ST. MARK’S, Notting-hill, takes one by surprise, it being almost hidden
from view until the visitor turns the corner of the St. Mark’s-road. The
west elevation possesses some good composition, and is boldly treated.
The tower stands at the south-west angle of the building, and is
surmounted by a broached spire, covered with slate in coloured bands, and
terminating in a weathercock, with the cardinal points indicated,
relieved by spire lights. The spire dies into a square brick tower,
banded in colour with stone dressing. The belfry windows are deeply
recessed with marble shafts and foliated caps, with sharp-pointed
lancets. The tower also contains one of the western entrances to church,
which forms an excellent feature. It is treated as a square-headed
double door, with the tympanum enclosed by a large hood mould, encircling
well-carved panels in relief, containing the emblems of the Evangelists.
The principal gable contains a three-light, simply-designed west window,
with a series of lancets, and small buttresses below. A porch also at
the north-west angle, in harmony with the rest of the front is plainly
and boldly designed, and is flanked by a stone pinnacle, the use of which
we do not quite understand. One of the most striking portions of the
outside, however, are a series of flying buttresses, which are,
unfortunately, nearly hidden from view by the closely-surrounding houses.
These buttresses spring from square piers, standing perfectly free from
the church, and in perspective giving the effect of a north and south
cloister arcade. The finials are of iron.
Entering the church by either of the before-mentioned porches, they lead
into large lobbies, containing the gallery stairs, separated by screen
walls one from the other; in the northwest porch is a large and handsome
stone bench, the elbows well cut, and each ornamented with a Maltese
cross.
The interior may really be said to be grand, owing very much to the
imposing height of the nave and the fearless nature of the detail of roof
and clerestory; the bold ribs, the bold sustaining caps and corbels, all
with sharply-defined and clean cut foliage, indicating a skilled hand in
design. We confess not to be very fond of many bands of brick and stone,
they give to an interior a sliced appearance and take away from the
effect of space; yet, notwithstanding this defect, there can be no
question of a fine effect of heights.
The detail of galleries—the arrangement of the arcade and iron columns,
with the clustered angle columns at the transepts—resembles St. George’s,
Campden-hill, which was planned from the pattern of St. Mark’s. The
transept and chancel aisle arcade is also similarly treated. The church
is cruciform in plan, with the galleries free of the transepts. The
north transept contains the organ in a sort of high-legged loft, which
rather looks like putting the organ out of the way. A fine chancel-arch
shows nearly the whole of the apsidal chancel, the walls of which are
well-covered with a tessalace of tiles. Seven steps lead up to the
Communion space, the pulpit is raised on four clustered shafts of red
Mansfield stone, with richly-carved caps, and handsomely enclosed with
good ironwork, instead of the usual stone box. The choir-stalls and
prayer-desk are complete and of good design, and the brass lectern is
well-raised. The pewing and bench-ends strike us as being too heavy.
The font is peculiarly elegant and graceful, and is a good specimen of
early work. The passages are all paved with tile of dark colour. The
style of the church is early English ornately treated, if anything
perhaps a little too much so, the charm and beauty of early work being
its extreme simplicity.
St. Mark’s was consecrated on Nov. 27, 1863, by Bishop Tait, the
foundation-stone having been laid Nov. 1 in the previous year. E. B.
Keeling, Esq., was the architect, and Messrs. Dove, Bros., the builders,
and the cost in all 7,720_l._ A debt of about 1,000_l._ on the building
account was discharged by the contributions of the congregation within
the first three years. The site was given by Mr. Blake, a freeholder in
Notting-hill, and the sum of 5,000_l._ presented towards the building by
the present patron—a great gift and benefit to the locality. The church
is furnished with a good organ, built originally by Hunter and Webb at a
cost of 450_l._, but which has been considerably improved since by
Bryceson, by the addition of several stops, including the _vox humana_,
at the moderate further outlay of 65_l._ The instrument is skilfully
employed in the service by Mr. Tamplin, professor of music, who has
associated with him rather a numerous choir, which has, within the last
twelve months only, taken to surplices. In the first instance the
service at this church was Evangelically plain; but within the last three
years, monotoning the prayers and chanting the psalms have been
introduced, as well as a large increase of Eucharistic celebrations, and
now more recently the surpliced choir. These changes have occurred under
the same pastorate—that of the Rev. Edward Kaye Kendall—who has been
Vicar of St. Mark’s from its foundation. Mr. Kendall is an enlightened
and able minister, as is evident from his pastoral circulars and the good
reputation he has among his people; and we presume is fully satisfied in
his own mind as to these changes, although some others have not approved
them. His congregation is good. The church, including the accommodation
of _telescopic_ seats, will hold 1,500, 1,000 of the sittings being
rentable, and 500 free. The average congregation is about a thousand or
over; and, together with a large proportion of the higher middle class,
there are many poor. Earnest parochial work is being done. Quite
recently capital school buildings have been erected in St. Mark’s road,
where there is an average attendance on week-days of near 400 children of
both sexes, including infants, and on Sundays 350. At the first a house
close to the site was rented and used as a school, but soon it was so
crowded in every room, and even on the stairs, that to obtain better
accommodation became a necessity, and it is gratifying to note that the
liberality of Mr. Kendall’s friends and congregation has enabled him to
accomplish this work with so much expedition and success. A separate
service is held for the children on Sunday mornings in the schoolrooms,
conducted principally by lay-helpers, whose church-work the Vicar is very
anxious to utilise. Once a-month the children are also taken to a
service in the church in the afternoon. There is a “Lay-helpers’
Association,” the members of which, with the district visitors, have done
much towards filling the church with people, and in extending parochial
work in general. There is also a “Mothers’ Meeting,” a “Clothing
Repository,” a Provident and a Maternity and Sick Funds, a Needlewomen’s
Institution, a Lending Library, and a Soup-kitchen in winter. For these
various objects, as well as for several foreign Christian enterprises,
the offertory account amounted last year to 663_l._ 2s. 6d. There is no
endowment, and the clergy are supported and all expenditure provided for
by the pew-rents and other voluntary means. The usual services are:
Sundays, at 11, 3.30 P.M., and 7 P.M. Weekdays, on Wednesday, prayers at
11 A.M., and Fridays prayers at 11 A.M., and prayers and sermon at 7.30
P.M. Communion every Sunday at 8.30 A.M., and after morning service, and
on every holy day falling on a weekday at 8 A.M.
We had not the opportunity of hearing the Rev. Vicar on Sunday, July 23,
1871, his place being supplied by the Right Rev. the Bishop of Honolulu
(Dr. Staley). The prayers were monotoned by the Rev. F. F. Kelly, LL.M.,
who succeeded to the curacy at Christmas last, upon the removal of the
Rev. A. H. Dunn to Acton, where we understand the latter is very usefully
employed as a missionary in originating a new church, of which he is to
be the future vicar.