St. Mark's Episcopal Church (Ashland, New Hampshire) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
St. Mark's Episcopal Church
|
|
 |
|
 Location in New Hampshire
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 6-8 Highland Street Ashland, New Hampshire |
|---|---|
| Area | 0.8 acres (0.32 ha) |
| Built | 1859 |
| Architect | Hart, J. Coleman |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 84000522 |
| Added to NRHP | December 13, 1984 |
St. Mark's Episcopal Church is a special old church in Ashland, New Hampshire. It is part of the Episcopal Church in the United States. People started gathering for services here in 1855.
The church building you see today was finished in 1859. It was designed by an architect named J. Coleman Hart from New York City. This church is famous for its unique look, called Gothic Revival style. It uses a mix of brick and wood in a special way. Because of its history and design, the church building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 13, 1984.
Contents
About the Church Building
St. Mark's Church is located in the center of Ashland. It is on the east side of Highland Street, close to the town hall. The church is a single-story building. Its outside walls are made with a special style called half-timbering. This means there are wooden frames filled in with bricks. The bricks are usually laid in a pattern called a stretcher bond. The whole building sits on a strong granite foundation.
Special Design Features
The church has beautiful stained glass windows. These windows are set into their own sections. They have arched tops that look like a five-leaf clover, called cinquefoil arches.
To the southeast of the main church building, there is a tall tower. This tower has an open belfry, which is where the church bells are. On top of the belfry is a hip roof. This roof then changes into an eight-sided steeple. The steeple is covered with wood shingles that look like fish scales.
History of St. Mark's
The Episcopal group in Ashland started in 1855. At first, they met in the town's union church. Planning for their own church building began in 1857. The very first services in the new building were held on Christmas Day in 1859. The church was officially opened in 1863 after all its building costs were paid.
Unique Architecture
The church was designed by J. Coleman Hart. His design is a great example of Gothic Revival architecture. It is unusual because it uses brick and timber instead of just stone or wood. This makes it stand out. It is the only known church in New Hampshire's Lakes Region built in this special style. The building next to the church, called the parish house, was built in 1899. It is a good example of Shingle style architecture.
See also
