St Mary's Church, Portsea

St Mary's Church, Portsea, stands on the oldest church site on Portsea Island, Hampshire, England, with a history stretching back to the 11th century. Archaeological research indicates that there was a church here in 650, although 1170 is the earliest date in recorded history.[1]

St Mary's Church, Portsea
The church from the south
St Mary's Church, Portsea
Location within Hampshire
OS grid referenceSU652008
LocationFratton Road, Portsea, Hampshire, PO1 5PA
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
ChurchmanshipAnglo-Catholic
Websiteportseaparish.co.uk
History
StatusActive
Founded650 AD
Architecture
Functional statusParish church
Architect(s)Arthur Blomfield
StyleVictorian Gothic
Specifications
CapacityDesigned to hold 2000, with a normal seating capacity of 650
Spire height180ft
MaterialsDoulton Stone
Bells8
Administration
ParishThe Parish of St Mary's, Portsea
DeaneryThe Deanery of Portsmouth
ArchdeaconryThe Archdeaconry of Portsdown
Episcopal areaThe Diocese of Portsmouth
DioceseDiocese of Portsmouth
Clergy
Bishop(s)Christopher Foster
Vicar(s)Bob White
Priest(s)Sam Cullen
Honorary priest(s)Charlotte Hetherington
Bruce Carpenter
Francis Gates
Gile Harris-Evans
Jenny Wiltshire
Asst Curate(s)Sue Whitelock
Marcus Collie
Laity
Reader(s)Jenny Stemp
Fi Rosen
Organist/Director of musicBrian Moles
Organist(s)Matthew Dixon
Organ scholarAidan House
VergerRosie Francis
Parish administratorClaire Loveridge
Maggie Moles

History

Throughout its history the church has played an important role in the life of the island, especially for the local communities of Fratton, Landport and Buckland. The current church was built in the 1880s to a design by Arthur Blomfield.[2] The reredos above the altar is by C E Buckeridge.[3][4] The church is a major landmark in the city and its tower can be clearly seen rising above the surrounding terraces. The church was built with the support of W. H. Smith, then the First Lord of the Admiralty, to serve the needs of the city and to be an inspiration to all who saw it. The building is a notable example of its era and contains many fine pieces, especially the Walker organ designed for the church. The organ has been described by a contemporary expert as being of "national importance". In addition to building the parish church, a number of other buildings, institutes and mission halls were built to serve all who lived and worked in this area of the city, especially those struggling in what was a deprived area. The history of this period is nationally known and St Mary's holds a place in folk lore, particularly as two vicars at the start of the 20th century went on to become Archbishop of Canterbury (Cosmo Lang) and Archbishop of York (Cyril Garbett). The building is Grade II* listed and sits in an extensive churchyard.

Present

While many things have developed in the city around it, St Mary's continues to be a landmark and a place held in the affections of many who live and work in the city. It has witnessed hundreds of marriages over the years, as well as having touched many people's lives through its various mission churches, institutions, clubs, groups and choir. Many regard it as "their" church even though they have long moved out of the geographical parish. The parish itself continues to have "areas of deprivation" covering a large part of Charles Dickens Ward and including the Landport SRB area of need. In recent times the church has also developed as a place for concerts and is used regularly by the Portsmouth Choral Union, the Portsmouth Festival Choir and the Royal Marine School of Music. The building offers good acoustics, onsite parking for a large number of cars and seating for 600 people in one large open space. The churchyard is leased to the city council and is used as a large park area by many people in the midst of a densely populated area. In addition, on the May Bank Holiday, the churchyard is the site of the May Fayre, a large event for the whole community run by the church. Regular features of the May Fayre include an arena for performers such as Morris dancers, a beer tent, and stalls from a variety of businesses selling hand-crafted goods and much homemade food. The present church council and congregation are keen to honour the vision and ethos of the builders of the church 120 years ago and ensure it both remains a landmark, serves the needs of the local community and city and seeks to inspire all who visit it. The parish has successfully completed a major renovation and restoration of the main body of the church and in particular the roofs - raising some £1million in grants and funds. It now wishes to move from the work of simple restoration and look at how it can further develop the building and its site so that it continues into the 21st century to fulfil the vision of its builders and to honour the Christian presence in this place for 1,000 years.

Organ

The organ of St Mary's Portsea is an integral part of Canon Edgar Jacob's grand vision for "a mother church of Portsea Island ... (standing as) a beacon to the city of Portsmouth."[5] In 1888 plans for an organ to match the scope and scale of the new building were drawn up. The firm of J. W. Walker were selected to provide a new instrument for the building with George Martin, organist of St Paul's Cathedral, acting as consultant. Plans were made for a grand four manual instrument, but funds were scarce. The result was a three manual instrument of thirty-eight speaking stops, albeit with a four manual console (the redundant manual was for many years used as a bookshelf), which was completed in October 1892. The church architect, R. A. Blomfield, had designed an organ case, but this was not installed for another nine years.[6]

The Organ Project

In August 2018, the Organ Project submitted an application for funding to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and received £32,100 to help restore the Organ to its former state. This involves reverting the pitch back to 449.9Hz, reconstructing the console to match the original J.W. Walker style, cleaning and correcting the pipes, and cleaning and waxing the casework. The Organ Project also has a 6-point plan on how to explore and interpret the organ's heritage: looking at the science of heritage, the art of heritage and the history of heritage (including the Boer War, connecting heritage history, restoring and securing heritage, and sharing and celebrating heritage. In April 2020, The Organ Project Committee was pleased to announce the success of a second round of applications, securing £764,000 of Lottery Funding. To find out more, you can visit the Organ project's website.

