The History of St Mark’s
The City of Aberdeen had only one Parish (St Nicholas) from 1060 until the year 1828 when the Court of Teinds decided that there should be six Parishes. These were East, West, St Clement’s and Greyfriar’s (each based on existing churches) and The North and South Parishes for which new churches would be built. The East Parish was served by what is known as St Mary’s Chapel at the Kirk of St Nicholas and the West the “Mither Kirk”.
At the disruption in 1843 the East, West and South congregations built three places of worship together, at the corner of Belmont Street and Schoolhill. In 1892 the congregation of the South Parish moved into the present building, designed by A Marshall Mackenzie and featuring a giant portico surmounted by a drum and high dome, modelled on St Paul’s Cathedral.
The first minister of the South Parish Church was Rev William M Clow DD.
St Mark’s is constructed, as are many of Aberdeen’s fine buildings, of local granite. The front elevation is a close ashlar on a rock-faced base, with the remaining walls hammer dressed Kemnay granite. A classical design by A Marshall Mackenzie the building features a giant portico surmounted by a drum and high dome modelled on St Paul’s Cathedral. The church, along with its neighbours, His Majesty’s Theatre and the Central Library, “forms the most distinguished grouping of major buildings in Aberdeen” (Historic Buildings Council for Scotland, October 2000).
Locally the three buildings go by nicknames "Education, Salvation and Damnation".
The Cache
The cache is located 151m away at an angle of 37 degrees
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Background Photo © Bill Harrison (cc-by-sa/2.0)