St Marks Church at Low Moor on another miserable grey day,
St Mark’s was consecrated in 1857 and a new chancel erected in 1892. It was built largely at the expense of the directors of the Low Moor Company and Lord Cranbrook.
The church closed in 2002 and is now a private residence.
The graveyard is still consecrated and in the care of the Parish of South Bradford.
Baptism and Burial records date from 1857.
Does look a very grey day .. beautiful Church .. sad that all these old Churches are closing down .. but great that it is made use of and not left to ruin.. Is that a bowling green in the foreground...?
I have competition!!! :-)
We came across this quite a few times Peter where a church had shut its doors and either had been left to deteriorate or had been put to some other use.
The pragmatist in me says that it is an economic necessity and a sign of the times; the idealist says that for a wide range of reasons, the parish churches represent a very important part of UK and our history and should be maintained.
@julzmaioro Thank you very much for your comments Julia, and yes your correct I took the shot from the bowling club car park you may have noticed the bits all over this is a result of high winds they were in the process of cleaning up:)
@terryliv Thank you for your interesting comments Terry, your right Parish Churches and their record have a key part in our history, when the church closed down all the records were retained by the Parish of South Bradford for safekeeping:)
What a beautiful ornate building! Probably best to view this when the leaves reveal the details, as you have done. I guess I never considered that a church could "go out of business." Kind of sad, really, but fortunate that this one is able to be preserved.
A fine image placing the former church in it's environment.
It is sad to note that we have hundreds of these redundant churches around the whole of the UK.
The 'Churches Conservation Trust' cares for over 325 Church of England churches no longer needed for parish use. But there are hundreds more, of other denominations too. Many of these are open to the public and can make for good photographs. There are four such churches in West Yorks. One in each of Halifax, Leeds, Harewood and Copley. All Saint's in Harewood is a particular favourite of mine, i visit quite regularly.
Another use now is church camping, just like using a barn.
@onewing Thank you Babs so many churches pf all denominations are going out of use in the UK, but in saying that its nice to know this one is still being used and maintained, I would not fancy the heating bills for this one, suspect its a spectacular place to call home:)
@stray_shooter Thank you for your lovely comments Ron, the shot was taken from a Lawn green bowling club grounds lots of tree branches scattered about after the gale force winds the clean up was in progress, Its amazing the uses the old churches are put to after closure, near my old home some of the following uses, Radio Station, Business offices, Antique shop and auction house, Hotel and Private homes to name but a few:)
@jorlam Thank you for your comments and interesting information, I love old architecture and will be investing your suggestions in the warmer weather:)
January 24th, 2017
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We came across this quite a few times Peter where a church had shut its doors and either had been left to deteriorate or had been put to some other use.
The pragmatist in me says that it is an economic necessity and a sign of the times; the idealist says that for a wide range of reasons, the parish churches represent a very important part of UK and our history and should be maintained.
It is sad to note that we have hundreds of these redundant churches around the whole of the UK.
The 'Churches Conservation Trust' cares for over 325 Church of England churches no longer needed for parish use. But there are hundreds more, of other denominations too. Many of these are open to the public and can make for good photographs. There are four such churches in West Yorks. One in each of Halifax, Leeds, Harewood and Copley. All Saint's in Harewood is a particular favourite of mine, i visit quite regularly.
Another use now is church camping, just like using a barn.