An announcement in the Chronique de Jersey of 12th October 1844
that the church would be open for Divine Service on the following
day marked the completion of St. Mark's Church following two and a
half years of planning and construction. It was only right that the
Dean of Jersey, the Very Reverend Francis Jeune, later to become
Bishop of Peterborough, should preach the sermons at both Morning
and Evening services, for it was he who recognised the need for a
new church in the area and who was the chief mover of the
project.
The Licence for the opening of the church began thus:
Know ye that whereas the population of the Town and Parish of
St Helier has greatly increased and that many faithful persons are
deterred from worshipping God according to the rites and ceremonies
of the Church of England, owing to the deficiency of accommodation
in existing Churches and Chapels, and whence certain members of the
Church of England desirous of promoting the glory of God and of
providing for the spiritual wants of themselves, their families and
poorer brethren, have at full cost erected and completed a suitable
building by the name of St. Mark's Church, for the performance of
Divine Service...'
Houses were springing up in the area and rival speculative
builders were constructing streets such as St. Mark's Road,
Stopford Road and Springfield Road. Thousands of new residents were
settling in the parish, many of whom were English to whom the
services in French at the Town Church were unintelligible. The Dean
was an exceptionally able man of whom Gladstone was reputed to have
said that he wished he could have him as Chancellor of the
Exchequer. He got his plans 'cut and dried" before consulting
anyone and found a Mr. Philips who was willing to sell the plot of
land on which the church now stands. He asked Mr. J.T. Parkinson,
the architect of All Saints, to draw a picture of the proposed
church. The inspiration for the name which he chose may have been
the spring, later known as King's Well, at the foot of the steps
that lead from Queen's Road to Mont à l'Abbé. This was
known in the olden days as La Fontaine de St. Marc. As late as
1722, it was reported that three people were prosecuted for
allowing their ducks to defile 'St. Mark’s spring near Rouge
Bouillon.'
The building of the church was not without difficulties. The
specifications and plans which were pinned up in a lawyers office
for inspection were stolen by a builder to prevent any rivals from
tendering and resulted in the following notice being inserted in
the Chronique de Jersey on 27th July 1842: -
'In consequence of the surreptitious removal of the specifications
for the carpenter's work of St. Mark’s Church, by which
several workmen may have been deprived of the opportunity of
tendering, the committee has determined to keep up the competition
for a week longer, and to receive tenders up to Saturday the 30th
instant at 12 o'clock.'
The next problem was that the walls of the church were so badly
built that in October, when half way up, they collapsed in ruins.
The Committee sacked the builder and the supervisor and in April
1843 the building was restarted with a new firm and a new
architect. By September, the spire was complete with its
weather-cock on the top. By the time of its completion in 1844 the
building had cost nearly double the original estimate.
The Altar was presented by the Dean and a special subscription
to pay for a ring of the bells raised the total of £326 10s
5d. This prompted the remark that 'St. Mark’s is the only
church in the Island to possess a peal of bells but these are not
half such an attraction as the bevy of belles who throng its walls
every Sunday.' The ring of bells at St. Mark’s is the most
southerly ring in the British Isles. They were probably not rung as
frequently in the traditional style because in the 1880's there was
apparently no objection from ringers when the installation of a
clock and a large clock bell effectively ended any possibility of
practising the art of campanology. In 1974 a generous bequest and
the sale of the clock bell enabled the bells to be re-hung for this
purpose. Since that time, they have been rung regularly by a very
strong local band and many visitors to the island.
Repairs, re-decoration and restoration work have taken pace at
various times, notably in 1927 and 1981-84. In 1941, all pew rents
were abolished and a notice in the porch stated that 'all seats in
this church are free and unreserved'. Centenary services were held
in 1944 during the Occupation.
In the first one hundred and fifty years of its life, the church
of St. Mark has witnessed many events. A few weeks after its
consecration by the Bishop of Winchester on 6th August 1846, the
visit of Queen Victoria brought the church into the limelight. A
triumphal arch of welcome was built across David Place in front of
it and this, says the account of the ceremony '. . was the most
beautiful sight of all. The bells pealed forth a joyous sound as
the Sovereign passed, while a group of school children on the steps
sang the National Anthem. It was a most affectionate scene and one
that appeared deeply to impress the Royal pair.'
A short multi-cache. At the published co-ordinates you will find
a war memorial. :
A = number of men with surname beginning with the letter A.
B = number of men with surname beginning with the letter B
C = number of men with surname beginning with the letter C
J = number of men with surname beginning with the letter J
N = number of men with surname beginning with the letter N
W = number of men with surname beginning with the letter W
The cache can then be found nearby at: N49 11.J(A+C)(B+N)
W002 06.N(N+W)A
The cache has a log book only but no pen so please bring one
with you.
If anybody would like
to expand this series please do, I would just ask that you could
let sadexploration know first so he can keep track of the Church
numbers and names to avoid duplication