Royal Garrison Church

Details

SZ6399
774-1/12/1


PORTSMOUTH
GRAND PARADE
Royal Garrison Church


II
Hospital and chapel (Domus Dei), now church. Founded by Bishop Peter des Roches c1212, extensively restored 1886-88 by GE Street. Coursed rubble stone with ashlar dressings. Plain tiled roofs to chancel, chantry and vestry, aisles re-roofed with slate 1994-5; nave has been roofless since being destroyed by bombing during Second World War.

STYLE: Early English.

PLAN: Five-bay aisled nave, south and west entrance porches. Three-bay chancel, north-east chantry, vestry and organ loft.

EXTERIOR: north face has aisle with five two-light stone window surrounds. Each paired light with lancet head set under pointed stone arch, flanking stepped stone buttresses offset at corners. Chancel has to left and right a similar tall three-light stone window with pointed arch, rusticated jambs. The organ loft projects in front of chancel centre bay with steep facing gable. Further projection in front is a three-bay chantry and vestry with three short two-light lancet headed windows, each set under a stone pointed arch. Right return to chantry has a similar but longer two-light window and facing stone coped gable. To rear at junction with chancel is a large stepped stone stack. West face has a projecting porch with stepped stone opening and pointed arch, facing gable. Flanking stepped stone buttress to left and right and to corners. Over porch is a large four-light stone window, each light with lancet arch and the whole set under a pointed stone arch with coursed rubble infill to tympanum. Small narrow three-light slots below apex, each with lancet arch. Steep facing gable. South face has to far left corners of aisle offset stepped buttresses. To right is a projecting porch with facing stone coped gable; stepped opening with pointed arch and stone band at springer level. Four windows to right are similar to those on north face. Low projecting stonework to right of porch with lean-to stone coping. Projection raised at right hand corner of aisle with small narrow lancet window. Further right at junction of aisle with chancel is a stone octagonal stairs turret with spire and two small lancet headed slots. Chancel has three similar windows to north face with flanking stepped buttresses, right corner buttress is offset. Below central window is a small boarded door with ornate iron straps set under pointed arch. Projecting stone eaves with corbelled brackets. East face of chancel has three tall cusped headed stone windows each set under lancet arch, flanking stepped buttresses. Steep facing stone coped gable. On right is a recessed C20 addition adjacent to vestry at abutment with organ loft. Vestry projects with three lancet headed stone windows and cusped oculus.

INTERIOR: Five bay aisled nave. (Nave and aisles damaged by bombing, Second World War. Glass panes to windows missing and structure is roofless. Restoration works commenced 1994). North and south arcades have stone octagonal columns, each with moulded capital and base, pointed stone arches with label moulding. Entrance porches to west and south-west bay. To east is a pointed chancel arch. Chancel has three vaulted bays, quadripartite with hollowed cross ribs and centre keel moulding to each bay. Vaulting springs from three clustered columns, each with moulded capital and shaft descending to moulded stone string course at sill level with foliage patterned corbel. South side of chancel has boarded door to left and below central window set under stone segmental inner arch. To left is a three-bay niche, each bay with short stone columns and cusped head with label. Further left is a similar niche but with pointed arches. On north side is a wide opening with pointed stone arch leading to organ loft and access to chantry and chaplain's vestry. East end has three long and narrow cusped headed windows set behind flanking attached columns, each with pointed arch. Central window longer than flanking windows. East chancel bay has decorative patterned tiling up to sill level.

STAINED GLASS: chancel has 1959 stained glass to east windows, by Carl Edwards depicting biblical figures. North windows stained glass 1904 and 1987 by Harold Thomas depicting Second World War 8th Army and Royal Artillery. South windows stained glass 1967 and 1970 by Farrah Bell depicting the history of the church.

(Balfour A: Portsmouth: Highgate Hill, London: 1970: 13; Lloyd DW: Buildings of Portsmouth and its Environs: Portsmouth: 1974: 12; The Buildings of England: Pevsner N & Lloyd DW: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight: Harmondsworth: 1967: 404, 405, 406, 407; Offord J: Churches, Chapels and Places of Worship on Portsea Island: Southsea: 1989: 28).

Listing NGR: SZ6319399229

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

474638

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Lloyd, D W, Buildings of Portsmouth and its Environs, (1974), 12
Balfour, A, Portsmouth, (1970), 13
Offord, J, Churches Chapels and Places of Worship on Portsea Island, (1989), 28
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, (1967), 404-407

End of official list entry

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