St Mark's Church, Leicester is a

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

former

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

History

The foundation stone was laid in 1870 by the Bishop of Peterborough. The church was the gift of William Perry-Herrick and built to the designs of the architect

Ewan Christian Ewan Christian (1814–1895) was a British architect. He is most frequently noted for the restorations of Southwell Minster and Carlisle Cathedral, and the design of the National Portrait Gallery. He was Architect to the Ecclesiastical Commiss ...

. The contractor for the foundations was Firn of Leicester, Osbourne of Leicester constructed the building. The clerk of works was James Nichols. The bells were supplied by

Taylor of Loughborough John Taylor Bell Foundry (Loughborough) Limited, trading as John Taylor & Co and commonly known as Taylor's Bell Foundry, Taylor's of Loughborough, or simply Taylor's, is the world's largest working bell (instrument), bell foundry. It is locate ...

, and the clock was from Moore of Clerkenwell, London. The church was consecrated on 25 April 1872 by the Bishop of Peterborough. The stained glass windows inserted at the time of the consecration in the chancel were by

Ward and Hughes Ward and Hughes (formerly Ward and Nixon) was the name of an English company producing stained-glass windows. History Ward and Hughes was proceeded by the company Ward and Nixon, whose studio was at 67 Frith Street, Soho. They created large wind ...

. Later additions include windows in the south east chapel by

Henry Holiday Henry Holiday (17 June 183915 April 1927) was a British historical genre and landscape painter, stained-glass designer, illustrator, and sculptor. He is part of the Pre-Raphaelite school of art. Life Early years and training Holiday was born ...

in 1893 and in the north east chapel by

Charles Eamer Kempe Charles Eamer Kempe (29 June 1837 – 29 April 1907) was a British Victorian era designer and manufacturer of stained glass. His studios produced over 4,000 windows and also designs for altars and altar frontals, furniture and furnishings, lichg ...

in 1895. The west end was completed in 1903 by

Ernest Charles Shearman Ernest Charles Shearman (1859 - 17 April 1939) was a British architect. He was the son of a physician, Charles James Shearman. In 1878 he was articled to Charles Barry, remaining his assistant until 1888, the year Shearman set off for Argentina, ...

. The apse contained a painting by James Eadie Reid dating from 1910 “The Triumph and Apotheosis of Labour”.

Redundancy and subsequent use

The church was made redundant by the Church of England in 1986 after which it remained vacant until being converted into a conference and wedding venue known as ''The Empire Banqueting Hall'' in 2005.

Organ

The pipe organ was built by

William Hill & Sons William Hill & Son was one of the main organ builders in England during the 19th century. The founder William Hill was born in Spilsby, Lincolnshire in 1789. He married Mary, the daughter of organ-builder Thomas Elliot, on 30 October 1818 i ...

in 1871. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

References

External links

The Empire Banqueting Hall
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leicester, St Mark Church of England church buildings in Leicester Grade II* listed churches in Leicestershire Churches completed in 1872 Ewan Christian buildings