List of places of worship in the Borough of Gosport facts for kids

Holy Trinity Church is a landmark in central Gosport. It was built in 1696 and has been altered several times.

Gosport, a town in Hampshire, England, is home to over 30 places where people gather for worship. These include churches, chapels, and halls used by various Christian groups. Some buildings that were once used for worship now have different purposes. Gosport is on a peninsula in southern Hampshire, right across from the city of Portsmouth. It's a mostly urban area, meaning it has many buildings and people.

Over time, Gosport grew and joined with nearby villages like Alverstoke and Rowner. These villages had old churches that are still used today, though they have changed a lot. Many new churches were built, especially during the Victorian era (the 1800s). Other Christian groups also built their own places of worship, mostly in the last 150 years. Lee-on-the-Solent, a separate village and seaside town, is also part of Gosport and has its own churches.

The 2011 census showed that most people in Gosport are Christian. There are no places of worship for other major faiths in the area. The Church of England, which is the official church of England, has the most church buildings. The oldest one dates back to the 1100s. Other Christian groups also have churches, some of which started in the 1700s when Gosport became an important port for the Royal Navy.

Roman Catholics have had churches in Gosport since 1750. The first Baptist chapel opened in 1811. Methodists built several chapels in the 1800s. A Congregational chapel from 1794 was one of the first churches that led to the current Gosport United Reformed Church. Other groups like Evangelical Christians, The Salvation Army, and Jehovah's Witnesses also have places of worship in Gosport.

Historic England is an organization that protects important buildings. They have given "listed status" to eight places of worship in Gosport. This means these buildings are special because of their history or architecture. There are three levels of listed status:

• Grade I: For buildings of "exceptional interest," meaning they are very important.
• Grade II*: For "particularly important buildings" that are more than just special.
• Grade II: For buildings of "special interest" that are important to the country.

Gosport Borough Council also lists buildings that are important locally, even if they aren't on the national list. Two places of worship have this local status.

Exploring Gosport's Worship Places

The borough is located on the south coast of Hampshire.

Gosport covers about 9.76 square miles (25.3 square kilometers) of land. It's a peninsula facing Portsmouth across Portsmouth Harbour. It also has a coastline along The Solent and borders the town of Fareham to the north. The main town of Gosport has grown and merged with older villages like Alverstoke and Rowner. Other areas like Elson, Forton, and Brockhurst are also part of it. Bridgemary, in the northwest, is a large area with many homes built after World War II. Lee-on-the-Solent is a small seaside town in the southwest.

Gosport town was first mentioned in the 1200s. It was a planned settlement, similar to Portsmouth. Not much is left of its original design, except for some street patterns. The main church for the whole area in medieval times was St Mary's at Alverstoke, first mentioned in 1124. However, none of its original 12th-century structure remains.

In 1696, as Gosport became a busy port, Holy Trinity Church was built in the town center for Anglicans. As the town grew quickly in the 1800s, more Anglican churches were built in areas like Forton (1831), Elson (1845), and Leesland (1890). Most of these are still in use today. New churches were also needed for the large housing estates built after World War II, like Bridgemary and Rowner. St Mary the Virgin in Rowner, a small 12th-century church, was greatly expanded in 1965. In Lee-on-the-Solent, a simple "tin tabernacle" (a church made of corrugated iron) served Anglicans until the current St Faith's Church was finished in 1933.

The modern St John the Evangelist's Church serves Catholics in Lee-on-the-Solent.

The first Roman Catholic community in Gosport started in 1750. This was even before laws against Catholics were relaxed in 1778. The priest from Havant, a nearby town, would travel a long way to reach Gosport. The first Catholic chapel in Gosport also served Catholics from Portsmouth until 1791. The current St Mary's Church opened around 1855 on the High Street. St Columba's Church opened in 1953 for Catholics in the Bridgemary area. Lee-on-the-Solent has had a Catholic church since 1918, but the current building is from 1981.

