne which had been placed in the original church in 1822 and was repainted in 1954. [2]

The Great East Window depicts Christ in Glory. The original Great East Window was shattered by the blast from a bomb that landed in Woodland Street during the Second World War and all of the lights, except the one containing the figure of Christ, were destroyed. The stained glass windows in the north and south aisles depict scenes from the Old and New Testaments respectively. [3]

Hammerbeam roof. Angels and star-shaped bosses. Interior walls Ham Hill stone above mosaic dado by Burke & Co with quotations from the psalms. Carved work by Earp, Son & Hobbs. Cast iron chancel screen with delicate tracery removed from original position and now set in arch of the West tower. Traceried and buttressed marble base to the former chancel screen remains in situ. Triptych refedos painted and gilded by Buckeridge & Floyce with figures of the saints in two tiers, central Nativity, and Crucifixion under elaborate canopy. Octagonal Ham stone pulpit and elaborately decorative organ screen on north side of chancel to Bloomfield's design 1901. The organ screen is stone with a low segmental arch carrying the organ loft and organ. Southeast chapel screen still in situ. Alabaster font carved with small biblical scenes. Brass eagle lectern by Blomfield. Stained glass in West window memorial to W.H. Smith by Burlison & Grylls 1892. Stained glass windows in the aisles and chancel by Burlison & Grylls 1890-1920, Old and New Testament scenes, Pre-Raphaelite derivative. East window and one in chancel by A.L. Wilkinson, 1952 and 1954. [4, p.469]

The pipe organ was made by J.W. Walker and Sons Ltd in 1889 [2]. Extensive restoration work was carried out by Nicholson and Co Ltd as part of a National Lottery Heritage Fund Project ('The Organ Project' between 2020 and 2023 [5].

The churchyard was closed when Kingston Cemetery was opened in 1856 and the memorials were removed at a later date. A small number of headstones have survived and are positioned in a group by the footpath in the far south-west corner of the churchyard by the pedestrian entrance from Alver Road.

There is a memorial in the churchyard to Admiral Kempenfeldt and the men of the "Royal George" which sunk off Spithead on August 29th, 1781. Six hundred men who were drowned in the "Hero" disaster are buried in the churchyard. [2]

