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

Waterside United Reformed Church at Emsworth was built in 1929.

The Borough of Havant in Hampshire, England, is home to over 50 places where people have worshipped God, both now and in the past. There are 42 churches, chapels, and meeting halls used by different Christian denominations. There's also a meeting place for Hindus. Ten other buildings used to be places of worship but are now used for other things. Havant is a mostly urban area in the southeast of Hampshire, a large county in southern England. Towns like Havant, Emsworth, and Waterlooville have grown together, including older villages like Bedhampton and Warblington. Hayling Island is mostly countryside, but it also has some newer homes. You can find very old Church of England churches in the old villages, and many more built in the Victorian era (1837-1901) and later. There are also churches and chapels for other Christian groups, mostly built in the 20th and 21st centuries.

A survey in 2011 showed that most people living in Havant are Christian. The Church of England, which is the official church of England, has the most churches here. The Roman Catholic Church and major Protestant groups like Methodists, Baptists, and the United Reformed Church also have many churches. Smaller religious groups, such as Spiritualists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Plymouth Brethren, also have their own places to worship.

Historic England, a government group, has given "listed status" to seven current and two former places of worship in Havant. This means these buildings are special because of their history or design. Buildings with Grade I status are "exceptionally important." Grade II* buildings are "particularly important," and Grade II buildings are of "special interest." Havant has two Grade I churches, two Grade II* churches, and five Grade II buildings (including two that are no longer churches).

A Look at Havant's Worship Places
Who Belongs to Which Religion?
How Churches Are Organized
Special Listed Buildings
Current Places of Worship
Former Places of Worship

A Look at Havant's Worship Places

The borough is located in the southeast of Hampshire.

The first Christian churches in this area were built during the time of the Anglo-Saxons (around 450-1066 AD). One on Hayling Island was lost to floods long ago. The tower of St Thomas à Becket Church in Warblington still has some Anglo-Saxon parts. In Havant town, a church was built by the late 1100s. St Peter's and St Mary's churches on Hayling Island were built in the late 1100s or early 1200s. St Thomas's Church in Bedhampton also has parts from around 1140.

Many churches were built during the Victorian era (1837-1901) when the Church of England was the main church. As towns grew, new churches were needed. For example, St James's Church was built in Emsworth in the 1840s. St George's Church (1830) and St John the Baptist (1843) were built in Waterlooville and Purbrook as these villages grew. Older churches were also repaired and updated during this time. For example, Bedhampton church was changed in 1869 and 1878, and St Faith's in Havant was mostly rebuilt.

In the 20th century, Havant became much more urban, and many new Anglican churches were built. St Wilfrid's Church opened in 1924 in Cowplain. St Andrew's opened on Hayling Island in 1964. Churches were also built in the 1960s and 1970s to serve the large Leigh Park housing area. In 1970, St George's Church in Waterlooville was rebuilt to be much larger.

Leigh Park's first Catholic church, now a church hall, was built in 1955.

Havant has a long history of Catholicism, even during times when laws made it difficult to be Catholic. A Catholic mission started in Langstone around 1711, and a hidden chapel was built in Brockhampton in 1752. This chapel served a very large area. St Joseph's Church in Havant replaced it in 1875. After World War II, new Catholic churches were built in Emsworth and Leigh Park. On Hayling Island, St Patrick's Church opened in 1925. In Waterlooville, a convent (a place where nuns live) was built in 1889, and a chapel was added in 1923. This chapel was replaced by a larger church in 2010–11.

Primitive Methodists built chapels in Bedhampton (1875), Emsworth (1876), and Purbrook (1879). Wesleyan Methodists opened their own chapel in Havant in 1888. Many Methodist groups joined together in 1932. New Methodist churches were built in Emsworth (1939), Leigh Park (1956), and replacement churches in Bedhampton and Havant (1958). Some Methodist churches have closed in recent years.