The Methodist Church recorded all its chapels in 1940. In Gosport, there were Methodist chapels in Lee-on-the-Solent, Stoke Road, Hardway, Forton, and Alverstoke. The chapels at Lee-on-the-Solent and Stoke Road are still in use. A new Methodist church was built in Bridgemary in 1956.

Bury Road United Reformed Church went out of use in 2017.

For much of the 1900s, Baptists in Gosport had three chapels: Victoria Road (built 1852), Hardway (1860), and Stoke Road (1910). None of these are still used by Baptists. The Hardway church is now used by a different group. The Victoria Road church closed in 1999, and its members joined the Stoke Road church. The Stoke Road building was sold in 2011, and the congregation moved to an old building at the Royal Clarence Yard. Another Baptist church, now called Freedom Church, opened in Brockhurst by 1937 and is still active.

The Congregational Church and the Presbyterian Church of England joined together in 1972 to form the United Reformed Church. Gosport had one church from each group. So, from 1972 until 2017, there were two United Reformed churches. Bury Road Congregational Church was built in 1957, and St Columba's Presbyterian Church opened in 1956. The original Congregational chapel from 1794 was destroyed during World War II. Bury Road United Reformed Church closed in May 2017, and its members joined St Columba's Church in Elson.

The Salvation Army had halls in South Street (1927), Park Street (1934), and Forton Road (1942). All these closed in 1950 when they moved to new premises on Forton Road. These were later replaced by the current Crossways Hall in 1965.

Who Lives in Gosport?

The 2011 United Kingdom census collected information about people's religious beliefs. In Gosport, out of 82,622 residents:

• 58.84% said they were Christian.
• 0.55% were Muslim.
• 0.24% were Buddhist.
• 0.23% were Hindu.
• 0.05% were Sikh.
• 0.04% were Jewish.
• 0.52% followed another religion.
• 32.82% said they had no religion.
• 6.72% did not state their religion.

The number of people in Gosport who said they had no religion was higher than the average for England. The number of Christians was similar to the national average. Other religions like Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism had fewer followers in Gosport compared to the rest of the country.

How Churches Are Organized

Anglican Churches: A Closer Look

All Anglican churches in Gosport are part of the Anglican Diocese of Portsmouth. This diocese is based at Portsmouth Cathedral. The Gosport Deanery is a local group that looks after all the Anglican parish churches in the borough. These include Holy Trinity and Christ Church in Gosport town, St John the Evangelist at Forton, St Thomas the Apostle at Elson, the three churches in Alverstoke parish (St Faith, St Francis, and St Mary), St Mary the Virgin at Rowner, St Matthew at Bridgemary, and St Faith at Lee-on-the-Solent.

Roman Catholic Churches: How They Work

The Catholic churches in Bridgemary, Gosport town, and Lee-on-the-Solent belong to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth. Their main church is the Cathedral of St John the Evangelist in Portsmouth. All these churches are in Deanery 5, specifically the Solent Pastoral Area. The Gosport parish includes St Mary's in the town center and St Columba's on the Bridgemary estate. The parish of Stubbington and Lee-on-the-Solent covers those two villages. It is served by the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Stubbington and St John the Evangelist's Church in Lee-on-the-Solent.

Other Christian Groups: Their Networks

Gosport's three Methodist churches (in Bridgemary, Gosport, and Lee-on-the-Solent) are part of the East Solent and Downs Methodist Circuit, which has 23 churches. Gosport Waterfront Baptist Church and the Freedom Church at Brockhurst are part of the Southern Counties Baptist Association. Solent Evangelical Church is a member of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC), a network of about 500 churches with an evangelical focus. Gosport Spiritualist Church belongs to the Spiritualists' National Union and is part of their Southern District.

Buildings with Special Status

One church in Gosport has Grade I status, one has Grade II* status, and six are listed at Grade II. As of February 2001, Gosport had 148 listed buildings in total.

