St Patrick's Church, Hayling Island
St Patrick's is the Catholic parish church of Hayling Island, located between Portsmouth and the Thorney Island peninsula.
History
The earliest firm evidence of Christianity on Hayling Island dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, although it is quite possible that the religion was practised on the island in the last century or two of Roman rule. There was a Saxon church dedicated to All Saints, which probably now lies under water following the loss of a sizeable portion of the island to the sea in 1324.
Queen Emma, wife first of Ethelred the Unready and then of Canute, gave the manor of Hayling to the monks of St Swithun at Winchester Cathedral. After the Norman conquest, William the Conqueror granted most of Hayling to the Benedictine Abbey of Jumièges in Normandy, which received its agricultural income. There followed a long period of legal disputes between Jumièges Abbey and the Winchester Monks, who held on to a small part of northern Hayling. At various times over the next few centuries, during times of hostility with France, English monarchs took control of priories owned by French abbeys, including that of Hayling Island.
The Church
The diocesan trustees bought a piece of land in Manor Road in 1914 thanks to their benefactress, Emily Louise Colman. A temporary church or hall may have been built on the land, as construction of the present church did not start until 1924. The church is an interesting design by Wilfrid Clarence Mangan, working with his elder brother James Henry. W.C Mangan was one of the most prolific Catholic architects of the inter- and post-war years. As with his earlier church at Romsey, St Patrick's shows Mangan's early Arts and Crafts tendencies, albeit with a pronounced neo-Romanesque character. The tower is a particularly pleasing element of the composition. As at St Colman's Portsmouth and his New Milton church, Mangan uses chequerboard patterns, reflecting local vernacular building traditions.
The building, which was handed over to Canon Bailey of Havant in March 1925, was designed to seat 130 people and cost £12,000. The first parish priest was appointed in May 1927. The original church consisted of an unaisled nave, with an asymmetrically-placed tower over the entrance at the west end. Shallow transepts projected from the east end of the nave. The church was extended at a cost of £26,000 between 1964 and 1966. The 1960s extension makes the church T-shaped, with large transepts projecting either side of the sanctuary. This has the unusual result that the presiding minister at services has their congregation facing them from 3 different directions. The newly-enlarged church, which now sat 350, was opened on 17 March 1966 and consecrated on 28 September 1984. In 1973 a presbytery was built on land to the northeast of the church.
The interior of the church has a central gallery in the west end supported by squat columns. Below the gallery is a narrow vestibule. The ceiling is a pointed barrel-vault, with a carved plaster cornice and curving ribs. The extension is supported by plain painted columns. The whole is light and airy, and well worth a look inside if the church is open.
The Cache
Immediately to the right of a green sign pointing to St. Patrick's Catholic Church Hall is a short, straight path about 60 feet long. All the answers you are looking for can be seen easily from the path, before the statue at the end.
- AB = day of the month Captain Arnold was born
- CD = last 2 digits of the year Michael Higgins was born
- On Frank and Nellie's grave, Frank died in 19E0 and the last digit of the year Nellie died is F
- Hans died on GH/J/KLMN
The cache is not placed within church grounds. You can find it at N50 4(B+N).EF(J-M) W00(F-D) N(J+B).LK(D-L). The checksum for all 15 digits of the final co-ordinates is 64.
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