A TOUR OF ST MARK'S CHURCH (part 2)

Back to the Tour of St Mark's Church (part 1)

The East window of the chancel is by J. Dowling, who also designed the Lady Chapel window. In contrast to the west window, this is Victorian in flavour. In the centre is the Cross of the Crucifixion. The Mother of Jesus, in green, is on his left; the Centurion looks up in faith, while the soldier, playing with his dice, is unmoved. John the beloved disciple is on Jesus' right; Mary Magdalene kneels below. On the right John Mark, our patron saint, is included by courtesy though he was not present; and on the extreme right is R.M. Benson, the curate of St. Mark's referred to in the History page. The cross blossoms above into the tree of life. The band of red surrounding it connects the Son with the Father, for "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself". At the Father's feet a dove completes the Trinity. Around the Father are the four creatures of Revelation 4:7 who represent the four evangelists: "and the first creature was like a lion, the second like a calf, the third creature had a face as a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle". At the top of the window the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet Alpha and Omega remind us that God is the beginning and end of all things (Revelation 22:13). On either side of the Father there is a symbol of sacrifice: on the left the Lamb "standing as it had been slain" with a flag of victory in his hand; to the right the pelican "in her piety" feeds her young with her own blood. All above the spring of the arch represents Heaven, and so stars fill up the smaller openings. The design of the tracery is original, giving more scope to the artist than either a conventional rose or decorated tracery, but is based on the design of a three-light window in Whitby Abbey. This design is echoed in the Communion rail.

The limed woodwork is carved with matching designs. The altar rails divide the sanctuary from the nave, where the congregation sits. The Pulpit shows the symbols of the four evangelists whose gospels will be proclaimed, and a symbol of St John Baptist, together with a panel of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The two principal Hymn Boards record the links of St Mark's with St Andrew's, Surbiton, once our daughter (and now our sister) church, and with Surbiton County Grammar School for Boys (now Hollyfield School) who used to worship here. Their lion, derived from the lion of the Surbiton Borough crest, which is in turn derived from the St Mark lion, is more flamboyant in character. There is a matching carved wooden lectern: the original lectern in the form of a brass eagle is now in St Andrew's Church.

At the head of the south aisle is a statue of Christ the King or "Majestas", by Anthony Southwell (who married Christine Hall, the sculptor of the terracotta plaques in the Lady Chapel). It shows Our Lord crowned, robed in majesty, standing on the globe and with the head of the serpent, symbolising the devil, beneath his feet. One hand is raised in blessing: the other welcomes us.

The organ console stands against the wall of the south aisle. The organ pipes are located in the space above the priest's vestry to the left of the organ. A detailed description of the organ is available. Briefly, it was built in 1951, originally for a private house, and later rebuilt here by Noel Mander and Son. There is an additional organ at the west end of the church, where the choir originally sat. It was found to be impractical for the choir to lead the services from that position so the choir stalls were built in the south aisle in 1964. This is not entirely satisfactory, since the pillars stop some sound reaching the rest of the church. The choir stalls and the organ stool are decorated with more angels. There are in fact more angels than lions depicted in St Mark's church.

The first Heraldic Window (going from east to west of the south aisle and from top to bottom of each window) shows the arms of the diocese of Winchester, above those of Rochester, to which St Mark's was transferred in 1877. This first window is a memorial to Francis Humphry, the Diocesan architect who surveyed the ruin and later worshipped here; it was designed by the artists who painted the chancel roof. The second window shows the arms of the Province of Canterbury above those of the Diocese of Southwark. The third window has the arms of Surrey, and below are the Arms of Robert Baden-Powell, first Chief Scout, recording the jubilee of 1st Surbiton (St Mark's) Scout group. Their flag hangs in front of this window. The corresponding flag of St George, for the 3rd Surbiton (St Mark's) Guide Company which closed in 1991, was formerly displayed here also. The fourth window shows the shield, with three salmon, of Kingston parish, of which this area was once part, and the former Borough of Surbiton, absorbed into the Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames in 1974. At the end of the south aisle is a display board for current exhibitions, and above it a modern stained glass window with three interlocking circles, symbolising the Trinity.

Leaving the church by the south door and following the path to the right leads around to the tower and the exterior north wall. These are the only surviving parts of the original church which survived the bombing, although the tower has since had to be repaired. They are thus the only places where the work of the Victorian masons and stone carvers can be seen. The exterior of the tower doorway has moulding carved with a variety of leaves, in the medieval fashion seen at its best in the Chapter House of Southwell Minster. Leaves of ivy, vine, and maple on the right, and oak, sycamore and hawthorn are depicted: even a bunch of grapes can be seen. There are also a number of drip stones with portrait heads, and more leaves, particularly along the north wall. The great wooden doors have massive nails and ironwork decoration. On the tower itself are a number of statues, much eroded by time and the weather: it is reputed that the Virgin Mary and St Peter are among them. Most of the gravestones have been removed from the churchyard, as they were broken and damaged, but some interesting monuments remain.


Taken (with amendments) from the leaflet "A guide to St Mark's Church" by Anne Nichols, 1996, and from the part of the pamphlet "Surbiton Parish Church: Beauty for Ashes" written by Canon Blair-Fish in 1960 to celebrate the reconsecration of the rebuilt St Mark's Church.

Back to the Guide to St Mark's Church