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St John's Wood: Inside the listed church ravaged by fire

Daniel Peters Inside St Mark's in St John's WoodDaniel Peters
Blackened beams lie on the floor around a statue still that is still standing

Photographs from inside a Grade II*-listed church that was gutted in a fire have been shared by its vicar.

The Reverend Kate Harrison said the St Mark's community was "heartbroken" over the blaze, on the night of 26 January.

The photos of the damage to building, in St John's Wood in the City of Westminster, show blackened walls and piles of rubble surrounding a statue that is still standing.

The church interior is open to the elements after the roof collapsed.

Daniel Peters Inside St Mark's in St John's WoodDaniel Peters
Religious art in a half-destroyed frame remains on the wall inside St Mark's

"We don't yet know the full extent of the damage, but we will rebuild," Ms Harrison said.

"In the meantime, we must continue to worship God and to love his people. We may need to think creatively, but we will not be defeated."

On Sunday, the church will hold Mass outside in the vicarage garden. Other regular events have been moved to different churches.

"The building might be broken, but St Mark's is well and truly alive," Ms Harrison added.

Guy Lynn/BBC Reverend Kate Harrison outside the burnt-out churchGuy Lynn/BBC
The Reverend Kate Harrison says the community "will not be defeated" by the fire

Eighty firefighters tackled the blaze at St Mark's, as flames ripped through the two-storey building. No-one was injured.

Fire investigators have told Ms Harrison that the cause might never be identified.

The National Churches Trust has described St Mark's as an "architectural and historical treasure". The building, which is more than 170 years old, has links to author Lewis Carroll and Queen Victoria's son Prince Leopold and is near Abbey Road Studios and Lord's cricket ground.

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A history of St Mark's church

St John's Wood Society A black and white postcard showing what the church looked like in decades pastSt John's Wood Society
  • Built in 1846 to replace a small temporary building which had been set up to cater for the expanding population of St John's Wood
  • Survived being hit by an enemy bomb in 1941 during World War Two, with work to rebuild its spire being completed in 1955
  • The interior features several memorials including one commemorating the tragedy of the Herald of Free Enterprise, a cross channel ferry which capsized off Zeebrugge in 1987
  • The floor and walls are decorated with ornate mosaics including multicoloured and gold depictions of Bible passages
  • Robinson Duckworth was appointed vicar of St Mark's in 1870 after spending four years as Prince Leopold's tutor. Prince Leopold also laid the church's foundation stone when it was built
  • Duckworth was immortalised as the duck in the jury box in Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and was in the boat when the writer first told his famous story
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