The name elm grove free church is still visible on the building now used as Hayling Island's Elim Pentecostal church.

Baptist churches have been built in Leigh Park (1960), Waterlooville (1967), Hayling Island (2012), and Emsworth (2015). However, some Baptist groups in the area are much older. Baptist worship in Emsworth started in 1848. Waterlooville's old Baptist church was replaced in the 1960s by a new, modern building.

Congregationalism has been in the Havant area for 300 years. A meeting place was started in Havant in 1719, and a chapel was built in 1728. This old chapel is no longer used for worship and has been called the "only notable" old Nonconformist building left in the area. It was replaced by the current Havant United Reformed Church in 1891. This church now shares a congregation with Emsworth United Reformed Church.

Other Christian groups also have churches in Havant. Evangelical churches are found in Leigh Park, Wecock Farm, Cowplain, and Havant town centre. A Pentecostal church on Hayling Island uses a building that was once an "unsectarian Gospel mission hall." Spiritualists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church also have places of worship. A Hindu group also has a building in Havant.

Many parts of Havant were developed to house people whose homes were destroyed during World War II bombings in Portsmouth. Because of this, several churches in Havant have connections to Portsmouth. For example, some Methodist churches in Havant were built using money from destroyed Methodist churches in Portsmouth. Also, a foundation stone from a large Baptist church in Portsmouth, which was bombed, was used in the Leigh Park Baptist Church.

Who Belongs to Which Religion?

In 2011, a census (a survey of the population) showed that out of 120,684 people in Havant:

59.22% said they were Christian.
0.47% were Muslim.
0.22% were Buddhist.
0.19% were Hindu.
0.07% were Jewish.
0.05% were Sikh.
0.47% followed another religion.
32.25% said they had no religion.
7.05% did not say what their religion was.

Compared to England as a whole, Havant had more people with no religion and similar numbers of Christians. Other religions like Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism had fewer followers in Havant than in the rest of the country.

How Churches Are Organized

Anglican Churches

All Anglican (Church of England) churches in Havant belong to the Anglican Diocese of Portsmouth. This diocese is based at Portsmouth Cathedral. The Havant Deanery is a local group that looks after all the Anglican parish churches in the borough. These include churches in Bedhampton, Cowplain, Emsworth, Havant town, Hayling Island, Langstone, Leigh Park, Purbrook, Warblington, and Waterlooville.

Roman Catholic Churches

The Catholic churches in Emsworth, Havant town, Hayling Island, Leigh Park, and Waterlooville are part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth. This diocese is based at the Cathedral of St John the Evangelist in Portsmouth. For example, St Joseph's Church in Havant and St Thomas of Canterbury and St Thomas More in Emsworth are part of the Havant parish. Each church is part of a larger parish area.

Other Denominations

The four Methodist churches in Havant (Bedhampton, Emsworth, Hart Plain, and Havant) are part of the East Solent and Downs Methodist Circuit, which has 23 churches. The Baptist churches in Emsworth, Hayling Island, Leigh Park, and Waterlooville belong to the Southern Counties Baptist Association. Bethel Evangelical Free Church in Leigh Park and Cowplain Evangelical Church are part of larger Evangelical groups. Havant Spiritualist Church is part of the Spiritualists' National Union.

Special Listed Buildings

Buildings with "listed status" are protected because they are important for their history or design.

Grade	What it Means
Grade I	Buildings that are extremely important and sometimes known around the world.
Grade II*	Very important buildings that are more than just special.
Grade II	Buildings that are important to the country and have special interest.

Two churches in Havant are Grade I-listed, two are Grade II*-listed, and five (including two former churches) are Grade II-listed. In February 2001, Havant had 239 listed buildings in total. Historic England helps the government decide which buildings get listed status.

Historic England also keeps a "Heritage at Risk Register" to track buildings that are in danger of decay or damage. St Faith's Church in Havant town is currently on this list because its roof is in poor condition.

