War memorial at the former St Mark's Church, Silvertown

Image: © Marathon Taken: 20 Jan 2016

St Mark's Church owes its origins to an investigation following a cholera epidemic into the poverty and poor living conditions of the people of the Hallsville neighbourhood (now part of Canning Town). The Rev. H. Douglas appealed in 'The Times' in 1859 and 1860 for funds and as a result St Marks was built during 1861 and 1862 on a site given by the Dock Company. Designed by the Victorian architect S. S. Teulon, it is one of only three London churches built by him. Writing in 1966 in Nairn's London, Ian Nairn had this to say about St Mark's: "A hard punch in the guts. Sombre and compact, brooding over the bizarre landscape of North Woolwich, funnels instead of tree-tops... Imploded, savage inward raids into the heart's essence, an architectural imagination the size of Blake's. The church is locked but still used; it must be kept. It is the nearest thing to a mystic's revelation that London has." The funnels have, of course, long gone and the church was subsequently made redundant after which the roof was burnt. Some photograph after the fire can be seen at http://www.urban75.org/london/silvertown-st-marks.html The church declined rapidly after the 1939-45 war and by 1965 the congregation had shrank to 'four old ladies at evensong'. There were plans to make it a museum of Victorian life but it is now the Brick Lane Music Hall. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brick_Lane_Music_Hall The war memorial, commemorating the parish dead of the First World War, was erected near the south-east corner of the church around 1920. After 1945 an inscription was added in honour of the Second World War dead. The monument was moved to its present position in 1991. The memorial is Grade II Listed. The mural behind has made the most of a rather uninspiring wall. A photograph of the whole building can be seen at http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4799508

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