St. John's Church, Portland

St John's Church situated prominently in Fortuneswell.

St. John's Church (also known as St John the Baptist Church) is a 19th-century Anglian church, located in Fortuneswell village, on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. It was built between 1838-40 and has been a Listed Grade II building since January 1951.[1] The churchyard walls, gate piers, railings, and steps of St. John's Church, dating from 1839–40, became Grade II Listed in September 1978.[2] At this same time, two headstone monuments, about 5 metres north east from the west tower of the church became Grade II Listed.[3]

According to Stuart Morris' book Portland Camera, the early vicars were both colourful and controversial characters. The church remains active to date, as part of the Portland Parish - a host of three churches; St John's Church (St John the Baptist), All Saints Church and the Avalanche Memorial Church (St Andrew's Church).[4][5]

History

St John's Church
The tower of St John's Church.

After St. Andrew's Church, Portland's first parish church at Church Ope Cove, became too unstable and in a state of disrepair, St George's Church was built between 1754 and 1766 to replace it. It was situated at Reforne in Easton, as a central point for the entire island. However by the 1830s the church had becoming increasingly impractical for the expanding Underhill population. It was decided to built a new church for the Underhill community within the centre of Fortuneswell, and funding started for the church with the anonymous donation of £1500.[6]

The foundation stone of St John's Church was laid on 1 July 1839, by the Portland governor Captain Charles August Manning. The event attracted approximately 3000 onlookers. The builder John Hancock of Weymouth completed the church within 15 months, despite a considerable set-back when the church scaffolding collapsed at one point during construction. The church was consecrated on 5 September 1840, and the vicar, Rev Henry Jenour, soon organised a celebratory feast for Hancock's 70 labourers.[6] In 1865 the Underhill district had become a parish in its own right, and so St John's officially became the parish church.[7]

During the 19th-century Portland saw a massive expansion within its population, directly due to the labour-demanding projects of building Portland's harbour breakwaters and the defensive Verne Citadel. As such many new constructions were erected within Portland's villages and settlements. One local builder John Petten had built the large Methodist chapel in Fortuneswell in 1869. In 1871 he was contracted to build the major extensions of St John's Church.[8]

The church's Rev Jenour was credited with the establishment of Underhill's first C of E Church and St John's School. St John's School had been built for 500 children in 1857.[7] Beforehand Maister's School had been Portland's first and only free day school for over a hundred years since its establishment in 1720. The building of St John's School, along with St George's School in Reforne, changed this situation. However as the vicar aged his unconventional ways and sermons in the church had become increasingly amusing to the church-goers. With his death at the age of 81, in 1874, the church had been allowed to fall into a poor condition. However the following Rev T. A. Ottley from Radipole successfully brought new life to the parish, and in 1876, the church was renovated and enlarged, including the addition of a chancel and organ chamber by George Crickmay.[7]

However the arrival of Ottley triggered a feud with the rector of St George's Church; Rev J. Augustine Beazor. This situation added to the traditional rift between the Portland communities of Tophill and Underhill. Beazor had criticised Ottley for permitting Tophill couples to marry at St John's Church. Eventually this matter was taken to the Bishop of Salisbury, and the outcome was judged in Ottley's favour.[9] However the feud became considerably more serious in 1883. Rev Ottley's wife disclosed to Rev Beazor that her husband was having an affair with his 17 year old housekeeper. With this Rev Beazor quickly alerted the church authorities to the accusations against Rev Ottley's. The case was taken to a court at the House of Lords, where Rev Ottley was later cleared of all charges. The vicar's wife, who had provided false evidence during the trial, left the island broken. In April 1885 Rev Ottley returned to his Portland occupation at St. John's Church. He soon organised a new chancel to the added to the church, and he would continue to serve the Underhill community, which supported him through his trial, until his death in 1919. A stained glass memorial to Rev Ottley was later installed in the rose window of the church.[9] During 1901 a new Parish room for the church was built and opened at the north end of Ventnor Road.[7]

With the importance of Portland's naval base, the island was a natural target for German aircraft during the Second World War. On Sunday morning, 11 August 1940, 50 German planes arrived at Portland, and the attack saw many bombs hit Fortuneswell. Rev Whittaker was conducting his morning service at the church at the time, and he ran from the church to his Ventor Road vicarage where he found his family buried alive in the rubble of his home. The church itself escaped any damage, although the Underhill Methodist Church nearby was badly impaired. Later on 15 September 1940, St John's School was destroyed when a bomb fell in its playground. However as the school was closed at the time no fatalities occurred.[10]

Once the Second World War drew to a close, Portland Council began arrangements for celebration events. On VJ Day (Victory over Japan) the 14th Port Regiment of the US Army presented its Stars and Stripes colours to St John's Church, as a memento of its close association with the people of Portland, both service and civilian. The regiment had only just completed its task of supporting the D-Day landings and the subsequent reinforcement of the European Theatre of Operations. The colours are still displayed on the church wall, with a small plaque affixed below, opposite the Roll of Honour, which is itself bedecked with a pair of white ensign. The Royal Naval Association colours are situated next to the US Stars and Stripes.[11]

Design

One section of the churchyard of St John's Church.

