PETERBOROUGH : CHURCH OF ST MARK
Church Post Code PE1 2SN
Closed to visitors
Visited October 2018. Exterior reshot July 2023
As of mid November 2024, the population of Peterborough is estimated to be around 218,000; a rapidly growing city which recorded a figure of 183,600 at the time of the 2011 census. At one point back in time though, Peterborough was the smallest city in the country in terms of population.
In 1801 the population was estimated at around 3,500; this rising to nearly 9,000 in 1851 and over 17,000 come 1871 with many moving to the city for work on the railways. Prior to this expansion the church of St John the Baptist close to the cathedral was the parish church for the city of Peterborough; the cathedral being for the monks with the church of St John for the people.
With the rapid increase in population, things had to change and churches were built to cater for the increased number of people. The church of St Mark was opened in 1856 with St Mary following in 1859; this church being demolished and a new church rebuilt in 1991. The church of St Paul, which was known as the ‘Railwayman’s Church’ was built in 1869 with All Saints being added in 1886.
I am just concerned here with the church of St Mark, which can be found at the side of the busy, cosmopolitan Lincoln Road, to the north of the city centre. The plans for this church were drawn up in 1853 and a tender of £2173 was submitted by local builder John Thompson. The price was agreed and the foundation stone was laid in August 1855 with the newly built church being consecrated just over a year later in late September 1856. The first of Peterborough’s Victorian churches was open for worship!
The church that we see today consists of tower, which is unusually offset to the north east, nave with north and south aisles and clerestories, south porch and chancel. It is said that the tower is in an unusual position so that it would dominate the skyline from three different directions. Thompson’s association with the church here is interesting in that he built his family home on land that he purchased close to the church in 1865, was church warden for 16 years and was very generous to the church that he built; donating amongst other things the stained glass in the fine east window, which he gifted in 1870.
This was my own place of worship for several years before covid 19 reared its head and the service that I attended here was discontinued after the church opened back up after the restrictions.
Taking a look at the church from the outside, the offset North West tower is heavily buttressed with a frieze of repeated quatrefoil design running throughout. Grotesques in the shape of bizarre beasts look out from all sides. Two lancet windows can be seen at the belfry stage with some very stern looking, bearded figures looking out disapprovingly from the label stops.
The octagonal broach spire rises up, tall and slender, with two tiers of irregularly placed gabled lucarne windows. A multi-cultural city; the spire of the church here rises up, alongside minarets from the local mosques.
The south porch has a date of 1856 and some very difficult to read Victorian script on a scroll. The unusual clerestory is in the form of dormer windows, with the glass itself being contained within roundels. The fine east window faces the main road, and is of five lights with the stair case to the tower alongside to the north. There is just a single bell hanging here, this cast by Mears of London in 1856.
When Revd Sweeting’s look at the parish churches in and around Peterborough was published in 1878 he took a look at this newly built church. His view was for the most part, but not entirely, favourable! He liked the positioning of the tower; that it was brought close to the main road so that the full height of the tower could be seen and not hidden behind the rest of the structure. He did note a couple of ‘blots’ though. He did not care for the spire, which he described as being ‘thin and meagre’; as well as not liking the ‘quasi’ clerestory in the shape of dormer windows which he described as being ‘unsatisfactory’. Slightly harsh perhaps! Sweeting’s verdict: ‘a good example of an inexpensive district church’.
The church here is normally closed to visitors out of service times. The photographs of the interior here were taken after a Sunday service in early October 2018, with the eagled eyed possibly noticing the produce for Harvest Festival still stacked up against the communion rails.
The exterior photographs were reshot in the summer of 2023; a day that promised bright sunshine but failed to deliver!
Moving inside, it was bright and welcoming inside. The piers and arches are painted white with the rest of the church interior painted in pastel shades. Screens are used here for some of the services, with these being rolled up after use.
There are five bays to north and south with octagonal piers and capitals. Angels at prayer and stern faced bearded figures look out across the nave. There is a wide open space at the west end of the nave which back in the day would have been useful for processions but in more recent times was useful for teas and coffees after services.
