St. Agatha's Church, Portsmouth

The Church of Saint Agatha is an example of late Victorian Italianate Romanesque architecture and has earned Grade II* listed status for its historic and aesthetic significance. Built between 1893 and 1895, the church was funded and championed by Father Robert W. R. Dolling-a passionate Anglo-Catholic priest.

The foundation stone was laid in October 1895 by Bishop Bourne of Westminster, and the interior originally featured murals, marble altars, and ornate decorations, although later alterations removed the Lady Chapel in the 1960s. The exterior presents an elegant brick façade, pedimented gable, and sculpted statue of Saint Agatha above the entrance.

Despite suffering wartime damage in 1941-with the destruction of its stained glass and surrounding parish-it astonishingly survived the Blitz and remained in Anglican hands until 1954. After a period serving as a naval store, the site lay derelict until the early 1990s when the Saint Agatha’s Trust restored it for worship. In 1994 it reopened under the Traditional Anglican Communion and from 2012 has served the Catholic Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, blending Anglican tradition with Catholic rites.

Inside, the church continues to inspire. The nave and apsidal sanctuary enclose chapels dedicated to the Sacred Heart and Our Lady, both adorned with marble altars and artwork influenced by Old World masters like Murillo. The addition of a modern free-standing marble altar reflects ongoing adaptation, while richly carved pulpit and restored murals evoke its original lavish design. Notable features include a fine pipe organ and, since 2012, a full ring of eight bells reinstalled in recognition of Saint Agatha’s patronage of bellfounders, yielding a unique link to traditional English campanology.