History of St Mary's
More information about the history of St Mary's church is available. Please visit our churches to see our display boards, read our booklets, and find out more.
1st Church: 11-19th century
The present church is the third church built on this site. The Domesday Book, completed in 1086, records that 31 men and their families lived on Portsea island in the Saxon hamlets of Bocheland (Buckland), Copennore (Copnor) and Frodintone (Fratton). The church was known as the ‘Mother Church of Portsea Island’.
In 1164 AD, the Norman lord of the manor, Baldwin de Portsea, informed Henry de Blois, the bishop of Winchester, of a land transfer. In memory of his father, Alexander, He gave the church of St. Mary, together with some land, cattle, sheep and hogs; to the prior and canons of Southwick Priory.
Under the reign of the Tudors, a tower was added to St Mary's. As a settlement grew on the south west corner of the island, a chapel was built and dedicated to St. Thomas. It was run as a dependency of St. Mary’s until the 14th century. This settlement would become the fortified town of Portsmouth.
At the turn of the 19th century, a vicarage was built - it can be seen on the extreme right of the drawing c.1800. Great figures of the 19th century were baptised in St Mary's: Isambard Kingdom Brunel on 1 November 1806 and Charles Dickens on 12 March 1812. The font used then can now be found in St. Alban’s Church, Copnor.
St. Mary’s church remained in a rural environment until the middle of the 19th century, when the dockyard began to develop. As the population around the church began to grow, the need for a larger church became evident. At first a gallery was built in the church. But, in 1843, it was decided that a more drastic change was needed; the church, apart from the Tudor tower, would be rebuilt.
2nd Church: 19th century
Thomas Ellis Owen, the architect who built most of Southsea into a garden suburb (including St Jude's), built the second church of St Mary in the Early English style. This second church proved to be deficient in both light and ventilation. In 1887 it was demolished and the present church was built.
The vicar, Canon Edgar Jacob, was originally going to raise £15,000 to build a new church. But, when an anonymous layman offered to match the parish's fundraising, new plans for the present church were presented to Sir Arthur Blomfield, the diocesan architect. Upon his death on 6th October 1891, it was revealed that William Henry Smith (politician and grandson of the founder, and important business partner, of WH Smith's) was the anonymous layman. He gave £28,000 out of the £44,000 total it cost to build St. Mary’s Church.
The second church was completely demolished and a temporary iron church was erected at the north side of the churchyard.
3rd Church: 19th century - present
The present church is built in the Perpendicular Gothic style. The total external length of the church is 63.2 metres (210 feet) and the tower is 50m high (165 feet) . It is built of concrete faced with flint, with quoins and dressings of Doulton stone.
The church holds a spacious interior, with its hammerbeam roof, large pulpit and grand reredos. The stained glass windows on the north side depict scenes from the Old Testament while those on the south side depict scenes from the New Testament.
The foundation stone was laid by Victoria, Princess Royal, on behalf of Queen Victoria, on 9th August 1887. The church took just over two years to build and was consecrated by the Bishop of Winchester on 20th October 1889.
The church’s Great East Window is composed of many panes, including one featuring Christ in Glory. During the Second World War, this window was blasted out by a bomb dropped in Woodland Street. All the main panes were destroyed except for the one containing the figure of Christ.
In 1927, the Diocese of Portsmouth was created from the Diocese of Winchester. There were many debates about whether St. Mary’s should become a temporary or pro-cathedral for the new diocese. But, owing to its commitment to its mission churches, this was considered unfeasible. Instead, St. Thomas’ Church became Portsmouth Diocese's cathedral.
Mission Churches & Clergy
Canon Jacob’s vision was to build several mission churches around the parish, anchored by St Mary's at its centre. His vision was accomplished with the building of St Barnabas', St Faith’s, St Mary's Mission, St Boniface's, St Stephen’s and St Wilfrid’s.
During the Second World War, the missions of St Barnabas', St Faith’s and St Stephen’s were destroyed by enemy action. St Stephen’s used its church hall as a church but a new mission church was built in Crasswell Street named St Faith’s with St Barnabas in 1957. Due to the financial situation facing the parish in 1961, the missions of St Stephen’s, St Mary’s Mission and St Boniface were closed. Similarly, St Wilfrid's church closed on 20 November 2022; the building found a new use with the Redeemed Christian Church of God.
Many of the vicars of St. Mary’s have become archdeacons and bishops. The most notable of these was Most Rev. Cosmo Gordon Lang, who served as vicar of St Mary's from 1896 to 1901 and went on to become the Archbishop of York in 1908 and then the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1928-1942. Cyril Forster Garbett, vicar of St Mary's from 1909 to 1919, also became the Archbishop of York in 1945.
