MEMBERS were treated to a fascinating account of the history of St Ann’s Church at Portsmouth’s naval base by local historian Wendy Smith, a former history teacher at Cams Hall school, Fareham.
Mrs Smith cantered through more than three hundred years of the church’s life in a delightful talk, illustrated with slides and peppered with anecdotes connected to the building or some of its many historic contents.
The church today stands some one hundred metres from the original chapel that was consecrated in 1704. It was built after a petition to the then Lord High Admiral Prince George of Denmark and everyone in the dockyard was said to be happy to have two pence a month deducted from his pay towards it.
In order to build a larger house for the Admiralty Commissioner who would at times entertain important visitors, such as the King, it was decided to demolish the original dock chapel. With most of this work done a consecration stone was discovered.
“Imagine the consternation and embarrassment as messengers on horseback rushed to the bishop at Winchester to get retrospective permission,” said Wendy. When the new church held its inaugural service the Reverend took his text from the Book of Job and it could be summarised as “I wish I’d never been born.”
An original seating plan, still in the church today, shows how the members of the congregation were seated strictly according to their importance within the dockyard hierarchy. “Most of the wives and all visitors were banished to the upstairs gallery,” she said.
It was surprising to learn that Thomas Telford was involved in supervising the building work when he was drafted in as a sort of clerk of works.
Describing some of the memorials in the church, too many to list, Wendy said that the most interesting item of naval history in her view is one that cannot be seen.
“It’s a memorial to the navy’s equivalent of the unknown soldier and it’s under the carpet in front of the lectern,” she said.
Because the church is not part of the Portsmouth diocese they donate money, from service collections for example, to charity every month. “The church is very much alive and active today,” said Wendy.
A vote of thanks was proposed by Tracy Gardiner.