Description

PORTSMOUTH

SU60SW SIMPSON ROAD, Rudmore 774-1/3/308 Church of St John the Baptist 15/09/75

II

Church, now flats. 1915-16. By JD Coleridge. Converted to 40 flats 1986/87. Timber roof was destroyed by incendiary bombs, Second World War and restored 1951 by Paul Coleridge. Lady Chapel restored 1963 by Arthur Llewellyn-Smith. Red/grey bricks in Flemish bond. Welsh slated roofs. PLAN: 5-bay aisled nave, 1-bay chancel with apsidal sanctuary. Lady Chapel on south side of chancel with vestry on north side. Former entrance on west side of nave with apsidal baptistry at centre. The 1986/87 conversion to flats has maintained the integrity of the original internal elements. EXTERIOR: west face of nave has a low apsidal baptistry with, at centre, a round brick stepped arched window with stepped brick jambs. To left and right is a late C20 door, each set under a flat brick arch and further left and right are 3 tiers of late C20 windows each set under a round brick arch. Stepped buttress to left and right corners of nave. Nave has 3 narrow recessed windows each with stepped brick jambs and round arch, centre window taller than flanking windows. South face: former porch at far left with facing stone coped gable. Round brick arched entrance with late C20 brick infill and window, flanking round-headed brick window openings each with late C20 brick infill and window, 2 tiers of late C20 windows each set under rounded brick arch. Low lean-to roofed aisle between porch and projecting former chapel on right has late C20 tall brick round-headed opening at centre. Roof over opening has been removed exposing the nave columns with late C20 brick wall infills with 3 tiers of late C20 windows, each set under a flat brick arch. To left and right of centre is a late C20 recessed panel with stepped brick round arch, each with late C20 window and two tiers of smaller flanking windows. On far right is the projecting former chapel with stone coped facing gable, corner buttresses and original brick arched window opening with late C20 brick infill, recessed 2-leaf late C20 door and windows. Further right are 3 round brick arched recessed windows. Nave has 6 paired brick round-arched clerestory windows, each pair set within a recessed brick panel. Below each window is a small late C20 window each under a flat brick arch. East face has apsidal sanctuary to chancel with on left and right facing stone coped gable of chapel and vestry. North face is similar to south

face. INTERIOR: arcades to nave have stepped brick piers with plain stone capitals (now preserved within the 1986/87 conversion to flats). Former sanctuary has low open arcade of brick piers with plain stone capitals and rounded brick arches. Semi-dome of apsidal sanctuary has mosaic ceiling depicting Christ on the cross with St Mary and St John the Evangelist. 1935 by Philip Suffolk. Stained glass in former south Chapel 1918-54 by Karl Parsons depicting the Nativity. East window in south wall by Edward Woore. (Lloyd DW: Buildings of Portsmouth and its Environs: Portsmouth: 1974-: 131; The Buildings of England: Pevsner N & Lloyd DW: Hampshire and the Isle of Wight: Harmondsworth: 1967-: 439, 440; Offord J: Churches, Chapels and Places of Worship on Portsea Island: Southsea: 1989-: 39, 40).



Listing NGR: SU6610802158

External Links

• Wikidata Q26666866

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