St Mark's Church, Great Wyrley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mark's Church |
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The church in April 2006
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| 52°39′58″N 2°01′25.02″W / 52.66611°N 2.0236167°W | |
| Location | Great Wyrley |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Dedication | St Mark |
| Consecrated | 22 July 1845 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Thomas Johnson |
| Style | Early English |
| Groundbreaking | 1844 |
| Completed | 1845 |
| Construction cost | £2,800 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Great Wyrley |
| Deanery | Rugeley |
| Archdeaconry | Lichfield |
| Diocese | Diocese of Lichfield |
St Mark's Church is a special church located in Great Wyrley, a village in South Staffordshire, England. It's known as the parish church for the area. A parish church serves a specific local community.
St Mark's is famous for two main reasons. First, it was home to Shapurji Edalji, who became the very first vicar (a type of priest) of South Asian background in any Church of England parish. Second, it's connected to his son, George Edalji. George faced a difficult time but was later proven innocent with help from the famous writer Arthur Conan Doyle, who created Sherlock Holmes!
Contents
The History of St Mark's Church
This beautiful stone church was built in 1845. It was designed in an early English style, which is a type of architecture from a long time ago. Along with the church, a house for the vicar (called a vicarage) and a school were also built.
The architect who designed these buildings was Thomas Johnson from Lichfield. The church was officially opened and blessed on July 22, 1845, by John Lonsdale, who was the Bishop of Lichfield at that time.
Who Were the Edaljis?
Shapurji Edalji became the vicar of St Mark's Church after the previous vicar, who was his wife's uncle, arranged it as a wedding gift. Being a vicar was a very important job back then, and it was hard to get such a position.
Reverend Edalji and his family moved into the large vicarage in late 1875. His son, George, was born there soon after. Reverend Edalji was a strong leader and sometimes had discussions about church matters.
Shapurji Edalji passed away in 1918 and is buried in the churchyard.
St Mark's Church Today
St Mark's Church works closely with another local church, St Andrew's, Landywood. They are managed together to serve the community.
Next to St Mark's Church, there is a church hall. This hall is used for different community activities and events.
As of March 2015, the vicar of St Mark's Church is the Reverend Graham Horner.
The Church Organ
St Mark's Church has a pipe organ built by Nicholson in the year 2000. An earlier organ was damaged by a fire, so this newer one was installed. You can find more details about this organ on the National Pipe Organ Register website.
