Search churches in Portsmouth
Find churches across Portsea Island and the wider Portsmouth area.
Cathedrals and historic churches
- Portsmouth Cathedral (St Thomas of Canterbury): begun around 1180 in Old Portsmouth, part medieval, part 17th century, completed only in 1991. Its golden barque weathervane says everything about this most nautical of English cathedrals, and its choir sings to a congregation that has included sailors for centuries.
- St John's Catholic Cathedral: the Victorian Gothic cathedral of the Diocese of Portsmouth, in the city centre near the Guildhall, with daily Mass and a growing international congregation.
- Royal Garrison Church: the 13th-century church where Charles II married Catherine of Braganza, roofless since a 1941 firebomb raid and preserved as a memorial beside the seafront.
- St Mary's, Portsea: a vast late-Victorian parish church, one of the grandest in the south, where Charles Dickens was baptised in an earlier building on the site.
Church life in the island city
Portsmouth's density, the highest of any British city outside London, gives it an unusually walkable church landscape. The Anglican and Catholic dioceses both take their names from the city, and their parishes cover every neighbourhood from Old Portsmouth to North End. The most visible recent change has been church planting: Harbour Church, launched in a former department store in 2016, has grown rapidly among students and young adults and planted further congregations along the coast. Baptist, Methodist and Elim Pentecostal churches continue long traditions, Southsea supports a range of independent evangelical congregations, and African, Filipino and Eastern European communities have added new life to established parishes. Naval chaplaincy remains part of the city's fabric, as it has been for generations.
Browse Portsmouth churches in the directory
See every church we list in Portsmouth, or explore Southampton, Winchester and the rest of the county on our Hampshire county page.
Practical notes for visitors
- Sunday services mostly begin between 9.30am and 11am; Harbour Church and other larger congregations hold several services through the day.
- The cathedral in Old Portsmouth is open daily and free; combine it with the seafront walk past the Garrison Church and the Square Tower.
- Portsmouth Harbour and Portsmouth and Southsea stations put most city churches within a 20-minute walk.
- Parking on Portsea Island is tight; on Sundays arrive early or use the park and ride.
Frequently asked questions
Why does Portsmouth have two cathedrals?
The Anglican and Roman Catholic churches each established a diocese named for the city, the Catholic diocese in 1882 and the Anglican in 1927. Each has its own cathedral, a short walk apart.
What happened to the Royal Garrison Church?
Incendiary bombs destroyed its nave roof in 1941. The chancel was saved and is still used for occasional services, while the open nave stands as a memorial to the city's military and naval history.