Current Places of Worship in Gosport

Current places of worship

Name	Image	Location	Type of Church	Grade	Notes	Refs
St Mary's Church	St Mary's Church, Alverstoke	Alverstoke	Anglican	II	This impressive church was rebuilt in the 1800s on the site of a medieval church. It has a chancel from 1865 and a nave from 1885. The west tower was rebuilt in 1905.
St Matthew's Church	St Matthew's Church, Bridgemary	Bridgemary	Anglican	–	This Anglican church was built in the 1950s, at the same time as the homes around it. The original St Matthew's Church was built near Gosport town center in 1845–46 but has since been taken down.
Empower Centre (Bridgemary Family Church)	Empower Centre (Bridgemary Family Church), Bridgemary	Bridgemary	Evangelical	–	This church has had different names, but always with an Evangelical focus. It was Jacob's Well Christian Fellowship, then Jacob's Well Church. Now it's part of the Empower movement.
Bridgemary Methodist Church	Bridgemary Methodist Church, Bridgemary	Bridgemary	Methodist	–	This Methodist church for the Bridgemary area opened in 1956. It was registered for worship in March of that year.
St Columba's Church	St Columba's Church, Bridgemary	Bridgemary	Roman Catholic	–	The church opened in 1953. It was meant to be a temporary hall until a permanent church could be built, but that never happened. It's a red-brick building with a steep roof.
Freedom Church	Freedom Church, Brockhurst	Brockhurst	Baptist	–	This church was first known as Brockhurst Baptist Church. It was registered with that name in February 1937.
St Francis' Church	St Francis' Church, Clayhall	Clayhall	Anglican	L	This "tin tabernacle" (a church made of corrugated iron) is a smaller church that helps the main St Mary's church in Alverstoke. It is also used as a church hall.
St Thomas's Church	St Thomas's Church, Elson	Elson	Anglican	II	In the 1840s, Elson was a small rural area far from any Anglican church. A grant helped build this church in 1845. It's a long, tall hall with brown stone walls.
Gosport United Reformed Church (St Columba's)	Gosport United Reformed Church (St Columba's), Elson	Elson	United Reformed Church	–	This church was built for the Presbyterian Church of England and opened in October 1956. It joined the United Reformed Church in 1972. After the Bury Road church closed in 2017, its members joined St Columba's.
St John the Evangelist's Church	St John the Evangelist's Church, Forton	Forton	Anglican	L	The first church here was built in 1831, but it had problems and was too small. A new church was started in 1892 but wasn't finished until 1906.
Solent Evangelical Church	Solent Evangelical Church, Forton	Forton	Evangelical	–	This church opened in June 1976. The Evangelical group that uses it had been meeting in a nearby building called Jubilee Hall for five years before that.
Kingdom Hall	Kingdom Hall, Forton	Forton	Jehovah's Witnesses	–	Jehovah's Witnesses in Gosport have worshipped at this Kingdom Hall since late 1950.
Salvation Army Hall	Salvation Army Hall, Forton	Forton	Salvation Army	–	Crossways Hall was used by Congregationalists after their chapel was bombed in World War II. In 1965, it was re-registered for use by the Salvation Army.
Gosport Spiritualist Church	Gosport Spiritualist Church, Forton	Forton	Spiritualist	–	The Salvation Army used this building from 1942 to 1950. It was then re-registered by its current Spiritualist group in September 1954.
Christ Church	Christ Church, Gosport	Gosport	Anglican	II	This church was built to serve a fast-growing area of Gosport. It opened in 1865, even though it wasn't fully finished. It was designed by Henry Woodyer.
Holy Trinity Church	Holy Trinity Church, Gosport	Gosport	Anglican	II*	This church has been in its important spot by the harbor since 1696. Local residents helped raise money to build it. It has been rebuilt and extended several times.
