St Mark, Portadown

St Mark's on Church Street, Portadown, County Armagh, is the Church of Ireland parish church of Portadown, a Gothic Revival cruciform church first consecrated in 1826 as a chapel-of-ease to Drumcree.

Overview

The Dictionary of Irish Architects records a new chapel-of-ease of 1826 in the parish of Drumcree, described by Lewis in 1837 as a handsome Early English edifice with a tower at the east end, originally dedicated to St Martin. The site was given by Viscount Mandeville, later Duke of Manchester. Geograph and later accounts state that the church was consecrated on 14 November 1826, made cruciform in 1844, enlarged in 1861–62 by Welland and Gillespie (builder Arthur Henry of Newry) to add about 300 seats, and largely rebuilt in 1884–85 by James Franklin Fuller, contractors Collen Brothers, when the dedication changed to St Mark. In 1928 the unfinished old tower was demolished and a taller war-memorial tower built; in 1930 the nave was extended and a carillon of fifteen bells installed.

The Stone Database for Northern Ireland describes a Gothic Revival cruciform church of nave, transepts and side aisles with gabled porches, fronted by a tall square tower with octagonal buttresses, of uncoursed rock-faced basalt with sandstone dressings and a pitched slate roof. Northern Ireland listing HB14/16/001 (Grade B) is noted here only; it is not an English or Cadw list entry. The parish website is stmarksportadown.org.

Further Information

• St Mark's Church, Portadown
• Dictionary of Irish Architects: Church of St Mark (CI)
• Stone Database NI: St Mark's Church, Portadown