Description

PORTSMOUTH

SU6400NW MARKET WAY, Landport
774-1/19/272 (South East side)
30/10/69 Church of St Agatha
(Formerly Listed as:
CHARLOTTE STREET
St Agatha's Church)

II*

Church, later MOD (Royal Navy) ship's store, vacant at time of
survey. 1893-1895. By JH Ball. From 1995 converted to store,
restored 1990 by Hampshire County Council Architects'
department for possible future use as an Exhibition and Arts
Centre. Red brick in Flemish bond. Red ribbed tiled roofs.
STYLE: Romanesque Basilica.
PLAN: 4-bay nave and 4-bay south aisle, east apsidal
sanctuary, tower at south-west (south-east apsidal Lady Chapel
and south-west vestry demolished c1965).
EXTERIOR: south face has tower on left (west) with at high
level 3 recessed vertical panels, each with round gauged brick
arch, stone cornice and low recessed top with on each side 3
louvred openings, pyramidal roof with finial. To far right of
aisle are 2 tall narrow casements, each set under a gauged
brick round arch with stone sill. Projecting chapel to right
has 3 similar shorter windows at higher level. Further right
mid C20 wall sealing position of demolished Lady Chapel. Nave
clerestory with 4 groups of 3 similar round-headed windows
with group of 2 at far right. Below eaves are spaced stone
pads each with corbel and short post supporting roof trusses.
East face of nave has brick apsidal sanctuary with 7
clerestory windows each recessed with gauged brick round arch,
leaded lights and stone sill. Conical lead roof. Nave and
south aisle each have facing gable with projecting brick
dentilled parapet. Round headed window at apex of nave.
North face has 2 flanking stepped buttresses with 5 shorter
intermediate buttresses. At centre are 2 brick half
round-arched openings with glass infill. Clerestory windows
similar to south face. West face of nave has 2 flanking brick
pilasters capped at eaves level. At centre is a late C20
2-leaf boarded door under a flat concrete lintel set within a
recessed wide brick panel with gauged brick round arch. To
left and right is a window, each set under a flat stone arch
with brick relieving arch, stone beaked moulded sillband and 3
long narrow gauged brick indented round-arched windows. Facing
gable with projecting brick stone coped and laced parapet.
West face has 2 narrow C20 casements, each set under a flat

stone lintel with roll moulded head and side brackets, stone
band. 3 long recessed brick panels, each with gauged brick
rounded head. Centre recessed panel has moulded stone hood
with ornate brackets. 2 narrow round-headed windows over.
INTERIOR: arcades to 4-bay nave and south aisle have round
stepped brick arches supported on polished granite piers each
with large finely carved stone foliated capital, central
square pier and responds are similar but faced in alabaster.
North and south clerestory windows each side with 4 groups of
3 windows and group of 2 at east end, each with round-headed
brick arch, flanking stone pilasters with Ionic capitals and
recessed shafts. Leaded lights. East apsidal Sanctuary with
decorated rounded arch to west has Sgraffito work by G Heywood
M Sumner. This work depicts at top Christ in Majesty in the
semi-dome with a representation of the radiant sun in the top
of the dome and texts to the sides. Below are 6 large
medallions including Christian symbols. Along top part of apse
is a range of 7 high level round-headed clerestory windows.
Below is a range of Ovals with Christian symbols and below
this 7 figures of Evangelists and Prophets. At west end is a
timber gallery supported on 6 slim square timber columns with
moulded caps and curved supporting brackets. Stairs access to
right. Nave roof has 11 queen post trusses each with curved
intersection, boarded ceiling to underside of rafters. South
aisle has flat boarded ceiling.
FITTINGS: Pulpit designed by JH Ball 1902 and carved by Hoare
of Southsea. (Retrieved from St John's Church, Rudmore).
(Balfour A: Portsmouth: Highgate Hill, London: 1970-: 61, 62;
Lloyd DW: Buildings of Portsmouth and its Environs:
Portsmouth: 1974-: 130, 131; The Buildings of England: Pevsner
N & Lloyd DW: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight: Harmondsworth:
1967-: 432, 433, 434; Offord J: Churches, Chapels and Places
of Worship on Portsea Island: Southsea: 1989-: 7, 9, 10, 11).

Listing NGR: SU6448001459

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St Agatha's, Landport at Wikipedia
• St Agatha's, Landport official website
• Wikidata Q7592221

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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