Church Of St Mark

The Church of St Mark, built in 1908 by C.T. Taylor, is located on Barlow Road in Levenshulme, Manchester. This church is constructed of red brick in English bond, featuring dressings of matt white terracotta and a red tiled roof. It showcases an Arts and Crafts style with Art Nouveau detailing. The building has a low nave and aisles beneath a three-span roof, complemented by a south-west tower, a west baptistery, a south chapel, and a north organ house that extend from the aisles into the chancel.

The short three-stage tower is characterized by diagonal buttresses and prominent bands. It has a depressed arched west doorway and a similar arch on the east side that contains a small window. The second stage features a clock face, while the third stage has depressed arched three-light louvred belfry windows with weathered sills, topped with terracotta Art Nouveau battlements. The baptistery to the left is canted, with the upper half made of terracotta and adorned with mullioned windows of two, three, and two lights. Above the baptistery, the west end of the nave features a depressed arched five-light traceried window, a gable with terracotta patterning and coping with kneelers, and a broad pilaster with checker-board patterning to the left.

The south aisle and chapel consist of five plus two bays, while the north aisle and organ house have two plus two bays, all supported by battered buttresses. The aisles contain segmental-pointed three-light mullioned windows with arched outer lights, while the chapel features three-light mullion and transom windows. The chancel is highlighted by a large five-light window with Arts and Crafts tracery.

Inside, the church features arcades of cylindrical terracotta piers with Art Nouveau pendent decoration, moulded caps, and two-centred arches. The chancel arch, organ house arch, and chapel arch are very wide, supported by quatrefoil piers and convex springing. The nave has a gently raked floor and a wooden barrel vaulted roof with brattished beams. Additional interior features include sedilia and piscina with terracotta tracery, and pitch-pine pews, each equipped with hinged brass umbrella brackets.