THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF BUXTED & HADLOW DOWN
Administrator
Diocese of Chichester
St Mark's History
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The first church building on this site was started in 1835 and finished in 1836.
The hamlet of Hadlow Down had consisted mainly of farm labourers’ cottages with a scattering of larger properties belonging to well-connected people. One of the latter was a gentleman called Benjamin Hall who resided at Buxted Lodge, which is the Grange today. Hall was greatly concerned for the spiritual welfare of the residents of Hadlow Down. The tiny village straddled two parishes, Buxted and Mayfield which meant that to worship, villagers were to walk to either St Margaret’s in Buxted or St Dunstan’s in Mayfield or not bother at all!
To rectify this, Hall petitioned Dr Wordsworth in Buxted and the Vicar of Mayfield requesting a church for Hadlow Down; he also wrote a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury – to quote: ‘there are many poor children wandering about the lanes in ignorance of almost every duty, moral or religious.’ The motivation for some of this religious zeal might have been occasioned by the fact that a group of non-Conformists had taken up residence in the village.
Therefore, a public subscription was opened, and land was donated by the Earl and Countess De La Warr for a church, school, and vicarage. Benjamin Hall also donated land and there were impressive donations of money from various people including the Archbishop of Canterbury.
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On 6th May 1836 Archbishop William Howley consecrated St Mark’s – 500 people attended. After another subscription campaign the neighbouring school opened in 1838.
The original church 1836 - 1910
At the beginning of the 20th century St Mark’s was starting to show wear, in particular the tower and the steeple were in danger of falling. Charles Lang Huggins, great nephew of Benjamin Hall, was now living at the Grange with his growing family. Probably encouraged by his wife, Agnes, who was a devout Christian and supporter of the church and school, he offered to build a new church. G.H. Fellowes Prynne, a well-known London architect, of Anglo-Catholic persuasion, was engaged to redesign and oversee the new building in the then popular Edwardian Gothic Revival style.
Building the present church c1912
The foundations and original walls of the former church were kept forming the nave. However, a new tower and steeple were constructed, and the church building extended to the east making a Chancel and Sanctuary. To the south side of this extension a Lady Chapel was added and to the north the Sacristy and a choir vestry. In recent years this area has been altered to accommodate a toilet and small kitchen.
In October 1913 the church was rededicated by the Bishop of Chichester.
Inside St Mark's c1917
Inside St Mark's c1933
