Nominal: 1846 Hz Weight: 136 lbs Diameter: 17.93" Bell 1 of 1
Founded by John Taylor & Co 1962
Dove Bell ID: 51773 Tower ID: 18820 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Burnley: St Mark
Overview
Grid reference: SD 816 320
1962 by Taylor Young and Partners, Manchester. Inventory attributes all of the fittings to Mr W C Thompson of the same firm.
Visiting and facilities
Building is open for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Nave with west balcony and narthex beneath. Chancel and sanctuary under one roof, with flat-roofed vestry and boiler room to north side. Bell turret above north-east corner.
Dimensions:
[Approximate] Nave 14 m (46 ft) x 9 m (30 ft)
Description of Archaeology and History
Burnley was industrialised in the 19th century and there are cotton mill and brewery buildings within a kilometre of the site. Rosegrove station, on the Accrington and Colne Railway, opened to the north of the site in 1897.
An ICBS application records the approval of a grant for a new church to replace a tin mission church between 1957-64. The tin church had been established as a daughter church to All Saints and stood on a different site. Land and a substantial fund is understood to have been provided by the local cotton manufacturing family, the Dugdales, and was topped up by local donations. Taylor Young and Partners architects were commissioned to design the church and a foundation stone was laid next to the west door by the Bishop of Blackburn in 1962. William Cecil Young had taken on the partnership following Isaac Taylor’s death in 1948. The practice also designed the nearby crematorium in 1957-8.
The archaeological potential of the site is low. There are no known designations relating to the ecology of the plot, though it contains mature cherry trees along the west boundary.
Exterior Description
Fairly simple, quite austere building of functional design. The west end rises higher than the nave to create more of a street presence and to greet those approaching from the road. It has a separate hipped roof with a stone cross finial and a circular window in the apex. Centrally placed glazed wood double doors are beneath a low concrete lintel framed by raised brickwork to form a portal effect around it. A ramp has been formed to ease the step up into the porch.
The nave and chancel are beneath a single pitched roof, the sanctuary slightly narrower than the rest of the building. The windows are placed high in the walls. The north elevation has flat-roofed projections extending north from the east end containing the vestries and the boiler room. Above it is a tall but simple open brick bell-turret containing a single bell. The brick work encompasses the chimney from the boiler house. A door on the west side of the vestry has six steps rising up to it. The boiler house is smaller and has barbed wire on the roof. The east elevation is plain with a crucifix attached.
Building Fabric and Features
Nave
20th century
Balcony
20th century west in nave
Narthex (classical)
20th century
Chancel
20th century
Sanctuary
20th century
Vestry
20th century flat roof
Boiler Room
20th century
Bellcote
20th century
Building Materials
Brick
20th century
Concrete
20th century lintels
Pantile
20th century clay and concrete
Asphalt
20th century vestry roof
Interior
Interior Description
The nave is accessed through glazed wood doors from the west. These enter into a narthex with tiled floor and low flat ceiling. Small rooms off the space contain toilets or are used for storage. A second set of glazed doors accesses the nave. The narthex sits beneath a west balcony, accessed by steps in the south-west corner of the nave. It is largely used for storage but has fixed tiered benches. The front of the gallery, overlooking the nave, is wood-panelled.
The main body of the church is a simple room. It is full of natural light due to the absence of any stained glass and is ceiled by a flat plastered ceiling with raised concrete ribs/trusses marking the bays. It is painted dark blue. The brick walls are painted white, with recesses beneath the nave windows extending to the floor, also painted dark blue. A level floor is paved in granwood tiles with carpet up the aisles and wood chairs providing seating on either side. Original light-fittings with five suspended bulbs remain in place, though some additional spotlights have been fitted. The east end of the nave is floored in concrete and a door in the north wall accesses the vestries.
The chancel contrasts with the rest of the building by the use of smaller windows and by the rise in floor level of two steps. Oak choir stalls with frontals are fitted to either side. Facing the nave, a pulpit and lectern are built into the woodwork, in the style of ambones. An organ is positioned north of the choir, beneath a square-headed opening.
The sanctuary is slightly narrower in width and is raised by another step; the floor is of marble (reconstituted?). The windows are longer than in the nave. Wide, round-headed recesses sink into the walls on either side and a consecration cross is placed within the north wall.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
20th century stone, designed by Thompson 1965, made by Stevensons' Monumental Masons, Burnley
Reredos
20th century technically not a reredos, but a painted wood crucifix with a figure of Christ hangs on the east wall, signed with initials RH
Pulpit
20th century oak ambone built into choir stalls
Lectern
20th century oak ambone built into choir stalls
Font (component)
19th century small circular stone font with carved oak cover said to have been relocated form the old St Pauls' parish church, Burnley, demolished c 1950
Plaque (component)
20th century a few plaques and a framed paper remembering 19 men who died in the Hapton Valley Colliery disaster 22 March 1962
Organ (component)
20th century two manual organ by Hewitt & Son, Paddington, bought in 1977
Plaque (component)
20th century WWI & WWII – small wood plaque with painted names, south wall.
Bells
Portable Furnishings and Artworks
some registers dating from 1965
Churchyard
Grid reference: SD 816 320
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | No |
| Solar Thermal Panels | No |
| Biomass | No |
| Wind Turbine | No |
| Air Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ev Charging | No |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
Sources
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