Did you know that the current St Faith’s Church Building is not the first one on Victoria Square ?
When Lee-on-the-Solent was first planned, Victoria Square was set aside for a church and a temporary tin church was erected in 1894.
The construction of the Lee-on-the-Solent seaside resort continued to develop and the growing population required a larger church. To meet this need, a new church building was built in Victoria Square and was opened on 21st June 1933.
The new church building was designed by the architects John Seely and Paul Paget who delighted in melding traditional and contemporary styles and materials. Their skill enabled the building to sit comfortably within the traditional look of the surrounding properties, with its subtle brick patterns concealing a bold and exciting experimental design for the interior.
When you step inside the church you are met with a view of remarkable tall smooth flowing arches that dominate the interior of the church. These art-deco inspired arches designed by Seely and Paget are made of reinforced-concrete and were cast in situ, which was ground-breaking technology in 1933 and is the primary reason why the church is now a Grade 2 listed structure.
The church was originally designed to seat 400 people and it served the community well for many decades, however, the world kept changing and in the 1970s the it was realised that more space was needed to operate effectively. In response, the church built a modern extension on the north side called the Lowry Room with it’s own kitchen and church office.
The population in Lee-on-the-Solent continued to expand and in the 1990’s the church started fundraising to add a second, bigger hall with its own kitchen and a proper reception area. This new development was called the Parish Centre.
The Parish Centre with the Bulson Hall and the Lowry Room are in use nearly every day by lots of different groups of people. For further information about bookings contact us at http://stfaithsparishcentre.org.uk/
Today, St Faith’s is more than just a church, it is a purpose-built community facility just 200 metres from the seafront with its own green space, two separate halls and kitchens and the versatile Seely and Paget church building.
You can find out a lot more about the history of St Faith’s Church in our new publication called Ninety which was published in 2023 to celebrate the church building’s 90th anniversary.
Click on this link for details about how to purchase this limited edition book.