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Church. 1887-9. By Sir Arthur Blomfield. Flint with Bath stone dressings. Plain tile roofs. STYLE: Neo-Perpendicular. PLAN: 6 bay nave and aisles, 2-bay chancel with ambulatory. Lady Chapel to south of chancel (now church hall and kitchen). 2-storey sacristy, organ loft and vestry to north of chancel. West tower, west, north and south porches. EXTERIOR: tower: 4 stages, offset stone buttresses with rusticated quoins and flint infill panels terminating at stage 4 with diamond strip pilasters. South face, 1st stage: stone capped plinth. Lean-to roofed porch with, on left, a 2-leaf boarded door with ornate iron strap hinges set under moulded pointed arch, ogee hoodmould, rusticated jambs. On right are two 3-light Perpendicular style traceried windows, moulded stone pointed arch, ogee hoodmould, rusticated jambs. Flanking diamond strip pilasters. 2nd stage: moulded sillband, similar 2-light traceried window, ogee hoodmould, rusticated jambs. Above window is a clockface with narrow window slot on each side. 3rd stage: moulded sillband and 2 similar 2-light traceried windows. 4th stage: moulded sillband with 2 similar 2-light taller Perpendicular style windows panelled with trefoil headed lights. Embattled parapet, crocketed pinnacle at each corner. West face - 1st stage: high moulded stone plinth. At centre 2 stone steps approach a recessed 2-leaf boarded door set under moulded pointed arch springing off paired colonnettes, ogee hoodmould, moulded stone jambs. Flanking diamond pilasters each terminating with pinnacle above arch level. Traceried stone panels over doorway. Upper stages similar to south face. North face similar to south. Octagonal stairs access turret to left. South facing aisle has on far left a low projecting porch with 2-leaf boarded door, pointed stone arch and jambs similar to west entrance. Stepped offset buttresses each terminating with stone pinnacle, facing stone gable with traceried stone panels. Each left and right return has 3 recessed flint panels. Embattled parapet. To left of porch and to right 3 Perpendicular style 3-light windows, each with hoodmould and rusticated jambs. Flanking stepped buttresses. Moulded stone band and embattled parapet. Nave has 6 paired 2-light Perpendicular style clerestory windows, flanking stepped pilasters each rising to diamond pilaster and crocketed pinnacle. At junction of nave with chancel is an octagonal stairs access turret with at top a Tudor type flat arch and traceried window to each face. Embattled parapet. To right of aisle is the projecting 2-bay Lady Chapel with two 5-light wide Perpendicular style windows with hoodmoulds, rusticated jambs. Flanking stepped buttresses with diagonal buttress to each corner. Embattled parapet. To right of centre buttress is a small projecting porch with 2-leaf boarded door, flat pointed moulded stone arch, lean-to stone slab roof. Similar window on right return. Pedimental embattled parapet. The chancel lower and narrower than the nave with stepped offset buttresses each rising into a crocketed pinnacle has to east face a large 7-light Perpendicular style window with hoodmould. North and south faces have similar 3-light window. Facing shallow pitch parapet gable. Below window sill is a projecting ambulatory passage with boarded door to north and south returns, each set under stone pointed arch with hoodmould. At centre is a 3-light Perpendicular style window with hoodmould. To right of chancel the 2-storey vestry, sacristy and organ loft has Tudor-type flat-arched window, moulded sillband to second floor with 3-light traceried window. North face has aisle, nave and chancel windows all similar to south face. To right of north aisle within the 5th bay is a projecting porch with 2-leaf boarded door with ornate iron strap hinges set under moulded stone pointed arch with rusticated jambs. Flanking panelled pilasters, stone parapet. At far left (east) the 2-storey vestry, chapel and organ loft with diagonal stepped buttresses and stone capped plinth has 4-light Perpendicular style window set under 3 centred arch. Second floor stone sillband and 3 long narrow lancet traceried windows, each with hoodmould. Facing gable with stone parapet, gargoyle at each corner. Stone stack on left. INTERIOR: lofty open interior. Nave arcades have octagonal stone piers, capitals with castellated tops, moulded pointed arches, rolled hoodmoulds with small ogees above arches rising as shafts up to the roof corbels. Similar shafts rise from corbels between springing of arches. Coved hammer beam roof, gilded angels support hammer off stone corbels which continues over part of the chancel as a timber barrel vault. The north chapel opening has wide 3-centred stone moulded arch with carved foliated spandrels, moulded cornice with carved bosses. Above is the delicately carved oak organ case with trefoil headed panels. Behind organ case are 2 tall 3-light wide stone traceried open screens. Chancel sanctuary opening with moulded stepped intrados to pointed arch, flanking colonnettes. To left face of chancel arch is a doorway leading to the vestry, organ loft and ambulatory passage. Within right face of arch is doorway to Lady Chapel. At east end of chancel is an ornate wood panelled and traceried reredos set against panelled wall surface with large arched rib intersecting the panel pattern. Above is the 7-light Perpendicular style window with stained glass. To north of chancel are 2 recessed panelled wall surfaces traceried and set under moulded pointed arch with hoodmould. Lower part of north side right-hand panel has opening set under flat pointed stone arch. Upper tier with moulded stone band has on right a Perpendicular style window and on left panelled wall surface with similar rib tracery pattern as window. Window and wall panels are flanked by colonnettes from which spring the Lierne vaulted ceiling with carved bosses at rib intersections. South face has similar window and wall panels. Vestibule at west end with doors leading to north and south porches. Main west entrance door and 4-light window with stained glass. Engaged column at each corner of vestibule from which spring the vaulted ceiling. 2-leaf door to nave set under stone pointed arch springing from flanking pilasters. West face on nave side has recessed panels and pilasters. STAINED GLASS to aisle window by Burlison and Grylls c1890-1920. FITTINGS: delicate cast-iron chapel screens. Wide octagonal stone pulpit with sub-structure embellished by miniature vaulting. MONUMENT: cartouche in north porch to Thomas Bowerbane 1761. HISTORY: the original medieval church survived until 1843 when it was replaced by a church designed by TE Owen. This was demolished in 1887 and replaced by the present Church. The foundation stone was laid by Queen Victoria's eldest daughter Empress Frederick of Prussia on 9 August 1887. (Balfour A: Portsmouth: Highgate Hill, London N19: 1970-: 60, 61; Lloyd DW: Buildings of Portsmouth and its Environs: Portsmouth: 1974-: 128; The Buildings of England: Pevsner N & Lloyd DW: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight: Harmondsworth: 1973-: 441, 442; The Portsmouth Papers: Hubbuck R: Portsmouth: 1969-: 12, 13, 14; Offord J: Churches, Chapels and Places of Worship on Portsea Island: Southsea: 1989-: 57).

[6]

Portsmouth City Council, n/a, Portsmouth City SMR Cards, SU60SE35 (Index). SPM1.

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

<2> Portsea Parish, 2025, The History of Portsea Parish (Bibliographic reference). SPM673.

<3> 2025, St Mary's Portsea Website (Bibliographic reference). SPM672.

<4> O'Brien, Bailey, Pevsner, Lloyd, 2018, The Buildings of England Hampshire: South (Bibliographic reference). SPM585.

<5> The Organ Project, 2025, The Organ Project (Bibliographic reference). SPM674.

<6> Historic England, The National Heritage List for England (Index). SPM35.