The Parish of Holy Trinity with St Columba, Fareham

The Present St Columba Church

By the end of the 1950's it was felt that the site of the old tin tabernacle was inappropriate as it was both small and at the western edge of the parish. The new housing estates were developing further east, both north and south of Highlands Road. A site was eventually obtained at the junction of Hillson Drive and Highlands Road. The old church in Catisfield still received gifts, including a processional cross, and many did not want to make the move.

In 1961 plans for a new St Columba church were drawn up, but at an estimated cost of £22,000, were adjudged too expensive. The design was then modified to come within a budget cost of £17,500, and this was the design to which the new church was built. Mr Goodman laid the foundation stone in May 1962, and the church was dedicated in February 1963, after a Service of 9 Lessons and Carols.

A picture taken (see aside) from the balcony before the start of the dedication service. Note no curtain or sanctuary cross.

The link with lona was imaginatively preserved by using a carved granite stone from the old ruined abbey church on lona (St Columba's home) as a font. The block of stone was delivered by a submarine (HMS Alderney) returning from a patrol off the west coast of Scotland to HMS Dolphin in Gosport, and this episode deserves a story all on its own. A plaque in the present church commemorates this action by the Royal Navy.

The new St Columba church now had a Priest-in-Charge living in Oak Road.

Allen Cole became Organist and Choirmaster in 1964. In 1966 St Columba and Holy Trinity were declared Inter-dependant, with a joint PCC and a Churchwarden and Deputy for each. St Columba was at last licensed for weddings.

The new church incorporated many items from the old church, including the Dove from Mrs Napier's window, clergy chairs and the candlestick holders.

 

The service pattern centred on the 9.30am Family Service, instead of Matins, and an Intercessions group started, among other innovations. In the late 1960's, the fine blue aisle carpet was given, the gold curtains, reputedly as fitted on the QE2 were hung, with the Sanctuary Cross given by Archdeacon Tiarks in memory of his daughter.

In 1970, the Bishop noted in The Link that St Columba "for all its appalling problems is one of the most flourishing daughter churches in the Diocese".

The Hall was built in 1971, a product of energetic fund-raising and generous donations. This had followed a similar story to the building of the church in that the structure had to be built within a very tight budget. In the same year, the Queen by Order in Council set up the Team Ministry covering St Columba and Holy Trinity with Revd. Simon Burrows as Rector, Revd. Martin Pierce as Vicar of St Columba, and Revd. Geoffrey Neale as Vicar for Education.

At about this time the roof of the church started leaking, (otherwise known as interstitial condensation!) and this was a saga which continued for about 10 years before it was finally expensively solved.

The tenth anniversary of the new church (1973) was celebrated by the building of a Vicarage adjoining the Church.

In the same year the late Louise Wellman started the Friendship Club and we saw the start of a scheme for gifted members of the parish for Celtic Cross kneelers, started by Mary Holliday-Bishop and Alison Joint, and also with the Roman Catholics using the church for weekly services.

In 1979 Quest groups for 11 to 13 year olds were started and St Columba had a Youth Club with 163 members. Jane Taylor (now Canon Steward of Westminster Abbey and Archdeacon of Westminster) became the parish's first Deaconess. The first lona pilgrimage took place that year, and a second in 1989, this led to the inauguration by Revd. John Williams of a new monthly Iona style Sunday evening service, in which greater participation by the congregation is encouraged.

There are now pilgrimages to Iona every few years.

A new gas central heating system was installed in 1975 by Philip Riley and Graham Pike, a great improvement over the original overhead electric heaters. The choir sang in Portsmouth Cathedral for the new Bishop Ronald. In 1978, Jubilee kneelers were made, Catisfield West Guides presented a credence cupboard to replace the hole in the wall, and with their new Allen organ, the choir sang Stainer's Crucifixion.

In the 1980's there were innovations like the Pike Hike on New Year's Day, and the Parish Camp in the summer, the children's project days, and the all-age Parish Experience. There were also the ecumenical Men's Breakfast, and participation in the "Good News to You in Fareham" mission.

In the following year, Heather Carling's Lincoln Mystery Play led to the start of the Three Churches Touring Company. This church theatre group used St Columba Church as a home base for its performances, which have included "The Fox and the Dove" - the story of St Columba's life, and in 1991, the Centenary year, "Colum Cille" - an impression of the life of St Columba in poetry and music.

Also in 1991 for the centenary, the choir (still under Allen Cole!) donned new red robes in preparation for even greater musical performances.

Meanwhile the work of St Columba Church goes forward. The old St Columba was a mission church, which became like a traditional Parish church in miniature.

The new St Columba built as a mission church to serve the new estates has grown and established its own niche in present-day Fareham.

The hall built adjacent to the new church in 1971 is now near the end of its life and so prompted a review of the whole site. This review arose out of the Vision 2002 consultation process and now the parish is in the process of formulating a new Parish Plan to take the development forward. A follow up Vision Development Day was held on 2nd February 2003 and now plans are being considered for the reordering of the church, a new hall with additional facilities for use by both our neighbours as well as the congregation.

To bring the story up to-date see also the St Columba Project pages for information about what is hopefully going to happen in the next couple of years.