Moving in to the chancel the five light east window has stained glass, with Jesus central carrying a crook and holding a lamb. He is flanked by the four gospel writers with John depicted to the far right as we look at it holding a chalice out of which rises a serpent; Christian legend stating that whilst in Ephesus John was given poisoned wine. He prayed over the wine and the poison came out in the form of a serpent.
At the top of this window is a roundel which depicts the nativity. Mary and Joseph stand alongside the baby Jesus, with three angels with vibrant wings looking on. Less is more, no shepherds, no wise men, no animals, just a single star overhead.
The altar cloth was Green, the liturgical colour used in ‘Ordinary Times’; the times that fall outside the two main Christian festivals of Easter and Advent. The church organ is against the north wall and a series of finely carved angels in wood form a celestial orchestra.
The entrance to the tower can be found to the east end of the north aisle; the east end of the south aisle has an altar with oak reredos and panelling on the east wall; the east window having a two light stained glass depiction of the scene on Easter morning when an angel of the Lord appears to the three Mary’s ‘He is not here he Is risen’. In the tracery above we see three angelic figures; the top figure holding a crown with the two below each holding a palm frond, with each of these being a symbol of victory.
The finely carved parish war memorial can be seen against the south wall of the nave, which has the names of no fewer than 150 men of the parish who fell in the First World War. Central on this memorial is a depiction of Jesus as the Good Shepherd with crook and holding a lamb; the same as the central panel in the east window. Further figure to the side are of an angel noting the names of the deceased and a further angel with sword downturned.
There is a large amount of stained glass here of high quality with much of it from Powell & Sons who had previously brought out the Whitefriars stained glass company. Sweeting noted that the church was mainly glazed in clear and tinted glass and it appears as if much of the glass was donated after his visit.
A striking depiction of the baby Jesus being presented to Simeon in the temple shows Mary and Joseph simply dressed; holding a cage in which are two turtle doves, this being the offering for those of limited means who couldn’t afford a lamb. No fine clothing here as we sometimes see in other designs!
A three light window shows the baptism of Jesus, with Jesus flanked by John the Baptist and two angels. Jesus is shown with red tunic and nimbus, symbolic of the blood that was later to be shed, with a scroll over the top reading ‘This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased’. The Holy Spirit in the form of a Dove shines down on Jesus.
Another window shows Jesus carrying his own cross on the way to crucifixion. He looks back at his mother, who as usual is dressed in blue with Mary Magdalene alongside, with hand over her eyes unable to watch.
Another two light window shows Jesus seated, with disciples alongside, teaching those who are gathered. I always find it interesting to look at the expressions of those gathered. Sometimes people are depicted looking confused, sometimes angry. Here all gathered are looking intently at Jesus; with some fine detail showing a young girl looking at Jesus, holding on to her mother, who is also looking at Jesus intently, with tiny fingers clutching at her mother’s hand. A further depiction on another window, in a similar vein, shows Jesus holding a baby whilst gently stroking a young girl’s hair with his other hand.
The west window is of four lights and is contains various coats of arms all of which look to be below a Bishops mitre. This meant nothing to me at all but it was described by Sweeting as a ‘Blazon of Episcopacy’ which listed the coats of arms of the 28 sees of the country; a see being an area of Episcopal jurisdiction. Interesting I daresay but possibly not uplifting to the vast majority of people who are liable to see it!
There are some delightful touches high up in the tracery of some of the windows. We see angels in flight wielding censers; and angelic figure with long flowing golden hair holding banners. One in particular sees an exquisite female figure, eyes lowered demurely, dressed in a blue cloak with flowing green wings. Her banner reads ‘Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God’.
The church here is closed to visitors out of service times, as are all of the other city centre churches; with only the cathedral regularly open to visitors. I attended many services here over the space of five or six years and it is very much worth taking a look at if you can. It was time to move on, on this July revisit, and it was a short walk across the city to reshoot the church of St John the Baptist, which was open for its regular Saturday coffee morning, with the promised sun blazing down by the time that I arrived!