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St Mark's Church,Harrogate
St. Mark's Church, Harrogate.jpg
St Mark's Church,Harrogate
St Mark's Church,Harrogate is located in England
St Mark's Church,Harrogate
St Mark's Church,Harrogate
Location in England
53°58′55.73″N 1°32′8.86″W / 53.9821472°N 1.5357944°W / 53.9821472; -1.5357944
Denomination Church of England
Churchmanship Charismatic open evangelical
Website http://www.smch.org.uk
History
Dedication St. Mark
Administration
Parish Harrogate St Mark
Deanery Harrogate
Archdeaconry Richmond and Craven
Diocese Diocese of Leeds
Province Province of York

St. Mark's Church, Harrogate is a special parish church in the Church of England. You can find it in the town of Harrogate, England. This church is considered a very important building because it is a Grade II listed building. This means it has a lot of history and special features that are protected by law.

The History of St. Mark's Church

How the Church Started

The people who wanted to worship at St. Mark's first gathered together in 1893. They held their church services in a small "mission room" before the main church was built.

The church building itself was constructed in 1898. It was designed by a famous architect named John Oldrid Scott. The church officially opened its doors on July 21, 1899. The opening ceremony was led by William Boyd Carpenter, who was the Bishop of Ripon at that time.

Building Details and Changes

The church has a main area called a nave, with side sections known as aisles. There is also a porch on the south side where people enter. The chancel is the part of the church near the altar, and it has a small chapel and a room called a vestry. On the north side, there is a special room for the church organ.

The very front part of the church, known as the west end, was finished between 1920 and 1959. However, the original plans included a tall tower for this part, but it was never built.

Modern Day Church

St. Mark's Church was carefully repaired and updated in 1997. It was reopened by David Young, who was also a Bishop of Ripon.

Today, St. Mark's Church is part of the Anglican Diocese of Leeds. It follows certain traditions within the Church of England, known as charismatic and open evangelical ways of worship.

The Church Organ

St. Mark's Church has a beautiful organ. It was first built by a company called Robert Hope-Jones. Over the years, the organ has been rebuilt and updated several times.

In 1907, it was rebuilt by Norman and Beard. Later, in 1951, it was worked on again by Hill, Norman and Beard. More recently, parts of the organ were rebuilt in 1980 by John Jackson, and again in 1982 by Peter Wood and Son. You can find more detailed information about this organ on the National Pipe Organ Register website.

People Connected to the Church

Some notable people have been part of St. Mark's Church. For example, Arun Arora used to work here as a curate. A curate is a priest who is still training and learning about church work. Arun Arora later became the Director of Communications for the entire Church of England.

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