Church of St Agatha Portsmouth, England

Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.

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)

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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 Hi