St Mark's Church, Silvertown facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Mark's Church, Silvertown |
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| St Mark's Church, Victoria Docks | |
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| 51°30′9.7884″N 0°2′34.4184″E / 51.502719000°N 0.042894000°E | |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Status | Deconsecrated |
| Founded | 1857 |
| Dedication | 1862 |
| Architecture | |
| Years built | 1862 |
| Closed | 1974 |
St Mark's Church, Silvertown, also known as St Mark's Church, Victoria Docks, is a historic building in Silvertown, east London. It is located on North Woolwich Road, near the Royal Docks. This building was once a church but is now home to the Brick Lane Music Hall. It was recognized as a special historical building in 1971.
Contents
History of St Mark's Church
Building the Church
St Mark's Church started in 1857 as a building that was both a church and a school. It was first housed in a temporary iron building. A famous architect named Samuel Sanders Teulon designed a permanent church building. This new church opened in 1862.
Two years later, in 1864, St Mark's became its own separate parish. A parish is an area that a church serves. The church took parts of the areas that belonged to Woolwich and East Ham. The manager of the nearby docks, Charles Capper, was allowed to choose the first vicar (the priest in charge). After that, the bishop of London or the Corporation of the City of London chose the vicars.
Starting Other Churches
St Mark's Church also helped start other smaller churches, called mission churches. These mission churches were built to serve growing communities nearby.
- St Matthew's, Custom House was started in 1860. It later became its own parish in 1920.
- St Luke's Church, Canning Town also began as a mission church of St Mark's. It became a separate parish when its own permanent church was finished in 1875.
- St John's, North Woolwich opened in 1872 and became its own parish church in 1877.
- St Barnabas' Church, West Silvertown was started in 1882 and became a separate parish in 1926.
The Church Closes
The church building survived World War II. However, in the 1960s, the London docks became less busy. This led to fewer people living in the area. Many old houses were also torn down in a process called slum clearance. Because of these changes, the church was no longer needed as much.
In 1974, St Mark's Church was officially declared "redundant," meaning it was no longer used for church services. Its parish joined with two of its former mission churches, St Barnabas' and St John's. St Barnabas' also closed, leaving St John's as the only church for the combined area.
In 1979, the local council, Newham Council, bought the church building. They planned to turn it into a museum. Sadly, a big fire in 1981 badly damaged the roof. The roof was rebuilt between 1984 and 1989.
Brick Lane Music Hall
After the fire, the Brick Lane Music Hall took over the building. They changed it to host traditional music hall and variety shows, opening in 2003. The Brick Lane Music Hall had started in 1992 in a different location in Brick Lane. It then moved to Shoreditch before finding its current home in the old church. Vincent Hayes started the music hall. He had previously put on music hall shows at a pub where he was the owner.
The outside of the church building looks mostly the same. Inside, a stage, a bar, a kitchen, and special lighting and sound equipment were added. The church's old vestry (a room where priests prepare) became offices. In 2004, a colorful mural was painted on the wall behind the church's war memorial outside. New lighting and sound systems were put in place in October 2006.
When people visit the Brick Lane Music Hall, they sit at tables in a cabaret style. Food is served during the break for daytime shows and before the show in the evenings. The music hall can also host weddings and civil partnership ceremonies. It works with schools to offer workshops and takes shows to community centers, care homes, and hospices in the East End of London.