Current Places of Worship

Current places of worship
Name	Location	Religion	Grade	Notes
St Thomas's Church (More images)	Bedhampton 50°51′11″N 1°00′12″W / 50.853019°N 1.003343°W / 50.853019; -1.003343 (St Thomas's Church, Bedhampton)	Anglican	II	This church has parts from the 12th century, but much of it was changed in the 1800s. Its chancel arch is a very old and beautiful part.
St Nicholas' Church (More images)	Bedhampton 50°51′22″N 1°00′13″W / 50.856044°N 1.003665°W / 50.856044; -1.003665 (St Nicholas' Church, Bedhampton)	Anglican	–	This church building was first used at a local naval camp. It was moved to Bedhampton in 1950 and made larger in 1959.
Kingdom Hall (More images)	Bedhampton 50°51′18″N 0°59′30″W / 50.854980°N 0.991633°W / 50.854980; -0.991633 (Kingdom Hall, Bedhampton)	Jehovah's Witnesses	–	This meeting hall for Jehovah's Witnesses was built by volunteers and opened in 1976.
Bedhampton Methodist Church (More images)	Bedhampton 50°51′28″N 1°00′08″W / 50.857860°N 1.002249°W / 50.857860; -1.002249	Methodist	–	The first Methodist chapel in Bedhampton was built in 1875. The current church opened in 1958 on a different site.
St Wilfrid's Church (More images)	Cowplain 50°53′45″N 1°00′52″W / 50.895895°N 1.014368°W / 50.895895; -1.014368 (St Wilfrid's Church, Cowplain)	Anglican	–	Before this church, people in Cowplain had to travel far to worship. St Wilfrid's was completed in 1924 and became its own parish in 1929.
Cowplain Evangelical Church (More images)	Cowplain 50°53′42″N 1°01′09″W / 50.894982°N 1.019193°W / 50.894982; -1.019193	Evangelical	–	This church replaced an older Evangelical Free church nearby. It opened in 1968.
Brethren Meeting Room (More images)	Cowplain 50°53′52″N 1°00′59″W / 50.897909°N 1.016474°W / 50.897909; -1.016474 (Brethren Meeting Room, Cowplain)	Plymouth Brethren Christian Church	–	This meeting room was built in 1982.
St James's Church (More images)	Emsworth 50°50′57″N 0°56′18″W / 50.849104°N 0.938278°W / 50.849104; -0.938278 (St James's Church, Emsworth)	Anglican	II	Emsworth didn't have its own church until 1839-1840. It has been extended several times since then.
Emsworth Baptist Church (More images)	Emsworth 50°50′53″N 0°56′12″W / 50.848025°N 0.936713°W / 50.848025; -0.936713 (Emsworth Baptist Church, Emsworth)	Baptist	–	Emsworth's first Baptist chapel was built in 1848. The current church and community building opened in 2015. The old chapel is now the church hall.
Emsworth Methodist Church (More images)	Emsworth 50°50′47″N 0°56′13″W / 50.846291°N 0.936849°W / 50.846291; -0.936849	Methodist	–	Primitive Methodists started a chapel here in 1876. The current church opened in 1939.
St Thomas's Church (More images)	Emsworth 50°51′12″N 0°56′14″W / 50.853208°N 0.937152°W / 50.853208; -0.937152 (St Thomas's Church, Emsworth)	Roman Catholic	–	Before this church, Catholics in Emsworth went to Havant for Mass. This church opened in 1959.
Waterside United Reformed Church (More images)	Emsworth 50°50′50″N 0°56′23″W / 50.847184°N 0.939760°W / 50.847184; -0.939760	United Reformed Church	–	An Independent chapel started in Emsworth in 1856. The church moved to this brick building in 1929. In 2019, it joined with Havant United Reformed Church.
Hart Plain Church (More images)	Hart Plain 50°53′40″N 1°02′00″W / 50.894556°N 1.033471°W / 50.894556; -1.033471 (Hart Plain Church, Hart Plain)	Anglican/Methodist	–	This church is used by both the Church of England and the Methodist Church. It opened in 1969.
Brethren Meeting Room (More images)	Hart Plain 50°53′36″N 1°01′31″W / 50.893297°N 1.025157°W / 50.893297; -1.025157 (Brethren Meeting Room, Hart Plain)	Plymouth Brethren Christian Church	–	This meeting room was built in 2000.
