St Mark's Church, Hadlow Down facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mark's Church |
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| Church of St Mark the Evangelist | |
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The church from the southeast
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| 50°59′48″N 0°10′43″E / 50.9967°N 0.1787°E | |
| Location | Main Road, Hadlow Down, East Sussex TN22 4HY |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Modern Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | 1834 |
| Founder(s) | Benjamin Hall |
| Dedication | Mark the Evangelist |
| Consecrated | 6 May 1836 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 31 December 1982 |
| Architect(s) | William Moseley (1834 building); George Fellowes Prynne (1913 rebuilding) |
| Style | Perpendicular Gothic Revival |
| Completed | 1836 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Buxted and Hadlow Down |
| Deanery | Rural Deanery of Uckfield |
| Archdeaconry | Lewes and Hastings |
| Diocese | Chichester |
| Province | Canterbury |
St Mark's Church is an Anglican church located in the village of Hadlow Down, which is in East Sussex, England. It is dedicated to St Mark the Evangelist.
A local resident named Benjamin Hall started the church in 1834. He wanted to build a place of worship for the people in the village. Even though there were other churches nearby, St Mark's became very popular. It was made bigger in 1913.
The church is built from stone and has a tall spire. It is also known for its "living churchyard," which is a special nature reserve. Today, St Mark's Church is the only place of worship left in Hadlow Down. It is a Grade II listed building, meaning it is an important historical and architectural site.
Contents
The Story of St Mark's Church
How Hadlow Down Got Its Name
The name Hadlow Down comes from old Saxon times. It was first called Headda's leah, which meant "Headda's forest clearing." The word "Down" was added later, in the 1300s, because the area has hills. The village as we know it today started to grow in the early 1800s.
Why a New Church Was Needed
Hadlow Down was located between two large parishes, Buxted and Mayfield. This meant villagers had to travel over three miles to reach their churches. Benjamin Hall, who lived in Hadlow Down, was worried that many people could not attend church.
Also, a different kind of church, called Providence Chapel, had opened in the village in 1824. This chapel was for Nonconformist Protestants, who were not part of the main Church of England. Hall wanted to make sure people had a Church of England option closer to home.
In 1834, he asked the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Howley, for permission and money to build a new church. Hall explained that "very many poor children [were] wandering about the lanes in ignorance." The Archbishop agreed to help. Soon after, new groups were formed to help fund the building of new churches.
Building the Church
Most people in Hadlow Down were poor farm workers at the time. Even so, Benjamin Hall worked hard to raise money. He wrote a document explaining why the church was needed. He said that about 700 people lived in the area, and their churches were too far away.
He also listed how much money was needed for building and for the vicar's salary. Many people donated, from important local figures to local farmworkers. The church also received money from a fund called "Queen Anne's Bounty." The 5th Earl De La Warr even gave stone for the walls.
A local company built the church based on designs by William Moseley. He designed several Gothic Revival churches in Sussex. St Mark's was similar to another church he was building in Forest Row. It had a main hall (nave), a special area for the altar (chancel), and a tower with a slim spire. The church could hold about 420 people.
Building started in April 1835 and finished in 1836. Archbishop William Howley officially opened the church on May 6, 1836. A year later, the church became a full parish church.
Changes and Repairs
Over time, the church faced some problems. By 1913, the spire was too heavy for the tower, causing damage. Charles Lang Huggins, a relative of Benjamin Hall, paid for the church to be rebuilt. He even provided stone from his own land.
The architect George Fellowes Prynne designed the new work. He made the chancel completely new and added aisles to the nave. The tower and spire were also repaired. An interesting small bell tower, called a "bellcote," was added to the roof. Electric lighting was also installed.
The Bishop of Chichester, Charles Ridgeway, officially reopened the church in October 1913.
The Living Churchyard
In 1931, people became concerned about the churchyard being overgrown. They wanted to tidy it up. However, this plan did not fully succeed. Over the years, many wild flowers grew in the churchyard. Now, it is cared for as a nature reserve by a project called "Living Churchyard."
A famous person buried here is Brigadier-General Edmund Costello, who won the Victoria Cross for bravery in 1897.
Exploring St Mark's Architecture
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St Mark's Church is built in the Gothic Revival style, which was popular in the 1800s. It looks like churches from the 14th century, known as the Perpendicular style. The entire church is made from local stone.
At the west end, there is a short tower with a spire on top. The bottom of the tower forms a porch, which is the entrance. Inside, the main hall (nave) has an arched roof and aisles on both sides. These aisles lead to a Lady chapel (a small chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary) and a vestry (a room for the clergy). There is also a small bellcote on the roof of the chancel.
Inside the church, you can see a beautiful wrought iron screen called a rood screen. There are also stained glass windows. The large east window is from the early 1900s. Smaller stained glass windows were added to the Lady chapel in 1949–50.
You can also find a painting called Madonna of the Magnificat. It was painted by Edward Arthur Fellowes Prynne, the architect's brother. He created many paintings and stained glass designs for churches. Charles Lang Huggins bought this painting and gave it to St Mark's Church.
Other windows include two by Percy Bacon from the early 1900s, showing "Madonna & child with angels" and "Suffer little children." There is also a smaller window by Francis Skeat from 1948, which shows the Christian year using wild flowers.
St Mark's Church Today
St Mark's Church was officially recognized as a Grade II listed building on December 31, 1982. This means it is a "nationally important" building with "special interest." In 2001, it was one of over 2,000 Grade II listed buildings in the Wealden area.
The church is now part of a larger parish that includes Buxted. This parish, called Buxted and Hadlow Down, covers a large countryside area. It serves about 5,000 people.
St Mark's Church also has a close connection with St Mark's Church of England Primary School. The school was built next to the church in the late 1800s. It serves a large area, mostly made up of rural communities.
See also
