Details
FRODESLEY C.P. FRODESLEY
SJ 50 SW
6/120 Church of St. Mark
13.6.58
GV II
Parish church. 1809 on earlier site, north aisle of 1859. Rendered
roughly squared and coursed red, yellow, and grey sandstone with grey
sandstone ashlar dressings; 1859 addition of snecked grey sandstone
with ashlar dressings; slate roof, hipped to east. 2-bay nave and
chancel in one and 3-bay lean-to north aisle in a late C13 Gothic style.
Chamfered plinth; ashlar pilaster strips, clasped around corners and
supporting coped parapeted gable end to west; painted wooden square
bellcote to west with louvred round-arched openings (segmental to east),
and pyramidal cap with weathervane. Round-arched cast-iron windows;
formerly Venetian east window, side-lights now blocked, with imposts,
plain architrave to arch, and projecting keystone; round-arched west
doorway with imposts and projecting keystone, and boarded door; now
illegible square datestone in gable end to west. Aisle with
chamfered plinth, buttresses with offsets, coved eaves, and parapeted
verges; paired trefoil-headed chamfered lancets; east end with small
chamfered trefoil window and west end has window with 2 trefoil-headed
lights, circular plate tracery and chamfered reveals and Caernarvon-
arched doorway to left with chamfered reveals and boarded door with
strap hinges. Interior: 2-bay north aisle arcade of c.1859 :
circular pier with octagonal base and moulded capital, double-chamfered
arches, and hoodmould with carved stops; aisle windows with chamfered
segmental rear arches; flat ceiling to nave with coved cornice; lean-
to aisle roof with chamfered arch-bracing springing from stone corbels;
east window with probably early C19 panelled soffit and reeded surround
with rosettes at impost level and at apex. Fittings: plain C12 tub
font with holes for former top fixing, large circular base; 2 steps
up to sanctuary, panelled at the rector's expense in 1847; plain C19 communion
rails; reredos with fluted pilasters and cornice; communion table in part made up
from C17 panelling; square pulpit with reeded pilasters, frieze and
dentil cornice; west gallery of 1809 on two columns with plain
panelling and dentils; early C19 box pews, with some reused C17
panelling; organ with quatrefoil frieze and painted pipes; quarry tiled
floor. Stained glass in east window said to come from the old
church, depicting the arms of members of the Scriven family.
Monuments: early C18 tablet beneath gallery with guilloche-ornamented
pilasters and coved cornice; tablet on south wall to William Yeats,
died 23rd January 1783; hatchment on north wall; other late C18 and
early C19 tablets. The pulpit and reading desk are said to incorporate
C17 and C18 panelling. The baluster-shaped font of c.1829 that was
said to exist was not evident at time of survey (April 1985); a
photograph in the church dated 2nd September, 1930 shows the C12 font
standing outside the church at the west end, it was brought inside
c.1939. A church was first recorded on this site in 1272. Cranage
describes 2 old fonts and other carved stones in the garden of the
neighbouring former rectory, there is no evidence of them now although
one of the fonts was probably that which is now in the church. V.C.H.,
Vol. VIII, p p. 83-4, D.H.S., Cranage, An Architectural Account of the
Churches of Shropshire, Vol. 6, p. 490; B.O.E. , p. 132; Kelly's
Directory of Herefordshire and Shropshire, 917, p. 96.
Listing NGR: SJ5158101047