St Mary's Church, Portsea

St Mary's Church, Portsea
St Mary's Church, Portsea Location within Hampshire
Coordinates: 50°48′13″N 1°04′35″W / 50.8035°N 1.0764°W / 50.8035; -1.0764
OS grid reference	SU652008
Location	Fratton Road, Portsea, Hampshire, PO1 5PH
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Anglo-Catholic
Website	Parish website
Architecture
Status	Active
Functional status	Parish church
Administration
Diocese	Diocese of Portsmouth
Clergy
Vicar(s)	The Revd Canon Bob White
Priest(s)	Mthr Charlotte Hetherington (Associate Vicar)
Honorary priest(s)	The Revd Terry Carter
Asst Curate(s)	Fr Darcy Chesterfield-Terry
NSM(s)	The Revd Barbara O'Sullivan The Revd Sue Whitelock
Deacon(s)	The Revd Ken Appleford
Laity
Reader(s)	Jenny Stemp
Organist/Director of music	Brian Moles
Parish administrator	Claire Loveridge

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.

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 and is a major landmark in the city. 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 (Lang) and Archbishop of York (Garbett). The building is Grade II* listed and sits in an extensive churchyard.

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. 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.