History

Originally situated in an area of extreme deprivationtoday it stands proudly alone, the “Cathedral of the car parks” in Portsmouth

Portsmouth

Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

's shopping district. A magnificent building it replaced a much simpler mission church. The church was built due to the inspirational leadership of Father Robert William Radclyffe Dolling

Robert William Radclyffe Dolling

Robert William Radclyffe Dolling was an Anglican divine, known as Father Dolling.-Life:Dolling was born at Magheralin, County Down, and educated at Harrow and Cambridge. From 1878 to 1882 he was warden of one of the houses of the Postmen's League, started by Father Stanton of St. Alban's, Holborn...

, an Irish Anglo-Catholic priest whose social conscience lead him to fight against a range of domestic ills for his impecunious parishioners. At the same time he was able to charm astonishing amounts of money out of the wealthy residents of nearby Old Portsmouth

Old Portsmouth

Old Portsmouth is a district of the city of Portsmouth. It is the area covered by the original town of Portsmouth as planned by Jean de Gisors. It is situated in the south west corner of Portsea Island....

. The formal opening of the church took place on 27 October 1895 with a ceremony involving mass being said at the old mission church followed by a procession to the new church. The inside of the church was equally sumptuous but the intensity of the ritual lead to a row with the Bishop of Winchester . His successor Father Tremenheere continued to beautify the interior until 1914 when another long serving incumbent arrived. Work done during this time included the completion of the murals and the addition of a wooden pulpit. Tremenheere's successor Father C.W Coles was to serve the parish through two world wars until 1954 when the last service was held. For the next 40 years it became a naval store until the Traditional Anglican Communion

Traditional Anglican Communion

The Traditional Anglican Communion is an international communion of churches in the continuing Anglican movement independent of the Anglican Communion and the Archbishop of Canterbury. The TAC upholds the theological doctrines of the Affirmation of St. Louis and an Anglo-Catholic interpretation of...

took it over for a form of worship very similar to that originally provided by Dolling. The church survived this time largely intact although the lady chapel was demolished in 1964. The church is now also used for concerts but faces an uncertain future as its locale is developed as part of the “Northern Quarter” initiative.