Church of St Mark

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 14/05/2018

SD 58 NW 2/17

NATLAND Church of St Mark

II* Parish Church 1909-1910. By Paley and Austin. Roughly coursed squared sandstone with ashlar dressings; graduated greenslate roof; stone ridge. Late Decorated/early Perpendicular style.

West tower, nave with aisles, chancel, vestry to north, porch to south. Three-stage tower has plinth, diagonal buttresses, string course to each stage, battlemented parapet. Battlemented stair turret rises above roof of tower at north east corner. Battlemented porch has two-centred opening with hood mould and labels with plain shields. Three-light traceried windows in pointed surrounds.

Interior: four-bay nave, three-bay chancel. Massive circular columns to tower and crossing. Piers to aisle arcades alternately round with capitals decorated with leaves or octagonal with capitals decorated with rosettes.

East window designed by Gerald E.R. Smith and carried out by A.K. Nicholson, stained glass studios, inscribed: To the GLORY OF GOD in proud and grateful memory of all those who flew up in our defence between 1939 and 1945 and especially of Sub-Lieutenant (A) ERNEST MARK CECIL MAPLES RVVR May 25th 1944 aged 19 years. Five-light window design based on Benedictus: words from the first and second verses of the canticle inscribed across base. Outer lights: Isaiah, St Alban and St Peter to left; St John the Baptist, St Augustine, St Mark to right. Inner lights: Annunciation to left, Nativity to right. Central light: The Lord reigning from the tree of life with David and Abraham below. In the base of the windows groups of figures led by St George with the rising sun of hope behind represent all those who served in the war including service personnel and civilians such as farmers and nurses and forms an important social record.

Set into the church tower wall behind the war memorial are tablets bearing the inscription: THIS/ MEMORIAL CROSS/ HAS BEEN ERECTED IN/ HONOUR OF THOSE GALLANT/ MEN OF NATLAND WHO/ GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE/ GREAT WAR AND WHOSE/ NAMES ARE INSCRIBED BELOW/ (NAMES)/ 1914/ 1919// ALSO IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO/ GAVE THEIR LIVES FROM 1914 TO 1920/ (NAMES)// THE WORLD WAR/ 1939/ 1945/ (NAMES).

Listing NGR: SD5210489197