St Faith's Church (More images)	Havant 50°51′04″N 0°58′55″W / 50.851216°N 0.981861°W / 50.851216; -0.981861 (St Faith's Church, Havant)	Anglican	II*	Havant's main church has been changed many times since it was built in the 12th century. It has a central tower with eight bells.
Portsdown Community Church	Havant 50°51′08″N 0°58′56″W / 50.852318°N 0.982176°W / 50.852318; -0.982176	Evangelical	–	This church has been located in a shopping mall in Havant town centre since 1996.
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Satsang Bhavan	Havant 50°51′17″N 0°58′51″W / 50.854854°N 0.980842°W / 50.854854; -0.980842	Hindu	–	This is a Hindu place of worship for the Swaminarayan spiritual tradition.
Havant Methodist Church (More images)	Havant 50°51′30″N 0°58′56″W / 50.858457°N 0.982325°W / 50.858457; -0.982325 (Havant Methodist Church, Havant)	Methodist	–	Havant's first Methodist chapel was built in 1888. The current church opened in 1958.
St Joseph's Church (More images)	Havant 50°51′11″N 0°59′24″W / 50.852979°N 0.990138°W / 50.852979; -0.990138 (St Joseph's Church, Havant)	Roman Catholic	–	This Catholic church opened in 1875. It replaced an older chapel.
Havant Spiritualist Church (More images)	Havant 50°51′05″N 0°59′11″W / 50.851374°N 0.986361°W / 50.851374; -0.986361	Spiritualist	–	This church opened in 1996.
Havant United Reformed Church (More images)	Havant 50°51′11″N 0°58′54″W / 50.852949°N 0.981589°W / 50.852949; -0.981589	United Reformed Church	–	This church opened in 1891, replacing an older, smaller chapel. It has a tall, thin spire.
St Peter's Church (More images)	Hayling Island 50°49′25″N 0°57′50″W / 50.823729°N 0.963752°W / 50.823729; -0.963752 (St Peter's Church, Hayling Island)	Anglican	I	This church is older than St Mary's, with some parts from the late 12th century. It has a wooden bell tower.
St Mary's Church (More images)	Hayling Island 50°47′44″N 0°58′37″W / 50.795469°N 0.976906°W / 50.795469; -0.976906 (St Mary's Church, Hayling Island)	Anglican	II*	St Mary's is a stone church from the mid-13th century. It has a short central tower with a tall, shingled spire.
St Andrew's Church (More images)	Hayling Island 50°46′54″N 0°57′43″W / 50.781588°N 0.962052°W / 50.781588; -0.962052	Anglican/Baptist	–	This church started in 1964. Since 2012, it has been shared by both Anglican and Baptist congregations.
Hayling Christian Centre (More images)	Hayling Island 50°47′27″N 0°58′37″W / 50.790721°N 0.976871°W / 50.790721; -0.976871	Elim Pentecostal	–	This building was originally a "Free Church mission hall" built in 1894. It is now used by a Pentecostal church.
St Patrick's Church (More images)	Hayling Island 50°47′58″N 0°58′55″W / 50.799308°N 0.981922°W / 50.799308; -0.981922	Roman Catholic	–	This church was built in 1924 and made much larger in 1964–66. It has a unique corner tower with a checkerboard pattern.
South Hayling United Reformed Church (More images)	Hayling Island 50°47′16″N 0°58′39″W / 50.787868°N 0.977452°W / 50.787868; -0.977452	United Reformed Church	–	A chapel for Congregationalists was built here in 1830. The building was damaged in World War II and rebuilt in 1954.
St Nicholas' Chapel (More images)	Langstone 50°50′21″N 0°58′51″W / 50.839115°N 0.980836°W / 50.839115; -0.980836 (St Nicholas' Chapel, Langstone)	Anglican	–	This small chapel was added to a house in 1868 for a family and the public. It is still used for worship today.
St Alban's Church (More images)	Leigh Park 50°52′04″N 0°58′17″W / 50.867851°N 0.971251°W / 50.867851; -0.971251 (St Alban's Church, Leigh Park)	Anglican	–	This church was built in 1966, replacing an earlier building. It has a unique timber-framed design inspired by Scandinavian architecture.
