Former Church of St Mark

St Mark's Community Centre, St Mark's Road, Bath, BA2 4PA

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1394877
Date first listed:: 12-Jun-1950
List Entry Name:: Former Church of St Mark
Statutory Address:: St Mark's Community Centre, St Mark's Road, Bath, BA2 4PA

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Listed Building
Grade:: II
List Entry Number:: 1394877
Date first listed:: 12-Jun-1950
Date of most recent amendment:: 15-Oct-2010
List Entry Name:: Former Church of St Mark
Statutory Address 1:: St Mark's Community Centre, St Mark's Road, Bath, BA2 4PA

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:: St Mark's Community Centre, St Mark's Road, Bath, BA2 4PA

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:: Bath and North East Somerset (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Non Civil Parish
National Grid Reference:: ST 75145 64219

Details

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 05/05/2020

656-1/41/1583

ST MARK'S ROAD (west side) St Mark's Community Centre Former Church of St Mark

(Formerly listed as Widcombe Community Centre, St Mark’s Road, previously Listed as: ST MARK'S ROAD Church of St Mark)

12/06/50

GV II Former Anglican parish church of St Mark, declared redundant in 1973, reopened as a community centre in 1975. Perpendicular Gothic Revival style. 1830-1832, by G.P. Manners, chancel added 1883 by Thomas Ames of Wilson and Willcox, internal modifications 1975.

MATERIALS: limestone ashlar, slate roofs.

EXTERIOR: five-bay aisled nave with pinnacle-capped buttresses; four-stage tower with diagonal buttresses, crocketed finials and cusped openwork parapet, arched and slatted belfry openings to each face of upper stage, three-light west window to ringing chamber over entrance with part-glazed west doors within drip-mould, tower flanked by porches either side with smaller arched windows; east end with added polygonal chancel extension flanked by vestry to north and former organ loft to south. North and south sides have five three-light windows with drip-moulds, divided by buttresses with three offsets, angle buttresses to each end, carried through as square crocketted pinnacles above plain balustrade and cornice mould. On south side, to left, plank doors to entrance lobby. High coped gables, with two-light aisle window each side east and west ends, and finial with cross to east. North side has flight of steps to former boiler house, with small flue to main east gable. Narrow chancel has five tall two-light Decorated lights with drip-moulds, to deep sill band, under cornice and blocking course. Small metal ridge ventilator. High plinth with double offset continues all round exterior.

INTERIOR: highly characteristic late Georgian Gothic interior with slender piers. Five-bay nave with piers (without capitals) carrying four-centred arched braces to shallowly pitched ceiling; flat ceiling to aisles also with bracing. West arch to tower now glazed. Chancel arch is characteristically Victorian, representing the later fulfilment of the Gothic Revival: moulded chancel arch with ball-flower decoration carried on triple shafts above corbel-heads. Chancel reached via two marble steps: now enclosed to form extra rooms. Open cusped arch-braced roof in pine with boarding to ceiling. Formerly with galleries to three sides, now removed except at west end. Cast iron roof trusses in simple design with open spandrel, and with large pierced ridge ventilators to each truss in low pitched ceiling. Aisle roofs flat, also with cast iron trusses. Plain plastered walls, and original board floors. At west end, lobbies with broad timber geometrical stairs to galleries, and central lobby beneath tower with cusped triple arched stone inner entrance. Former sanctuary retains gabled and cusped stone reredos, and 1932 stained glass central window. Fittings have generally been removed, but stone pulpit remains in-situ. Internally sub-divided with aisles partitioned but essentially intact.

HISTORY: the last of the group of three Commissioners' Churches to be built in Bath, it was established with a grant of 1824 to serve the expanding suburb of Lyncombe. Consecrated in 1832, it cost £10,427 and provided 631 reserved seats and 551 free seats in pews. Chancel added in 1883, at which time the galleries were replaced with lighter versions and the pews replaced with open benches. Declared redundant in 1973, a slate tablet on pier within records its re-opening as a Community Centre on June 30th 1975, by Cicely Edmunds (then Mayoress of Bath), who was largely instrumental in seeing conversion brought to fruition.

Listing NGR: ST7514564219

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:: 510284
Legacy System:: LBS

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.