Highfield Church

Last updated

Highfield Church
Christ Church, Portswood
HighfieldChurch.jpg
Highfield Church in 2007
Southampton from OpenStreetMap.png
Red pog.svg
Highfield Church
Shown within Southampton
50°55′47″N1°23′43″W / 50.9296°N 1.3952°W / 50.9296; -1.3952
Location Highfield, Southampton
CountryUnited Kingdom
Denomination Church of England
Websitewww.highfield.church
History
Status Church
Founded12 September 1846
Founder(s) Charles Sumner
Dedication Christ
Consecrated 17 September 1847
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade II listed
Designatedby 1969
Architect(s) Joshua Brandon
Specifications
Number of spires 1
Materials Purbeck Stone, Caen Stone mouldings
Administration
Diocese Winchester
Parish Highfield
Clergy
Priest in charge Mike Archer
Curate(s) Erica Roberts

Highfield Church is a parish church in the Highfield district of Southampton, England. It is an Anglican Church in the Diocese of Winchester.

Contents

History

Early history

The foundation stone for Highfield Church was laid on 12 September 1846 and it was consecrated on 17 September 1847, by the Right Reverend Charles Sumner, the Bishop of Winchester. The first Minister was the Reverend Philip Raulin Robin. The legal name of the church is Christ Church, Portswood but it became commonly known as Highfield Church in 1883.

World Wars

During the First World War (1914–1918) quite a number of the men from the parish went to the battlefields. Within the parish boundaries about 100 acres (0.40 km2) of land were being developed for housing so a western extension was built to accommodate the extra congregation. A First World War memorial was erected near the south door in 1921.

During the Second World War (1939–1945) Southampton was bombed heavily and there were direct hits on the parish and much loss of life. Throughout this period the clergy and members of the church kept watch on the church with a stirrup pump, buckets and shovels. The windows were given a coating of a rubber solution to lessen the danger of splintering glass.

The neighbouring church of St Barnabas was destroyed in 1940 and the two churches were temporarily merged until the rebuilding of the church at St Barnabas in 1957.

In 1941 there was an air raid where incendiary bombs fell near to the church. There was no serious structural damage to the church but windows in both the east and west ends of the church were shattered and the caretaker's quarters were destroyed. Despite the roof requiring 7000 new tiles, the morning matins went ahead. The church replaced those eastern windows that were destroyed in the Blitz and these were the church's memorial to those who died in the Second World War.

Later history

The church celebrated its centenary in September 1947 with services by two previous vicars.

Windows on the East side of the church building destroyed during World War Two were replaced in 1952.

The church building was listed Grade II on the National Heritage List for England in October 1981. [1] [2]

Architecture

The church originally had a nave, a small chancel with clerestory windows, a south aisle, and a tower with a broached oak shingled spire, which contained one bell. The architect was Joshua Brandon, who died before the building was completed and is buried in the churchyard.[ citation needed ] The walls of the church are of Purbeck Stone with mouldings of Caen Stone and the painted glass windows were created by Nixon and Ward.

The church has been built onto and altered many times since it was first built.

Area

Highfield Church is at the junction of Highfield Lane and Church Lane in the Highfield area of Southampton. Next to the church is the Church Centre, which is used by the church and the community for events, for example, adult education classes. Adjacent to the church is the main Highfield campus of the University of Southampton. The Highfield Church of England School building stands next to Highfield Church.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highfield, Southampton</span> Human settlement in England

Highfield is a suburb of Southampton, England. The suburb is situated to the north of the city centre, and is bounded by Southampton Common, Bassett, Swaythling and Portswood. Highfield is home to the main campus of the University of Southampton, which is built on a former brickfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Cambridge</span> Church in Cambridge, England

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, generally known as The Round Church, is an Anglican church in the city of Cambridge, England. It is located on the corner of Round Church Street and Bridge Street. Since 1950 the church has been designated a Grade I listed building, and is currently managed by Christian Heritage. It is one of the four medieval round churches still in use in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Jesus Church, Lydbrook</span> Church of England parish church in Gloucestershire

Holy Jesus Church at Lydbrook is a Church of England parish church in the English county of Gloucestershire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Thomas the Martyr's Church, Oxford</span> Church in United Kingdom

St Thomas the Martyr Church is a Church of England parish church of the Anglo-Catholic tradition, in Oxford, England, near Oxford railway station in Osney. It is located between Becket Street to the west and Hollybush Row to the east, with St Thomas Street opposite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Boniface's Church, Bunbury</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Boniface's Church stands prominently in the village of Bunbury, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. The church dates mainly from the 14th century. Its features include the Ridley chapel, the alabaster chest tomb of Sir Hugh Calveley and the tomb of Sir George Beeston. Raymond Richards, author of Old Cheshire Churches, considers it is architecturally one of the most important examples of its period in Cheshire. Alec Clifton-Taylor includes it in his list of 'best' English parish churches, and Simon Jenkins assigns it two stars in his book England's Thousand Best Churches. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Malpas. Its benefice is combined with that of St Jude, Tilstone Fearnall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Attenborough</span> Anglican parish church in Attenborough

