Portsmouth Cathedral
Portsmouth Cathedral took eight hundred years to build. It began as a chapel of the 1180s dedicated to Thomas Becket, became a parish church rebuilt after the Civil War, and was made a cathedral in 1927; the extension begun in the 1930s was halted by the war and only completed in 1991. The result is an unusual building of three ages, full of memories of the Navy, a few minutes’ walk from the harbour.
Becket's chapel by the harbour
In about 1180 a Norman merchant, Jean de Gisors, gave land for a chapel in honour of Thomas Becket, who had been murdered a few years before; it was dedicated in 1188. Its quire and transepts still stand. In 1642, during the Civil War, Parliamentary guns firing across the harbour from Gosport wrecked the tower and the nave. They were rebuilt between 1683 and 1693, and in 1703 a cupola was added to the tower, with a lantern to guide ships.
When the Diocese of Portsmouth was created in 1927, the parish church became its cathedral. Sir Charles Nicholson’s plan to enlarge it was begun in 1935 but stopped in 1940, and for fifty years the unfinished nave ended in a temporary brick wall. It was finally completed in 1991.
The visitor's cheat sheet
| Where | High Street, Old Portsmouth, PO1 2HA |
|---|---|
| Getting there | A short walk from Portsmouth Harbour station and Gunwharf Quays; buses 3, 20, 25, 700 and X4; no parking at the cathedral |
| Opening hours | Daily; roughly 9am–6.30pm weekdays, 9am–4pm Saturday, 8am–early evening Sunday; may close for services and events |
| Admission | Free; donations welcome, £5 suggested |
| How long | About an hour |
| Best time | A weekday, ending with Choral Evensong (check the service list) |
| Dress code | None; it is a working cathedral |
| Tours | Free informal tours when guides are on duty (Tuesday–Saturday); booked tours £10 each for the first four, then £5 each (minimum £40); occasional tower tours |
Hours and admission checked against the official site in October 2026. They change; the official site is always the last word.
The Golden Barque. The gilded ship on top of the tower has been the cathedral’s emblem since 1710. The original, damaged in 1954, is now inside the cathedral, in the north aisle of the nave; a copy sails on the tower, re-gilded in 2016.
What to see, in the order you meet it
The nave and the font
You enter at the west end, into the bright nave finished in 1991. Look for the font, made in 1991 on a ninth-century Greek design, and the original Golden Barque in the north aisle.
The old nave and the Navy Aisle
Further east is the nave of the 1690s, with its pulpit of 1693. In the Navy Aisle is the grave of the unknown seaman from the Mary Rose, buried here in 1984, and the cathedral’s D-Day memorial windows recall the invasion fleet that sailed from Portsmouth in 1944.
The medieval quire
At the east end is the quire of about 1180–90, the oldest part of the building and some of the best-preserved work of its age in the region. In the south quire aisle is the monument to George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, who was stabbed to death at an inn in Portsmouth High Street in 1628.
Visiting
Visiting and tours
Entry is by donation, with £5 suggested. Group tours can be booked through the cathedral website.
The hotel link goes to Booking.com. This site earns nothing from it at present — it is here because it is the quickest way to check what is actually available.
Don't miss
- The medieval quire Becket’s chapel of the 1180s.
- The Golden Barque The original, inside.
- The Mary Rose seaman In the Navy Aisle.
- The Buckingham monument A murdered royal favourite.
- The D-Day windows Memorials to Operation Overlord.
- Choral Evensong Check the service list for times.
Insider tips
Combine it with the harbour. The cathedral is in Old Portsmouth, a short walk from the old harbour walls and Gunwharf Quays, and about fifteen minutes on foot from the Historic Dockyard, where the Mary Rose itself is on display.
Common questions
Is Portsmouth Cathedral free to visit?
Entry is by donation, with £5 per person suggested. Volunteer guides are often on duty from Tuesday to Saturday and will show you round informally; ask at the welcome desk.
When is Portsmouth Cathedral open?
The cathedral is open every day for worship and visiting. Its published visiting hours are roughly 9am to 6.30pm on weekdays, 9am to 4pm on Saturdays and 8am to early evening on Sundays, but it can close for large services and events, so check the cathedral website before a special trip. The service list on the website gives the times of Choral Evensong.
Is a sailor from the Mary Rose buried here?
Yes. When Henry VIII’s warship the Mary Rose was raised in 1982, the remains of an unknown seaman were among those found. He was buried in the cathedral on 19 July 1984, in the Navy Aisle, under a gravestone of Welsh slate.
Can you book a guided tour?
Yes. Pre-booked tours last about an hour and run between 10am and 4pm: £10 each for the first four people and £5 each after that, with a minimum of £40. Tower tours are only offered occasionally, for example on Heritage Open Days.
How do you get to Portsmouth Cathedral?
The cathedral is on the High Street in Old Portsmouth, a short walk from Portsmouth Harbour station and Gunwharf Quays, and a little further from the Historic Dockyard. There is no parking at the cathedral and little in Old Portsmouth, so the train is the easiest way.
Where to stay and eat nearby
The cathedral has no café, but Old Portsmouth has pubs and cafés within a few minutes’ walk, and Gunwharf Quays has many more.
More English churches
- Winchester Cathedral — under an hour inland
- Chichester Cathedral — half an hour along the coast
- Romsey Abbey — a Norman abbey church in Hampshire