Gosport Waterfront Baptist Church	Gosport Waterfront Baptist Church, Gosport	Gosport	Baptist	II	The Baptist congregation moved to this building in 2013. It used to be a cooperage, where barrels for the Royal Navy's rum were made until 1970. The brick building dates from 1766.
Waterside Community Church	Waterside Community Church, Gosport	Gosport	Evangelical	–	This church is the modern version of the Bethel Mission, which started in 1869 for sailors and the poor. The original buildings were taken down, and a new mission was built in 1969.
Gosport Methodist Church	Gosport Methodist Church, Gosport	Gosport	Methodist	–	This church, originally called Stoke Road Wesleyan Chapel, was built in 1910–11. It was badly damaged by fire in 1989 but was then repaired and made bigger.
St Mary's Church	St Mary's Church, Gosport	Gosport	Roman Catholic	II	The full name of Gosport's Catholic church is Our Lady and the Sacred Heart. The first Catholic church in Gosport started in 1750. The current church dates from about 1855.
Gosport Family Church	Gosport Family Church, Hardway	Hardway	Non-denominational	–	This chapel was built in 1860 as a Baptist church. In 1991, it stopped being a Baptist chapel and was used by the Church of God of Prophecy. Now, it's used by a non-denominational group.
St Faith's Church	St Faith's Church, Lee-on-the-Solent	Lee-on-the-Solent	Anglican	II	The first Anglican church here was a "tin tabernacle" that could hold 150 people. A permanent replacement was designed in 1933. This red-brick church can hold 400 people.
Lee-on-the-Solent Methodist Church	Lee-on-the-Solent Methodist Church, Lee-on-the-Solent	Lee-on-the-Solent	Methodist	–	The original chapel for this Wesleyan Methodist church was built in 1896. It was a brick building that could hold 144 worshippers. The building was later made bigger.
St John the Evangelist's Church	St John the Evangelist's Church, Lee-on-the-Solent	Lee-on-the-Solent	Roman Catholic	–	The current church is a modern building registered for worship in 1981. It replaced a "unique little church" on the same site that dated from 1918.
Leesland Neighbourhood Church	Leesland Neighbourhood Church, Leesland	Leesland	Anglican	–	St Faith's Church was built in 1890 as a mission church for the busy Leesland area. It has always been part of St Mary's, Alverstoke. In 2017, it was relaunched with a new name.
St Mary's Church	St Mary's Church, Rowner	Rowner	Anglican	I	This church has two very different parts: a tiny 12th-century chapel and a large extension from 1992. The original building now forms the chancel and Lady Chapel.
Logos Community Church	Logos Community Church, Rowner	Rowner	Non-denominational	–	This building was registered in July 1963 as the Copse Lane Gospel Hall. Since January 1996, it has been used by a non-denominational group.

Former Places of Worship in Gosport

Former places of worship

Name	Image	Location	Type of Church	Grade	Notes	Refs
The Little Church	The Little Church (former), Alverstoke	Alverstoke	Methodist	–	This was the chapel of the Alverstoke National Children's Home. It was also registered as a Methodist church from 1939 to 1984. It is now a spa and fitness center.
Stoke Road Baptist Church	Former Stoke Road Baptist Church, Gosport	Gosport	Baptist	–	A Baptist chapel started on Stoke Road in 1883. A permanent church opened in March 1910. The congregation later moved to a building in Royal Clarence Yard. The Stoke Road building was sold and turned into flats.
Bury Road United Reformed Church	Former Bury Road United Reformed Church, Gosport	Gosport	United Reformed Church	–	A Congregational chapel from 1794 was destroyed in World War II. Its replacement was built in 1957. The church closed in May 2017, and its members joined St Columba's Church in Elson.
St Joseph's Church	Former St Joseph's Church, Leesland	Leesland	Roman Catholic	–	This church was part of a former Catholic school. It opened formally on July 16, 1971. It closed for worship in the early 2000s.