Freshwater Bay, St Agnes Church

St Agnes Church, Freshwater Bay

The picturesque thatched church of St Agnes, Freshwater Bay, was erected in 1908 and paid for by public subscription. The church nestles at the foot of Tennyson Down and is the only thatched church on the Isle of Wight.

History

The church has close links to the Tennyson family, who lived at Farringford, a few hundred yards to the west. The land on which it stands was given by Hallam Tennyson, 2nd Baron Tennyson, who succeeded to his title on his father Alfred's death in 1892. Lord Tennyson wife, Audrey, suggested the dedication to St Agnes.

The church was built with stone scavenged from a derelict farmhouse on Hooke Hill that was pulled down. One stone rescued from the farmhouse is preserved in the south transept and you can see that it is carved with the date 1694, presumably when the farmhouse was built (or rebuilt). This is NOT the date the church itself was built!

The church interior

The farmhouse that supplied the stone for the new church was the birthplace of the architect and philosopher Robert Hooke (d. 1703).

The church is compact, with a rounded apse at the east end and a bell turret over the western gable. The entrance is via a south porch.

Interior highlights include lovely early 20th-century woodwork by TG Devitt, who served as curate from 1942-46. There is a wooden screen separating the nave and chancel, installed in 1943. The screen is beautifully decorated with carvings depicting vines and foliage.

The 20th-century screen

On the wall is a plaque in memory of Anne Ritchie, the daughter of the writer William Makepeace Thackeray. Anne was married to Sir Richmond Ritchie. Her epitaph reads in part:

'Her writing reveals the inheritance of genius. Her life the inspiration of loving kindness. Born June 9th 1837. Died February 26th 1919.'

This is a simple church, but worth visiting for the wonderful interior woodwork and the picturesque thatched exterior.

Beautifully-carved choir stalls

St Agnes is linked to the nearby - and much earlier - medieval church of All Saints, Freshwater.

Getting There

St Agnes Church stands on Gate Lane, opposite the junction of Guyers Road and Blackbridge Road. There is no dedicated car park that we could see, but it was easy for us to park along the road verge. The church was open when we visited.