St Mark's Church, Nottingham facts for kids

St Mark's Church, Nottingham was a Church of England church located in Nottingham, UK. It stood on a part of Huntingdon Street that used to be called Windsor Street. The church was active from 1856 until it was taken down in 1958.

History of the Church

The very first stone of the church, called the foundation stone, was put in place on 15 June 1853. A special ceremony was held with the Lord Bishop and Robert Holden, who laid the stone. Inside the stone, a message was placed in a hidden space.

St Mark's became its own church area, or parish, in 1855. Before that, it was part of the St Mary's Church, Nottingham parish. The land for the church was given for free by G. J. P. Smith. It was a large area, about 3,176 square yards, which used to be part of an old field called Clay Field. The church building itself cost about £4,000, which would be worth a lot more money today (around £259,390 in 2021).

The church was built as a "Trustee's Church" under a special law. This meant it was managed by a group of trustees. These trustees included Henry Kingscote, Francis Wright, Revd. Charles Eyre, and Revd. Joshua William Brooks.

Building Design and Features

The church was designed by an architect named Robert Jalland. He used a style called "Early English thin Gothic perpendicular." This style often includes tall, narrow windows and pointed arches. The church had two tall, eight-sided towers at the west end, topped with decorative "pepper pots."

Inside, St Mark's Church could seat 1,100 people. Half of these seats were free, meaning people didn't have to pay to sit there. The church had a main area called a nave, with two aisles on either side. At the east end, there was a special area called a chancel. The nave was separated from the aisles by rows of eight-sided pillars with arched ceilings above them.

At the west end of the south aisle, there was a carved stone font, which is a basin used for baptisms. A bell in one of the towers rang for the very first time on the morning the church was officially opened. There were also balconies, or galleries, on each side of the church. The large window at the east end was divided into many sections, letting in lots of light. The windows on the sides were also divided into smaller sections.

Consecration and Organ

The church was officially opened and blessed, a process called "consecration," on 8 April 1856. This ceremony was led by Rt. Revd. John Jackson, who was the Bishop of Lincoln at the time. The singing during the ceremony was performed by the choir from St Mary's Church, Nottingham.

An organ was installed in the church by a company called Samuel Groves of London. It was first played on 1 November 1857.

Vicars of St Mark's

Here are some of the vicars who led St Mark's Church:

• Russell Cope (1856–1873)
• William Felton (1873–1883)
• Thomas Francis Boultbee (1883–1887)
• James Lewis (1887–1927)

Closure of the Church

After James Lewis left his role in 1927, another church leader, Canon Holbrook from Holy Trinity Church, took charge of St Mark's parish. By a special order made on 29 January 1930, the two church areas were officially joined together.

St Mark's Church building was eventually taken down in 1958.