St Clare's Church (More images)	Leigh Park 50°52′35″N 0°59′52″W / 50.876392°N 0.997860°W / 50.876392; -0.997860 (St Clare's Church, Leigh Park)	Anglican	–	This church serves the Warren Park area of Leigh Park. It was dedicated in 1970.
St Francis' Church (More images)	Leigh Park 50°52′02″N 0°59′22″W / 50.867332°N 0.989380°W / 50.867332; -0.989380 (St Francis' Church, Leigh Park)	Anglican	–	This was the first permanent Anglican church in Leigh Park, opening in 1962. It has a distinctive humpback roof.
Leigh Park Baptist Church (More images)	Leigh Park 50°51′57″N 0°58′45″W / 50.865946°N 0.979083°W / 50.865946; -0.979083	Baptist	–	This church opened in 1957. It includes parts from a Baptist chapel in Portsmouth that was destroyed in World War II.
Bethel Evangelical Free Church (More images)	Leigh Park 50°52′14″N 0°59′24″W / 50.870576°N 0.990026°W / 50.870576; -0.990026	Evangelical	–	This church grew from a Sunday school that started in 1955. The current building opened in 1968.
Empower Centre Havant (More images)	Leigh Park 50°52′01″N 0°59′46″W / 50.866929°N 0.996003°W / 50.866929; -0.996003 (Empower Centre Havant, Leigh Park)	Non-denominational	–	This building was a Methodist church that opened in 1956. It is now used by Empower Community Church.
St Michael and All Angels Church (More images)	Leigh Park 50°52′10″N 0°59′22″W / 50.869488°N 0.989423°W / 50.869488; -0.989423	Roman Catholic	–	Catholic worship started in Leigh Park in 1951. This church was built in 1970, but it burned down in 2001 and was rebuilt in 2005.
Church of the Good Shepherd (More images)	Purbrook 50°51′36″N 1°01′43″W / 50.859981°N 1.028664°W / 50.859981; -1.028664	Anglican	–	This church in Crookhorn, Purbrook, was built in 1978 and is used for many purposes.
St John the Baptist's Church (More images)	Purbrook 50°52′04″N 1°02′42″W / 50.867776°N 1.044950°W / 50.867776; -1.044950	Anglican	II	This chapel was built in 1843 for Purbrook village. It has beautiful stained glass from 1858.
St Thomas a Becket Church (More images)	Warblington 50°50′37″N 0°57′57″W / 50.843698°N 0.965942°W / 50.843698; -0.965942	Anglican	I	This church is in a quiet area near Havant. Parts of its central tower are Anglo-Saxon.
St George's Church (More images)	Waterlooville 50°52′49″N 1°01′57″W / 50.880320°N 1.032595°W / 50.880320; -1.032595 (St George's Church, Waterlooville)	Anglican	–	Waterlooville's first Anglican church was built in 1830. A new, larger church was built in 1968–70, keeping only a small part of the old one.
Waterlooville Baptist Church (More images)	Waterlooville 50°53′05″N 1°01′35″W / 50.884702°N 1.026436°W / 50.884702; -1.026436	Baptist	–	An older Baptist church was built in 1884. The current modern church opened in 1966 and is known for its "simple and elegant" design.
Brethren Meeting Room (More images)	Waterlooville 50°53′02″N 1°01′43″W / 50.883813°N 1.028531°W / 50.883813; -1.028531	Plymouth Brethren Christian Church	–	This meeting room opened in 1972.
Church of the Sacred Heart and St Peter the Apostle (More images)	Waterlooville 50°52′59″N 1°01′40″W / 50.883181°N 1.027810°W / 50.883181; -1.027810	Roman Catholic	–	Waterlooville's new Catholic church was built in 2010–11. It has a "splendid" pine roof inside.
Wecock Church (More images)	Wecock Farm 50°54′04″N 1°01′52″W / 50.901160°N 1.031096°W / 50.901160; -1.031096 (Wecock Church, Wecock Farm)	Evangelical	–	This church is used by the Living Waters Christian Fellowship. It was originally a Catholic church that opened in 1978.