Designed by Edward Mondey or Charles Wallis, the church was completed with sittings for 616, for a total cost of £2,115, plus £200 for the ground. Built of Portland stone in small blocks, the church has a Gothic structure, which is simple structure in Commissioners' Early English style. It has also been described as Norman in its architecture. The church is of a simple dignity, reflecting minimal outlay by the Commissioners, but provides an important accent in the street. It is dominated by a Square three-stage tower, containing three bells.[12] The church includes a chancel and nave, whilst the roof is made of slate. There is a 20th-century vestry. The chosen site for the church was steep land, and therefore a platform was cut into the hillside. In addition the church was unable to have a standard East-West orientation, and so the building axis lies north-west to south-east.[1]

The interior features plain unaisled naves in 7 bays with queen-post roof trusses on wooden corbels. There are plain walls with deep window embrasures. The nave has a west gallery carrying a large Willis organ of 1896, which was transferred from St. Paul's School in West Kensington, to St. John's Church in 1969. The church's pine pews of the side aisles are reputed to have been constructed by prisoners at HM Prison The Verne, located inside the nearby Verne Citadel. The plain lancets at the eastern end each side has stained glass; on the south side of 1903, and to north, one signed C. Maile, Canterbury, 1971, and another, unsigned, of 1968, to the Mothers' Union.[1]

The Grade II Listed churchyard boundary walls, gate piers, railings, and steps are made of Portland ashlar, wrought and cast-iron. The wall is constructed using squared and coursed block, running to follow slope of hill and not horizontally, to plain flush weathered coping, which rises to around 1.5 metres full width of churchyard. At each end a single pier, and to centre of a pair of piers raised on simple plinth; these piers retain a simple iron overthrow. The piers are square, with sunk panel to face. At the left end is an opening to a further flight of steps, and to their left, along the north-west boundary of the churchyard, a wall swept up at the far end by a flight of 12 steps to a gate giving access to the former Rectory garden.[2]

The two Grade II Listed headstone monuments, located about 5 metres north east from the west tower of the church are of mid 19th century origins, and set very close together. Built of Portland Stone, both have inscriptions that are now barely decipherable, with one still recognizable with the name John Green, and the other Joseph. The segmental head of the first headstone has a plain thin surround to sunk panel bearing the figure of a sailor gesturing towards a draped urn on a monument, along with small scroll decorations to head. The other is located to right of the last, and bears the name Joseph. This has a similar design, with the sunk panel to the upper part bearing a two-masted ship in full sail.[3]

When the Regal Cinema was built during 1932, the church became hidden from that part of the view of the road. In the 1990s the cinema, then a nightclub, became a victim of arson, and was demolished, once again revealing the church to those who drive up the road towards the climb to Tophill.[13]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "1205490 - The National Heritage List for England | English Heritage". List.english-heritage.org.uk. 1951-01-16. Retrieved 2014-07-20.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "1203084 - The National Heritage List for England | English Heritage". List.english-heritage.org.uk. 1978-09-21. Retrieved 2014-07-20.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "1205523 - The National Heritage List for England | English Heritage". List.english-heritage.org.uk. Retrieved 2014-07-20.
  4. ↑ "Find Us". Portlandparish.org. Retrieved 2014-05-01.
  5. ↑ A Church Near You. "Portland: St John the Baptist, Portland - Dorset | Diocese of Salisbury". Achurchnearyou.com. Retrieved 2014-07-20.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Morris, Stuart (1985). Portland: An Illustrated History. Dovecote Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-0946159345.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Paul Benyon. "Portland Churches, Buildings and Views". Freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com. Retrieved 2014-07-20.
  8. ↑ Morris, Stuart (1985). Portland: An Illustrated History. Dovecote Press. p. 88, 89. ISBN 978-0946159345.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Morris, Stuart (1985). Portland: An Illustrated History. Dovecote Press. p. 99. ISBN 978-0946159345.
  10. ↑ Morris, Stuart (1985). Portland: An Illustrated History. Dovecote Press. p. 135. ISBN 978-0946159345.
  11. ↑ Pomeroy, Colin A. (1995). Military Dorset Today: Second World War Scenes and Settings That Can Still Be Seen 50 Years On. Silver Link Publishing Ltd. p. 143. ISBN 978-1857940770.
  12. ↑ Legg, Rodney (1999). Portland Encyclopaedia. Dorset Publishing Company. p. 133. ISBN 978-0948699566.
  13. ↑ "Fortuneswell, Portland, Dorset". Geoffkirby.co.uk. Retrieved 2014-07-20.

External links

Media related to St. John's Church, Portland at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 50°33′38″N 2°26′37″W / 50.5606°N 2.4437°W