In Cobden Avenue, on the corner with Thorold Road.
Bitterne Park, mostly farmland at the time, was originally part of the parish of South Stoneham. The purchase of the land, consequent building of new housing and the opening, in 1883, of the Cobden Free Bridge, resulted in the new suburb’s rapid growth. There followed a decision to carve out a new parish, and so, in 1899, an iron church was brought across the new bridge from St Barnabas parish and erected in Thorold Road, approximately where 27 Thorold Road is now. The first priest, the Rev. E. S. Alger, said he found the “tin tabernacle” miserably cold.
Congregations increased in size and so a permanent church was built on the corner of Cobden Avenue and Thorold Road. It was consecrated on 3 February, 1926.
This impressive replacement was designed by Sir Charles Nicholson, the foremost church architect of his day. His brother Archibald was responsible for some of the beautiful stained-glass windows which, Sir John Betjeman once declared, were “worth coming far to see.” Part of the cost of the new church came from the proceeds of the sale of St Laurence’s Church in Southampton High Street.
The church building progressed slowly as it was discovered, during building, that there was sandy soil at the west end of the site necessitating 20′ concrete piles being sunk. Building was completed in 1957 but still lacks the small spire shown on Sir Charles’ original design. The 18th century pulpit formerly stood in the chapel of King’s College, Cambridge.
During the Second World War the stained-glass windows, many donated by Mrs Milner-White and family, were evacuated to Somerset. The late Forties and Fifties saw the completion of the tower and the hanging of the peal of eight bells.
The church is Grade II listed.
