Church Of St Blasius

The Church of St Blasius is a parish church, originally the manor chapel to Shanklin Manor, dating back to the 13th century. It has undergone extensive alterations, with significant additions of a north transept in 1853 and a north-east porch, south transept, south aisle, and south-west vestry in 1859. It is constructed of stone rubble with a tiled roof, topped by a central, shingled, octagonal spire with an iron cross finial.

The church has a roughly cruciform layout, comprising a nave, north aisle, north and south transepts, a north-east porch, and a south-west vestry. The two-bay nave features blocked splayed, trefoliated lancet windows. The single-bay chancel has original, trefoliated lancets on each side. The south transept also retains original trefoliated lancets. The north transept has two renewed trefoliated lancets to the east and an original, trefoliated lancet to the south, and the north gable contains cinquefoil-headed lights. The north aisle has one original, double, cinquefoil-headed light with a hood moulding, complemented by a 19th-century copy. A 19th-century vestry is attached to the west side, featuring two trefoliated lights and a two-centred arched doorway.

Inside, the church has a 19th-century boarded wooden roof with strengthening iron ties to the chancel and south transept. The nave features an Early English pointed arch to the north aisle, alongside a smaller arch directly beside it. A Royal coat of arms is present, along with a 19th-century splayed organ gallery. The north aisle contains a 13th-century stone font with trefoliated ornament, and a fine carved wooden chest from 1512, formerly belonging to Thomas Silkstead, Prior of Winchester. A tablet commemorates Vice-Admiral Henry Hill, decorated with anchor and rope motifs. The chancel includes a pulpit incorporating depictions of four Apostles and the Virgin, small panels dating from approximately 1520-1530, likely Flemish in origin, and a lectern featuring 16th-century fragments. A trefoil-headed piscina with a shelf and trefoil-headed sedilia are also present. A marble wall tablet is dedicated to Sarah Shapleigh Popham, who died in 1808, and features a relief depicting a child ascending to Heaven in prayer. Four basalt floor slabs mark the final resting places of members of the Popham family of Shanklin Manor. Notable visitors to the church have included David Garrick, Longfellow, George Morland the painter, John Wilkes, and Charles Darwin.