History
St Mark’s has an extraordinary history, despite being less than two centuries old. The first church on the site was constructed in 1845, but this was rebuilt in order to house more worshippers, and a spire built, towards the end of the 19th Century.
For the next decades, the churchyard continued to host burials of those who had died in Surbiton.
In 1940, St Mark’s suffered a direct hit during the blitz. The spire survived but the roof and much of the chancel was destroyed; the graves in the churchyard were scattered. Some of our oldest members in the congregation can still remember seeing the church go up in flames.
Restoring it was an almighty project and for two decades worship took place in a church hall with a tin roof. Local people all contributed by ‘buying bricks’ for the new church at £5 a go, and gradually funds were built up: in 1960, the restored church was completed and Sunday morning worship returned to St Mark’s once again.
The next major redevelopment is much more recent, completed only in 2012: this included building a new hall, and reconfiguring the church, such as by removing the pews. What it kept was the light, airy feel, which is a peaceful place to stop and contemplate as well as offering regular services.
Location
St Mark’s Church, St Mark’s Hill, Surbiton, Surrey, KT6 4LS
Being part of it.
- There are a number of rooms within St Mark’s which can be hired: See Venue Hire.
- The main weekly worship service at St Mark’s takes place each Sunday at 9.15am.
- St Mark’s is open from Tuesday to Friday each week, from 10am till 4pm. Please come in to look around or to pray.