Avalanche Memorial Church
The Avalanche Memorial Church, also known as the Church of St Andrew, is a 19th-century Anglican parish church, located in Southwell village, on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. It was built in 1879 and remains active to date, as part of the Portland Parish - a host of three churches; the other two being St. John's Church (St John the Baptist) and All Saints Church.[1] The church, along with its boundary wall, has been a Grade II Listed building since September 1978.[2]
It is not to be confused with the ruins of Portland's first parish church, the 13th century St Andrew's Church. Today, the church remains well-maintained and is open to the public during the peak season
History
In September 1877, two ships, the SS Avalanche of the Shaw Savill Line and the SS Forest, collided off Portland Bill during stormy conditions. The Avalanche was taking 63 passengers, men, women and children, to their homes in New Zealand. The Forest had a crew of 22 at the time of the disaster. As a result of the tragedy, 106 people, including whole families, perished that night. By the dawn local fishermen at Chesil Cove were able to rescue the survivors and bring them ashore.[3]
Once the disaster had become national news, relatives and friends of those who died in the tragedy requested that a memorial should be erected on Portland. The rector of Portland put forward the suggestion of a new church for Southwell. A national campaign followed, which raised £2,000 through donations.[4]
The church's design was of an early English style, by the architect and diocesan surveyor C.R. George Crickmay. Built by Lynham and Bayliss of Portland, was completed by 1879, and was consecrated and dedicated to Saint Andrew by the Bishop of Salisbury on 3 July 1879.[4][5]
Content
The church features memorials to those drowned and testimonials to the bravery of the local fishermen. Some of the windows, the lectern, and the pulpit were originally funded by friends of those who were drowned. In addition to this artifacts have been recovered from the tragedy, as well as a model of the Avalanche. There is a picture of the Avalanche, an artist's impression of the two Portland lerrets coming into land after the rescue and a framed copy of the testimonial presented to William Flann. There is also a brass tablet listing the names and, where known, the descriptions of the passengers and crew of the Avalanche.[4]
The most notable artifact is the large anchor of the Avalanche. Divers located it in 1984 and raised and donated it to the church, where it lies outside to this day. Inside the church, stained glass windows display scenes from the tragedy.[2][6]
References
- ↑ "Find Us". Portlandparish.org. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- 1 2 Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1281886)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- ↑ "Collision of the FOREST and AVALANCHE 1877". Old-merseytimes.co.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- 1 2 3 "The sinking of the Avalanche and the Forest". plus.com. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
- ↑ The Dedicated Partnership - promoting tourism - http://www.dedicate.co.uk. "Avalanche Memorial Church in Portland". UK Attraction. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
- ↑ "Southwell, Portland". Geoffkirby.co.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
Coordinates: 50°31′50″N 2°26′35″W / 50.5305°N 2.4431°W
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