St. Mary's Church, Attenborough is a parish church in the Church of England in the village of Attenborough, Nottinghamshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Michael and All Angels Church, Southwick</span> Church in West Sussex , England

St Michael and All Angels Church is an Anglican church in the town of Southwick in the district of Adur, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. Some Saxon-era structural work is still visible despite rebuilding work in the 12th and 13th centuries and in more recent times; and a church may have existed on the site as early as the 10th century—before the ancient settlement of Southwick even took that name. The church has been damaged by fire and bombing, but is still in active use as the area's parish church. English Heritage has listed it at Grade II* for its architectural and historical importance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Southampton</span> Church in Hampshire, England

Saint Mary's Church, is the civic church for the city of Southampton, Hampshire, England. Originally founded in circa 634, St Mary's has been the mother church of Southampton since its inception. The present building, now the sixth incarnation of a church on this site, dates mostly to a rebuilding from 1954 to 1956, following its destruction in the Southampton Blitz, except for the notable Grade II listed tower and spire, which date from 1912 to 1914.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Michael's Church, Southampton</span> Church in Hampshire, England

St. Michael the Archangel Church is the oldest building still in use in the city of Southampton, England, founded in 1070. It is the only church still active of the five originally in the medieval walled town. The church is a Grade I Listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holyrood Church</span> Church in Hampshire, England

Holyrood Church was one of the original five churches serving the old walled town of Southampton, England. Built in 1320, the church was destroyed by enemy bombing during the blitz in November 1940. In 1957 the shell of the church was dedicated as a memorial to the sailors of the Merchant Navy. It is a Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Nicolas Church, North Stoneham</span> Church in Hampshire, England

St. Nicolas Church is an Anglican parish church at North Stoneham, Hampshire which originated before the 15th century and is known for its "One Hand Clock" which dates from the early 17th century, and also for various memorials to the famous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christ Church, Ore</span> Church in East Sussex, United Kingdom

Christ Church is an Anglican church in the Ore area of the town and borough of Hastings, one of six local government districts in the English county of East Sussex. It is one of three Anglican churches with this dedication in the borough. The Decorated Gothic-style church, in the centre of a village which has been surrounded by suburban development, was built in 1858 to supplement Ore's parish church, St Helen's. The most distinctive structural feature, a corner bell turret, has been described as both "outstanding" and "very naughty" by architectural historians. English Heritage has listed the building at Grade II for its architectural and historical importance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Michael on Greenhill, Lichfield</span> Church in Staffordshire, England

St Michael on Greenhill is a parish church in Lichfield, Staffordshire in England, located on the high ground of Greenhill in the east of the city. A church has been on the present site since at least 1190 but the current building dates mainly from the restoration of 1842–43. The churchyard is one of five ancient burial grounds in England and is one of the largest churchyards in the country at 9 acres (36,000 m2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Alban's Church, Southampton</span> Church in Hampshire, England

St. Alban's Church, Swaythling, Southampton, stands on Tulip Road, just off the main Burgess Road. The church, and its associated hall, is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St George's Church, Poynton</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St George's Church stands in the centre of the town of Poynton, Cheshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Cheadle, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield, and the diocese of Chester. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. It is the tallest building in Poynton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary's Church, Cleobury Mortimer</span> Church in Shropshire, England

St Mary's Church is on Church Street, Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Ludlow, the archdeaconry of Ludlow, and the diocese of Hereford. Its benefice is united with those of six local parishes to form the Cleobury Benefice. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It is notable for its shingled twisted spire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christ Church, Birkenhead</span> Church in Merseyside, England

Christ Church is in Christchurch Road, Oxton, Birkenhead, Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Birkenhead, the archdeaconry of Chester, and the diocese of Chester. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. It stands on a sloping site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Mary the Virgin, East Barnet</span> Church in United Kingdom

St Mary the Virgin is the Church of England parish church for East Barnet within the Diocese of St Albans. It is located on Church Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Paul and St Stephen Church, Gloucester</span> Church in Gloucestershire, England

St Paul and St Stephen Church is a Church of England church located in Stroud Road, Gloucester, Gloucestershire. St Paul church was built between 1882 and 1883. St Stephen church was built between 1898 and 1900. St Stephen church was closed in 2010 and the church was merged with St Paul's which became St Paul and St Stephen church. Closely associated with the church is St Paul's Church of England Primary school located in New Street, Gloucester which opened in 1870.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Trinity Church, Aldershot</span> Church in Aldershot in Hampshire

The Church of the Holy Trinity is one of four Anglican churches in Aldershot in Hampshire and is the parish church for the centre of the town being located on Victoria Road. A Grade II listed building since 1980, it comes under the Diocese of Guildford.

References

  1. Historic England, "Christ Church Portswood (1092052)", National Heritage List for England , retrieved 21 September 2024
  2. Highfield Church, Southampton: A brief history of the Church and parish Accessed 4 April 2007.