Former Places of Worship

Former places of worship
Name	Location	Religion	Grade	Notes
Bedhampton Gospel Hall (More images)	Bedhampton 50°51′18″N 0°59′56″W / 50.854944°N 0.998756°W / 50.854944; -0.998756 (Former Gospel Hall, Bedhampton)	Open Brethren	–	This building used to be a Gospel hall, registered in 1912. It is now a house.
Cowplain Evangelical Free Church	Cowplain 50°53′40″N 1°01′07″W / 50.894333°N 1.018568°W / 50.894333; -1.018568	Evangelical	–	This building was a mission hall from 1910. It was replaced by a new church in 1968 and is now a shop.
Independent Meeting House (More images)	Havant 50°51′07″N 0°58′50″W / 50.851856°N 0.980627°W / 50.851856; -0.980627	Congregational	II	Havant's first Nonconformist chapel was built in 1718. It was replaced by a larger church in 1891 and is now flats.
Havant Wesleyan Methodist Chapel (More images)	Havant 50°51′07″N 0°59′09″W / 50.852033°N 0.985705°W / 50.852033; -0.985705	Methodist	–	This Methodist chapel was built in 1888. It was replaced by a new church in 1958 and is now used for businesses.
North Hayling United Reformed Church (More images)	Hayling Island 50°48′48″N 0°58′36″W / 50.813237°N 0.976616°W / 50.813237; -0.976616	United Reformed Church	–	This chapel opened in 1874 and closed in 1991.
Purbrook Methodist Church (More images)	Purbrook 50°52′02″N 1°02′37″W / 50.867258°N 1.043648°W / 50.867258; -1.043648 (Former Methodist Church, Purbrook)	Methodist	–	This church was built in 1932. It closed after 2009 and is now a Masonic hall.
Purbrook Primitive Methodist Chapel	Purbrook 50°52′05″N 1°02′41″W / 50.867954°N 1.044755°W / 50.867954; -1.044755	Methodist	–	This old chapel from 1879 is now used as the church hall for St John the Baptist's Church.
Kingdom Hall	Waterlooville 50°53′10″N 1°01′58″W / 50.886242°N 1.032833°W / 50.886242; -1.032833	Jehovah's Witnesses	–	This building was a Kingdom Hall from 1966 to 2010.
Gospel Hall (More images)	Waterlooville 50°52′29″N 1°02′17″W / 50.874636°N 1.038129°W / 50.874636; -1.038129 (Former Gospel Hall, Waterlooville)	Open Brethren	–	This building was a Gospel hall until after 2002, but it is now closed.
Church of the Sacred Heart	Waterlooville 50°52′56″N 1°01′34″W / 50.882195°N 1.026119°W / 50.882195; -1.026119	Roman Catholic	II	This building was part of a convent built in 1889. A unique chapel was added in 1923, with three worship areas.

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