Notable clergy
  • George Chase, MC; served his curacy here, later Master of Selwyn College, Cambridge and Bishop of Ripon[7]
  • Frank Woods; served his curacy here from 1931 to 1933, later Archbishop of Melbourne and Anglican Primate of Australia[8]
  • Kenneth Riches; served his curacy here from 1932 to 1935, later Bishop of Lincoln[9]
  • Edwin Curtis; assistant curate from 1944 to 1947, later Archbishop of the Indian Ocean[10]
  • John Lang; served his curacy here 1952 to 1957, later Dean of Lichfield[11]
  • Roger Royle; served his curacy here from 1962 to 1965, later presented Sunday Half Hour on BBC Radio 2[12]
  • Andrew Ballard; assistant curate from 1972 to 1976, later Archdeacon of Rochdale and Archdeacon of Manchester[13]
  • Christopher Chessun; assistant curate from 1987 to 1989, later Bishop of Southwark[14]
  • Mark Steadman; served his curacy here from 2002 to 2005, later Archdeacon of Stow and Lindsey[15]
  • Hugh Ashdown curate at St Mary's, Provost of Southwark Cathedral from 1948 to 1957 then Bishop of Newcastle to 1972[16]
  • Tubby Clayton curate at St Mary's 1910 to 1915, founder of Toc H[17]
  • Frederick Hawkes served curacy at St Mary's, Bishop of KIngston 1927 to 1952[18]
  • Anthony Hoskyns-Abrahall served curacy at St Mary's, Bishop of Lancaster 1955 to 1975[19]
  • Maurice Key served curacy at St Mary's Bishop of Sherborne then Truro[20]
  • Bill Lash served curacy at St Mary's, Bishop of Bombay from 1947 to 1961[20]
  • Geoffrey Lunt served curacy at St Mary's Bishop of Ripon then Salisbury[21]
  • Christopher Robinson served curacy at St Mary's, Bishop of Lucknow then Bombay[22]
  • Charles Schofield served curacy at St Mary's, Bishop of British Columbia 1916-1936[23]

List of vicars

The following priests have been Vicar of St Mary's:[24]

  • Lectern
  • Font
  • Pulpit

See also

References
  1. "Portsmouth in the past" Gates,W.G p77: East Ardsley, SRP, 1972 ISBN 0854097449
  2. "The Buildings of England: Hampshire" Pevsner,N; Lloyd, D.. p. 441: Harmondsworth, Penguin, 1973 ISBN 0140710329
  3. "The Recent Sacrilege at Kingston Church". Portsmouth Evening News. 8 October 1894. p. 3.
  4. "The New Church". Portsmouth Evening News. 10 October 1889. p. 2,3.
  5. "The Portsmouth Papers: Portsea Island Churches" Lubbock, R., p. 12: Portsmouth, Portsmouth City Council, 1969.
  6. Details of the organ on the National Pipe Organ Register
  7. "Chase, George Armitage". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com. 1920–2016 (April 2014 online ed.). A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. Retrieved 28 April 2019. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
  8. "Frank Woods". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  9. "Kenneth Riches". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  10. "Ernest Edwin Curtis". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  11. "John Harley Lang". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  12. "ROYLE, Rev. Canon Roger Michael". Who's Who 2016. Oxford University Press. November 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  13. "Andrew Edgar Ballard". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  14. "Christopher Thomas James Chessun". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  15. "Mark John Steadman". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  16. Who's Who London A&C Black1970 ISBN 0-7136-1140-5
  17. The Rev P. T. B. Clayton. The Times (London, England), Tuesday, Dec 19, 1972; pg. 18; Issue 58660
  18. “Who was Who” 1897-1990 London, A & C Black, 1991 ISBN 0-7136-3457-X
  19. "Hoskyns-Abrahall, Anthony Leigh Egerton". Who's Who. ukwhoswho.com. 1920–2016 (April 2014 online ed.). A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc. Retrieved 25 January 2017. (subscription or UK public library membership required)
  20. The Rt Rev J. M. Key (Obituaries) The Times, Saturday, 29 Dec 1984; pg. 8; Issue 62023; col G
  21. The Times, Saturday, 18 December 1948; p. 6; Issue 51258; col G Obituary Bishop Of Salisbury
  22. 'Priests and Prelates: The Daily Telegraph Clerical Obituaries' - The Right Reverend Christopher Robinson Beeson, T pp21-22: London; Continuum; 2002 ISBN 0826463371
  23. "Ecclesiastical News New Bishop to replace Dr Schofield". The Times (47430). 18 July 1936. p. 8, col. F.
  24. "The Benefice of Portsea (St Mary) (St Faith and St Barnabas) (St Wilfrid)". Crockford's Clerical Directory. Church House Publishing. 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  25. 'Cyril Forster Garbett, Archbishop of York: a biography' Smyth, Charles Hugh Egerton: London; Hodder & Stoughton; 1959
  26. National Library of Wales
  27. "Portsea Parish Magazine" December 1956 p2 Vicar's welcome
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