Former Methodist Church Of St Mark

The Former Methodist Church of St Mark, built around 1905 by FW Dixon of Oldham, is an Arts-and-Crafts Perpendicular style church located on Derby Road in Southport. Constructed of Accrington brick with sandstone dressings, it features graduated green slate roofs and a copper-clad spirelet.

The church has a nave oriented roughly north-south, with a northeast tower and northwest porch, as well as east and west transepts and a south chancel. The square tower, surrounded by the nave, has diagonal buttresses and a tall parapet with shaped coping topped by a spirelet. The east side of the tower includes a doorway and a 2-light window above with a stone surround. The north side features similar windows, with small windows on either side of the ringing chamber and a 2-light louvred belfry window under a 2-centred arch on each side.

The north gable of the nave has a shallow 3-bay narthex with two doorways and a large 2-centred arched 6-light window above. To the right is a large square full-height 2-storey porch with a pyramidal roof, which has been converted to cloakrooms. The four-bay side walls are supported by buttresses and have tall segmental-pointed 2-light windows with tracery. The transepts feature very large 2-centred arched 5-light windows with tracery.

Inside, the church has a wide nave with an unusual boarded segmental-vaulted ceiling supported by large arch-braced "hammerbeam" trusses made of painted oak, which include curved passing braces. The interior also contains a good oak-panelled dado, lectern, benches, choir stalls, and a north gallery, all original. There are stained glass memorial windows, including one dedicated to Sir William Hartley, who contributed equally with the congregation to the building's cost. The church forms a group with Arden College to the south.