Church Of St Agatha

Church of St Agatha

Church built 1893–1895, designed by J H Ball. Built in the Romanesque Basilica style. Later used as a Ministry of Defence Royal Navy ship's store. The building was restored in 1990 by Hampshire County Council Architects' department for possible future use as an Exhibition and Arts Centre, and was vacant at the time of survey.

The church is constructed of red brick in Flemish bond with red ribbed tiled roofs. The plan consists of a 4-bay nave and 4-bay south aisle with an east apsidal sanctuary and a south-west tower. A south-east apsidal Lady Chapel and south-west vestry were demolished around 1965.

The south face features a tower on the west side with three recessed vertical panels at high level, each containing a round gauged brick arch, a stone cornice and a low recessed top with three louvred openings on each side, topped with a pyramidal roof and finial. To the right of the aisle are two tall narrow casements set under gauged brick round arches with stone sills. A projecting chapel to the right contains three similar shorter windows at a higher level. A mid-20th century wall seals the position of the demolished Lady Chapel. The nave clerestory has four groups of three similar round-headed windows with a group of two at the far right. Below the eaves are spaced stone pads, each with a corbel and short post supporting the roof trusses.

The east face of the nave has a brick apsidal sanctuary with seven clerestory windows, each recessed with a gauged brick round arch, leaded lights and stone sill, topped by a conical lead roof. Both the nave and south aisle have facing gables with projecting brick dentilled parapets. A round-headed window sits at the apex of the nave.

The north face has two flanking stepped buttresses with five shorter intermediate buttresses between them. At the centre are two brick half round-arched openings with glass infill. The clerestory windows match those on the south face.

The west face of the nave has two flanking brick pilasters capped at eaves level. At the centre is a late 20th century two-leaf boarded door under a flat concrete lintel, set within a recessed wide brick panel with a gauged brick round arch. To the left and right is a window, each set under a flat stone arch with brick relieving arch, stone beaked moulded sillband and three long narrow gauged brick indented round-arched windows. The facing gable has a projecting brick stone coped and laced parapet. The west face also has two narrow 20th century casements, each set under a flat stone lintel with roll moulded head and side brackets and a stone band. Three long recessed brick panels, each with a gauged brick rounded head, are present, with the centre recessed panel featuring a moulded stone hood with ornate brackets. Two narrow round-headed windows sit above.

The interior arcades to the 4-bay nave and south aisle feature round stepped brick arches supported on polished granite piers, each with a large finely carved stone foliated capital. The central square pier and responds are faced in alabaster. The north and south clerestory windows on each side have four groups of three windows and a group of two at the east end, each with a round-headed brick arch flanked by stone pilasters with Ionic capitals and recessed shafts. All feature leaded lights.

The east apsidal sanctuary has a decorated rounded arch to the west with sgraffito work by G Heywood M Sumner. This work depicts Christ in Majesty in the semi-dome with a representation of the radiant sun at the top of the dome and texts to the sides. Below are six large medallions including Christian symbols. Along the top part of the apse is a range of seven high-level round-headed clerestory windows. Below is a range of ovals with Christian symbols, and beneath this are seven figures of Evangelists and Prophets.

At the west end is a timber gallery supported on six slim square timber columns with moulded caps and curved supporting brackets. Access to the gallery is by stairs to the right. The nave roof has eleven queen post trusses, each with curved intersection, and a boarded ceiling to the underside of the rafters. The south aisle has a flat boarded ceiling.

The pulpit was designed by J H Ball in 1902 and carved by Hoare of Southsea. It was retrieved from St John's Church, Rudmore.